TRAIL SHOES

The triathlon gains from trail running are numerous, but to head off road you’ll need a proven pair of trail-specific shoes. Matt Baird tests 10

Of all the tests we provide on 220 Triathlon’s pages, the trail shoes comparison is the toughest, most tiring and physically demanding. But it’s also the most fun-filled and exhilarating. Since late summer, we’ve regularly found ourselves submerged in bogs, knee-deep in mud and leaping logs in conditions that would have any normal person confined to the turbo, treadmill or reruns of Lovejoy.

But it’s not just the mental benefits of escaping modernity for a stint in the woods that trail running can provide. The all-round triathlon gains are legion as well, including improved core strength, refined run technique and endurance gains. There’s also injury prevention, with the slightly softer terrain sending lower rebound forces through your limbs compared to tarmac.

To do all of this, however, you’ll need a proven pair of trail-specific running shoes that offer more traction, protection and drainage than a pair of conventional road running shoes. A further thing to consider when choosing your trail shoes is what terrain and session types you’ll be using the trainers for. Are you taking on the fells of Furness, towpaths in Taunton or mud baths in Maesteg? Will you be racing a parkrun or an off-road ultra, an international Xterra triathlon or domestic off-road duathlon?

midsole The mid-layer of a shoe that sits between the insole and the outsole. Many trail shoes are less cushioned because of the softer terrain. outsole grip Trail shoes have a more pronounced grip than a conventional road shoe to grab onto muddy ground. Deeper lugs are useful in a British winter.