Weight 415gEvaluation This is a good shoe from a non-running brand. The North Face has been building up a small collection of trail-running models, and the Ultra 100 is the most serious in the range. As its name suggests, it’s made for distance

. This was never better than average, and only really appealed to heavier runners. For light- to midweight wearers it was too stiff, firm and unresponsive. With the Premier series, DMX air was replaced by DMX Foam, and that’s what you get in the Ultra.In fact, you

and pack down small enough to fit into a bumbag, clip on to a belt or fasten on to your upper arm. None of them is completely waterproof - although in a small unscientific survey of a dozen runners in the office, no one seems to care about being wet, just

of 2005, when she read an article in Runner’s World about ultra-running, and decided to give it a try.“I followed the RW training programme exactly,” she says. Six months later, she successfully completed the Compton Downland Challenge, a 40-mile race

If you'd like a running achievement you'll never forget - or you'd just like to use your running to explore more of the country you live in - you might just be on the right page.Starting in the Malvern Hills and ending at Nottingham Castle, September's six-day, 175-mile Marathon ...

Weight 362gEvaluation Not everyone wants clever shoes that are ultra-plush, ultra-light, ultra-flexible or ultra-anything. That’s one of the reasons why the straightforward, midweight, moderately firm Response has been a mainstay of the Adidas line

REEBOKMoor Lane Mill, Moor Lane, Lancaster LA1 1GF; 01524 580100; www.reebok.co.uk2005 MODELSCUSHIONEDPremier Ultra DMX 2 STABILITYPremier Road Plus II DMX PERFORMANCEPremier Road Lite DMX III Premier Lite III MOTION CONTROLPremier Control II 2004

Weight 412gEvaluation Asics has trimmed its off-road range down to two shoes: one light and basic (the £40, 314g Gel Canyon), and the other this ultra-protective trail crusher.The Trabuco is certainly nothing like its 324g predecessor, except

(stability) £75 Air Zoom Elite (performance) £80 EDITOR'S CHOICEPumaMeditation (performance) £50 ReebokPremier Road II (stability) £60 Premier Ultra (cushioned) £75 SauconyGrid Shadow (cushioned) £80 Jazz 7000 (cushioned) £50

Weight 220gEvaluation Just as it usually comes up trumps with its performance trainers, Puma always produces reliable racers. The Aello is a case in point. It's actually not too different to last year's Complete Finisher: ultra low-profile midsole