Trail shoe review!

"Deeee Eeeeght in tha Janathon Hoose, and Loocal Adventures is gannin on aboot his shoes..."

Ultrabobban posted that he was looking for some new trail shoes, and suggested he might try Saucony Progrid Peregrines. I agreed wholeheartedly, and it occurred to me that a load of trailrunners might be missing a trick by overlooking these. After running in them again tonight, I thought I'd share the (my) love.

Saucony co-sponsored the Runner's World Trailblazer series of 10km trail runs I organised in 2011, and kindly gave me a couple of pairs of the shoes they were previewing at the events. I normally swear by my numerous pairs of Inov-8s for offroad duties, but I've also tried Salomons, Mizunos, New Balance and (unfortunately) The North Face over the years. But for three reasons, I was very excited about getting my mits on these

1. I LOVE new trail shoes.
2. My very first pair of trail shoes were Sauconys, and they were excellent, also underrated.
3. The shoes were designed around a lightweight, low drop chassis, intended as a "natural running" inspired go-anywhere trail shoe, and suited to UK trails (allegedly).

I was intrigued. They looked and felt more like a 10k racing flat than the usual over-engineered leviathans that some American sports companies call trail shoes. In fetching blue and black, if they turned out to be rubbish, they were presentable enough for jeans duty.

I love the smell of trail shoes in the morning

I debuted them on a recce run round one of the 10km Trailblazer routes, and wasn't immediately impressed. They were undoubtedly extremely lightweight (my new size 10s weighed a smidge under 300g on the kitchen scales), and despite a relatively thin and pliant midsole, they offered a surprising level of cushioning.

But they didn't really light my fire, and I was almost a little disappointed. However, I wore them for the three event weekends, lots of running about putting out waymarking etc, and quite unknowingly, they became my "go-to" trail shoes. Eventually, they were the only trail shoes I was traveling with.

The fit is roomy in the front, with some structured padding in the back which holds my skinny heels perfectly. A smooth lining and sensible stitching has been rub free, even on a 50 mile August ultra (which is also in part to Thorlo mini crew socks). The lacing system is dependable, wet or dry, and Saucony have left ingenious gaps in the webbing in the forefoot to drain any water away quickly. There's even a d-ring at the base of the laces to hook an ankle gaiter to. So well thought-out.

The upper is covered with a rubbery web, I guess to add some protection to the fabric. This isn't the same kind of flak-jacket you might find on some of the Inov-8 range, but does the job (though I'll avoid Highland heather-bashing). It's breaking up in a couple of crease points, but the fabric is much more durable than first impressions.

The sole unit is superb for British all-trail conditions. A hiking-boot-inspired grip, with a single block at the back might lack the outright grip of a fell shoe, but the diagonal lugs and side ribs feel stable underfoot and clear mud better than equivalent trail offerings from other non-UK manufacturers, and after many miles still have bags of depth left, without feeling like they're poking into the underside of my feet. The rubber is apparently "sticky" for grip when wet, and they feel as dependable as any other shoe I've used.

They have only a 4mm drop between heel and forefoot. This feels perfect whatever the job. I'm never dragging my heels, or being shoved into the front of the shoe on downhills, yet it doesn't feel like any cushioning is missing. The heel is narrow (80mm on the 10), so you're not going to twist your ankles in deep mud, wheel ruts or sheep tracks.

If your regular runs include a mix of tarmac, fire road, woodland trails, sheep tracks, footpaths, bridleways, mud, sand, gravel, rock or chalk, then these are hard to beat. I can't recommend them enough; you'll run them to death from spring to winter, take them on your holidays, use them on the hotel treadmill, and when they're gone, you'll wish you'd bought two pairs and remember them fondly.

On the tongue is a label saying "RUNANYWHERE", and this is surprisingly profound. With a road shoe, a trail shoe, and a fell shoe you could run anywhere in the British Isles; add something comfortable for an ultra, and  lightweight for a race and you're looking at five shoes at least; but if you had to choose just one pair of shoes, I think this shoe might be the one.


Tonight's run: 13miles of mixed trail, 1:51hrs, 1833cals, two deer, one mouse, yummy shoes.
Janathon total: 73miles, too many late nights already.
View my training stats and run route here on RunningFreeOnline, if you like.