trail running shoes

[Clure]

I have a half marathon coming up and just got the race details through, majority of it is trail/off road/bit of rough ground. Their advice is to wear trail shoes, its obviously going to be a bit muddy too! I normally wear Brookes Adrenaline as I need the full support. I don't really want to spend a fortune on trail shoes (unless I do more off road running) Can anyone recommend some supportive trail shoes please?

I prefer off road running - although to honest running on the road here is a deathwish as you fight for room with lorries and cars (no footpaths).

For shoes it depends on the ground conditions.
For fell running on stoney ground (Lake District I am looking at you!)- Walshes are great and can be resoled so can last for ages. They don't have much support but I find them better for stoney ground because they are grippy. With uneven ground having less height in the sole reduces the risk of going over on your ankle.
For grassy / peat I use INOV8 - they have a thicker sole and more ankle support although some people report that they chafe at the back of their ankles. Mud Claws are good for muddy autumn / winter running. I use these for my everyday outings (in the Peak District).
For mixed trail /road I have a pair of general Nike running trainers - I just got a model with nobbly, and flexible soles. A softer rubber improves the grip on stoney ground, but increses the likelyhood of bruising on the soles of your feet. My budget is about 45 per pair. I generally get them in the sales so they are v. ugly, but when they are covered in mud nobody can see the pink glitter and I have resigned myself to never having white trainers after the first trip out.

With all of them - wash the mud off to preserve the stitching.

Good luck in your race

am v impressed with these my 'trails' are made of deep sludge, really thick mud, and I feel incredibly stable in these and the water wicks out very quickly so my feet feel unusually comfortable

traction on long wet grass not amazing but not sure how good any shoe is there

I paid a lot more than in the link at a running shop but needed to try them on as have had costly problems finding trail shoes in past

The key things is that the shoe has a decent toe cap and a rigid mid-sole, so with a road shoe you can nearly bend it in half toe to heel, but with a trail shoe you cant because the middle of the shoe is more solid to protect the bottom of your foot from rocks etc.

I personally like Salomon. The XA Pro 3D ones are extremely supportive, stable and you don't feel like you've wasted your money because you can wear them for normal walking/ hiking as well- they also transition relatively well to tarmac for mixed medium races. Downside is that they are quite heavy. I've now switched to Salomon speed cross which are lighter but dont have either the stability or the cushioning so wouldnt recommend those for you.

I like the Saucony "Run Anywhere" Xodus shoe here. They are good for trails and road, so if you are not sure you will do more trail running, then they will be ok for road running. I over pronate, and they are good that.

I hate Innov8, they are just a completely different shape to my feet.

I wear Brooks Adrenaline for road running and for muddy trails I have these. I don't think support is as important for trail running because you're not repeatedly hitting a hard, flat surface. I don't run very far off road but these have been fine for the occasional muddy 5k. The sizes come up very small though- I wear a 6 in normal shoes, 7 in my Brooks and an 8 in these.

oh yeah I got a size 7 in those new balance ones

at most am a 5 in normal shoes, 6 in road running shoes

have really wide toe bit of foot though like a duck

I'm on my second pair of Mizuno trail shoes; ran a mixed terrain HM in the first pair. Not quite sure what sort of support you're after though.

The December/ January issue of Trail Running magazine I bought today has 3 pages on trail shoes, you could have a look there

ooh thank you all for your replies, lots of great suggestions to look through. I usually run on road or gravelly paths and I have a "wonky hip" and over pronate and love my brookes adrenaline. I will check them out ladies, many thanks. Hope I am ok as only ever done road half marathons!

Ok- so seems it's stability rather than cushioning that you mean when you say "support". In that case, definitely consider the Salomon 3XD. Nice wide, stable shoe. Decent cushioning as well. The only drawback is that if you're aiming for podium they probably would be too heavy.

AggressiveBunting - def not podium! Just a decent time for an off road half! Thanks will check them out

thanks ladies. I went to sweatshop, very helpful and ended up with a pair of Adidas Kanadia. Just off to test them out! Its tipping with rain, wish me luck!

Good luck! You may find you need a little less support with a higher off-road mileage. Enjoy!

Well did the muddiest slippiest multi terrain HM and the adidas kanadia were just brilliant! Thanks for the recommendations ladies