FINAL VERDICT

What shoes will adorn our size 10s come tri race day?

THE SHOES ON

test here represent a wide spectrum of options for tri race day, ranging from the light racing flat that is the Brooks Hyperion to the plush cushioning of the Adidas Supernova. There are some shoes we scored highly that could be totally unsuitable for a heavy heel striker who’s averaging 8min/mile or more in a race, so read between the lines and consult with an expert in your local running shop to decide if our recommendations are right for you.

OF THE LIGHTER SHOES

on test, we were most impressed with Asics and Saucony. Both are the same weight and, at just 10g more than Brooks’ Hyperion, offer more support. For good value and all-round performance, New Balance take the prize, and our other honourable mention goes to Pearl Izumi.

WHILE THERE WEREN’T

any shoes in this test that we’d completely avoid, we didn’t take to Inov-8’s Roadtalon or Newton’s Distance V. The former has too much of a weight penalty for a low drop shoe, which we feel means it lacks speed and support, while Newton’s P.O.P lugs just feel cumbersome. The Adidas Supernova just didn’t feel like a racer to us either, and was always going to come up short in this test due to its weight.

OUR OUTRIGHT WINNER

is Asics. We preferred the DS Racer 11’s construction to the Saucony’s Fastwitch and it has more mass appeal than the Brooks’ Hyperion. Although we’d happily race in numerous pairs in this test, we feel the DS Racer is the most rounded and well-crafted race shoe. It looks and feels even better than previous editions and, unless you really want tri-specific features (for that there’s Asics’ similarly excellent Hyper Tri), we’d go for these paired with some locking laces every time come tri race day.