I signed up for a 50k in the spring and can’t decide what shoe would be best to race in. The course is mostly dirt roads and could be very muddy. It is also very hilly, so while there will be time spent at 5:XX pace, there will also be time spent at 8:XX pace.
Is it worth buying a super shoe for this, or would a light trainer be a better idea?
If its muddy, a good trail shoe will make all the difference.
If you can go for one with some aggressive thread like this one:
get a pair of trail shoes. something in the 9-10oz range should be about the right balance of cushion to weight for a 50k in 4 hours.
get them now so you can do some long runs in them before the race. have a pair of road shoes also ready to go in case it's dry and there's no mud. super shoes could be okay if it really is just dirt roads, but the more uneven the surface is, the less benefit you get from the fast shoe.
if you will be racing more trails in the future and don't have a wide foot, buy the Salomon S/Lab Sense 8s. on sale right now but still not cheap, but it's the racing shoe of choice for any non-sponsored elite trailrunner. not much cushion to go much beyond a few hours.
I would echo the other posters. Get a light trail shoe if it will be muddy. Maybe like a hoka challenger or torrent. If you can handle the lack of cushion, the salomon sense 7 or 8 are both fantastic and very light. I would probably choose the challengers for more cushion though.
Trail shoe. I’d stay well away from anything off road, especially muddy, in a plated road racer. I personally love Altras and would rock the Timp but there are lots of good trail shoes out now from most manufacturers.
I'd go with 2 options, because if it's *not* muddy you'll get a huge advantage wearing flats on dirt roads. One of the new foams would be good for a 50k (I'm thinking of Hyperburst, but most companies have something at this point).
I don't have any real trail shoe recommendations, but I have some Torrents and can't make them go fast for the life of me.
Besides super road shoes, I'd try these:
Altra Timp
Hoka Speedgoat Evo
Hoka Torrent
Inova8 Terraulyra 270
Brooks Catamount
Salomon slab ultra
Topotn Racer
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