Newbie cross country: spike recommendations?

In all honesty, what kind of spikes you get wont make a huge impact on yor time. However, if I were you I would look at the Kilkenny and the Shay XC4. If you do some poking around on the internet, you can find the Shay XC3 for ridiculouly good prices as well. Stay away from cheaper Nikes.

The 6-spike Kilkennys are excellent for the money. Avoid the the old stock 4-spiker.

7mm spikes for hard pack, 9mm for dry grass, 12mm for wet grass/light mud, 15mm for heavy mud. Use the shortest spike you can get away with.

Have fun.

Buy cheap spikes in a color he thinks are cool. He will outgrow them after a year and you can pass them on to a younger runner.

Spikes probably aren't necessary but will make running cross country much more fun for him.

I have a pair of Nike Zoom Rivals that are going into their 4th season (2 mile-8k). They have held up well to muddy, hilly and rocky courses in addition to doubling as a flat in the occasional road race.

I'm surprised a coach would require xc spikes. I run in high school and my coach doesn't even require spikes. Your time would only improve by seconds, and I wouldn't consider it worth the money unless your son is going to become dedicated to the sport. A pair of good running shoes is all you need in my opinion. In addition, I would recommend checking out racing flats instead of spikes. They offer better traction in certain racing situations. I run in a pair of zoom rival d`s, which are long distance track spikes. They suite me well. I've also heard good things about the Kilkenny xc 5 spikes.

Oh and your son is doing great for a middle school runner. Running close to a 20 minute is very respectable for a middle school runner.

sub205k wrote:

I'm surprised a coach would require xc spikes. I run in high school and my coach doesn't even require spikes. Your time would only improve by seconds.....

Possibly not required in “Cross Golf Course” but in real XC spikes are essential. Spending more time on your feet, than your arse, is always conducive to faster times.

The Saucony Shay model is a good all-rounder XC spike. Here is a link to what runningwarehouse.com has in stock (2-day air shipping and free returns is the best!). $35 for Brooks XC spikes is pretty good. You can see the full range on this page. Kilkenny's will be good as well. I would avoid the expensive Nike's until he gets faster/wants better spikes. Also pay attention to which ones are spikeless (you don't want those).

oops here is the link

http://www.runningwarehouse.com/catpage-MXC.html?SHOW=NOBRAND&ctype=comp

"Does the coach realize how slow your kid is. Like it matters what he wears in championship"

What an ass.

ps 20 min for a 5k for a 6th or 7th grader is pretty darn good - not record breaking, but likely to place for any team.

Personally, I really liked the Nike Forever 5 XC, although it was somewhat minimal and I would not have road raced in them. They did last four 6 races, in race 6 I got spiked and one fell off. Don't know where it went