Having logged around 600km’s
since early January 2012 in my Nike Structure 14’s, I decided it’s time to get
a new pair of running shoes. In the spirit of experimentation I set out on
Saturday morning with some expectation to the local sport megastore close to my
home.
Two things to note, though: (1)
My Structure 14’s are by no means run-out, but the off road running on my long
run is becoming more and more uncomfortable, indicating to me that it might be
best, in the interest of avoiding injuries to get a new pair of running shoes.
(2) I will continue to use my Structure 14’s on my daily 10km runs, as this is
predominantly on a tar surface, for at least the next 6-weeks, before retiring
them to casual ware around the house. This is of course subject to me being
able to convince my wife that the shoes are suited for casual wear. I recall
her statement that the colour of my Structure 14’s was not suited for public
wear. In fairness my Structure 14’s are a very intense shade of blue, so my
wife may have a point.
But I digress, so let me return
to the acquisition of shoes. The selection available at Sportsman Warehouse was
impressive. A running circuit in that shop provides a suitable environment for
testing before buying, and the staff members have a decent knowledge of the
products on offer.
I decided to review a number of
shoes that had found their place on my shortlist. My criteria for a running
shoe are obviously directed at finding a shoe that I can continue to use
throughout my training, and at the Marathon des Sables event. It has to be a
strong shoe, capable of handling the environment, sand, excessive heat,
freezing temperatures at night, stones, have good traction for the areas where
we cross uneven terrain, be light, but most of all fit well enough to prevent
blistering, while being able to absorb the continuous pounding of high mileage.
Weeks of reading reviews produced
a shortlist of the following shoes, which would suite my specific running style
and foot preference. I generally go for a neutral shoe with good absorption or
rather cushioning properties, to use the correct running term.
Short List
The following shoes were on my
shortlist. I spent a great deal of time assessing each shoe against my own
personal criteria. This included elements of weight, how well the shoe is
constructed, and its ability to breathe while still able to keep sand and
stones out, and its ability to cushion running impact, which is a real priority
for me. These elements formed the basis of my own criteria, and many of my
readers will have very different thoughts and ideas on what is appropriate for
them.
However, I do believe that the
reviews and links provided has some merit and will provide some food for
thought.
Make
|
New Balance
|
Nike Air
|
Inov8
|
Type
|
Trail Shoe
|
Trail Shoe
|
Trail Shoe
|
Overall Rating
|
Good
(3.2)
|
Excellent
(4.6)
|
Very Good
(4)
|
Model
|
00 V2
|
Alvord 9
|
Roclite 285
|
Specification
|
Good luck finding it!
|
|
|
Construction
|
Average (3+)
|
Average (3+)
|
Average (3+)
|
Heat Resistant
|
Average (3)
|
Average (3)
|
Average (3)
|
Cold Resistant
|
Average (3)
|
Average (3)
|
Average (3)
|
Bonding
|
Very Good (4)
|
Very Good (4)
|
Very Good (4)
|
Sand
|
Average (3)
|
Average (3)
|
Average (3)
|
Traction
|
Good (3)
|
Very Good (4)
|
Very Good (4)
|
Weight
|
Good (3)
359g
|
Excellent (5)
283g
|
Excellent (5)
285g
|
Comfort
|
Very Good (4)
|
Excellent (5)
|
Excellent (5)
|
Fit
|
Very Good (4)
|
Excellent (5)
|
Excellent (5)
|
Absorption
|
Good (2)
|
Excellent (5)
|
Good (2)
|
Price
|
R1100
|
Excellent (5) value for money at R700
|
R1200
|
My eventual choice was the Nike Alvord 9 trail running shoe.
Alvord 9 Running
Experience
I took my new Nike Air Alvord 9’s
for their first 10km run on Monday. The experience was pleasant with the shoe
providing much needed cushioning even with the added 7,5kg’s of my race pack.
At an average speed of 9,5km’s/h with around 25% off-road the shoe was
comfortable, absorbing running impact efficiently. On the off-road sections the
shoe had adequate traction with excellent breathability even at 31 degrees
Celsius. In general one of the best shoes I have had the pleasure running in,
in recent months.
The shoe might not be suited to a
desert race such as the Marathon des Sables. I am not convinced that it will in
its present design keep sand out. It might be that gaiters glued to the side of
the soles might solve this problem. I will most definitely test this in the
future and provide some feedback. The truth is that I was so impressed with
this shoe that I returned on Tuesday to buy four pairs for me, and a pair for
my wife. My five pairs should give me around 3,000km’s of use at around 600km’s
each. I know that this is around 60% of what I can expect to get out of my shoes;
however, my previous heel injury has made me a little paranoid so I try to
change shoes before the cushioning starts to diminish. So with my reserves
stacked in my cupboard I should be good until the middle of August this year.
Future Shoes to Test
There are, however, dedicated
desert running shoes that I will consider testing in months to come. These
shoes have been tried and tested within a desert environment, and one
specifically within the Marathon des Sables.
Lookout for my review on the
following shoes in the future:
UK Gear PT-03 Sandproof Desert/Hot Environment Running Shoes
This shoe has apparently been
designed for an extreme heat environment, is durable with excellent cushioning.
It is claimed to be sandproof when used with Gaitors. It is the approved US
Army Running shoe and has been tested in Afghanistan and Iraq. The manufacturer
claims that this shoe is in use in the following armed forces: Germany since 2004,
British since 2004, US Air Force Academy since 2007, US Military Academy West
Point since 2008, Polish Special Forces since 2008, and the Gurkhas since 2006.
And to top it all this shoes apparently weigh only 385 grams. It also has
spousal approval, with my wife thinking that it will look cool with some jeans.
I do insist, however, that I will not be running the MdS with jeans.
New Balance 1100
The New Balance 1100 or M1100MDS
is the official shoe of the Marathon des Sables. It weighs in at 388 grams, incorporates
a microscopic velcro-closure gaiter to keep the sand out and has been tried and
tested in the most extreme of environments. My impression is that this might be
the ultimate MdS shoe. My wife, however, gave it a run only status. On her
rating scale this shoe is not cool and she can’s stress it hard enough that I
will not be wearing these with my jeans before, during or afterwards. In short,
it might be a brilliant shoe for the MdS, but it has my wife’s fullest disapproval
for casual wear.
Teva Desert Shield
The Teva’s Desert Shield was
custom made for Teva’s sponsored athletes. Beyond this I know very little about
the shoe, but will definitely do some homework to get on top of a shoe that
might have a much wider application than just the MdS desert race.
My final shoes to examine are the
shoes on offer by Salomon, which are also claimed to have been made with the
MdS in mind.
Thanks for visiting my blog, see you soon.
Genis
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