For trail running in the UK, it’s essential to have something on your feet that will help you feel confident enough to take that muddy corner quickly, to skip down a wet, rocky path, climb scree and jump logs. On UK terrain, many trail running shoes fall down. Often they’re not built for the incessant mud or the wet rock, the ice-smooth chalk or highland bog. There are a peculiar set of conditions across this wet northern island, and the shoes need to stand up, as do you. For this reason, we’ve compiled our selection of the best trail running shoes out there for 2020 along with a buyer’s guide to help you make the right shoe choice for your needs. So here goes…
Outsole Grip
The first thing to be looking out for on a trail shoe is the grip. In many cases, particularly in places where it’s muddy and wet, you’ll want as near to football boots as you can find. That being said, if you’re trail running on dry and dusty paths, overly aggressive lugs might be a hindrance.
Another issue can be when the lugs on an outsole are so deep and so close together that they hold onto mud and become clogged. This then affects the amount of traction you’ll get. The trail shoes in this list are made by reputable trail running brands and all of them will be designed to shed mud, though we’d argue that some, most notably Inov-8s options, will be better than others on slippery UK fells.
Construction
Some trail shoe outsoles look aggressive but are made of tough rubber, meaning they’re great on muddy paths, but they’ll be like ice skates on wet, steep roads or chalk.
When running, your feet and toes are constantly making tiny adjustments to help your balance. If there’s a hard sole, and one that doesn’t twist torsionally, then the effect of your toes on your balance could be quite negligible. Somehow, the result can be a feeling of instability, making you lose that much-needed confidence.
Compare, for example, your walking boots. Apart from being uncomfortable if you’d run in them, they’d also feel unstable. Good trail running shoes should allow you to feel the ground and have enough space to let your toes work. Some of the examples here will enable the foot to be very close to the ground meaning the foot can balance well, the negative is that you’ll feel more of the stones and roots.
What Does ‘Stack Height’ Mean On Trail Running Shoes?
It’s easy for trail running brands to throw ‘stack height’ and ‘drop’ numbers at you, without explanation of what they influence, so we’re here to put that straight.
Firstly, stack height represents the thickness of the midsole at both the toe and heel. With the modern-day polarisation between highly cushioned and barefoot running shoes, this number is becoming an increasingly important stat that’ll show how the shoe will likely behave. Put simply, shoes with high stack heights will be more cushioned, but less responsive due to little underfoot feel. Low drop shoes will be less cushioned, but will have greater stability and feel underfoot.
The amount of stack height you choose is of course all down to personal preference.
What Does ‘Drop’ Mean On Trail Running Shoes?
The difference in stack height between the heel and toe is what’s known as ‘the drop’. A 0mm drop, for example, would have the heel and the ball at the same level – as you would barefoot. In recent years, ‘barefoot running’, where people run in shoes with a very low stack height, has become extremely popular. The drop can be anything between 12mm and 0mm. Anything below 5mm would be considered a ‘low-drop’ trail running shoe.
“High drop shoes promote a heel strike… while low-mid drop promote a mid-forefoot strike”
The drop of the shoe affects how your foot strikes the ground whilst running. High drop (8 mm+) shoes promote a heel strike (due to the cushioning in the heel), while low-mid drop (- 8mm) promote a mid-forefoot strike.
It’s important to remember that stack height and drop are independent of each other. Depending on your preferred gait, you could find high stack height trail shoes that still have a zero or low heel-to-toe drop.
Do Trail Running Shoes Need To Be Waterproof?
Another factor to consider is whether you want a waterproof membrane. And the answer isn’t that obvious. The waterproof membrane is basically a bootie that sits in the shoe. Yes, it will keep water out, the flaw, however, is there’s one huge hole in the top where you put your feet and once water gets through it it stays in. Waterproof shoes will serve you will if you’re running on damp ground and aren’t likely to put your foot in anything deeper than your ankle. When that’s likely, you might be better off wearing something that will let water in and then let it straight out.
The 10 Best Trail Running Shoes of 2020
In this test of a surprisingly diverse range of off-road running footwear, we’ve addressed all of the key areas mentioned above and suggested where each pair will be best placed. They’re all great, but in different ways and we’d recommend them for different uses. There are three overriding questions to consider when you’re looking to buy a pair of trail shoes: 1) Where are you most likely to be using them? What kind of terrain is it? 2) Do they fit? Is there room for your toes to wriggle? Do they pull tight? And 3) What is the end use? Are they for mountain marathons or a soggy parkrun?
- Arc’teryx Norvan SL GTX
- Altra Timp 1.5
- Dynafit Feline Up Pro
- Merrell Choprock Trail
- Vibram Five Fingers
- Salomon XA Elevate Trail Shoe
- Inov-8 X-Talon 230
- Inov-8 Terraultra G260
- Adidas Terrex Two Parley
- Nike Zoom Pegasus 35 Trail
- Icebug Acceleritas7 RB9X
Arc’teryx Norvan SL GTX
Price: £160
Weight: 235g
The all new Norvan SL GTX represents one of the lightest weight waterproof trail running shoes on the market, something you can feel the moment you pick them up.
Dynafit Trailbreaker
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