I think its about time I got some decent fell shoes for my local off-road route, and future races. I am currently using Mizuno Wave Ascends, which are good trail shoes, but can struggle for grip when the going gets wet.

Good grip is essential. Light weight would be nice. Good looks are cool. Durability wise they will take a pounding, so must be up to the task.


Any suggestions?

Thanks.

Depends what you want them for. When you say 'future races' do you mean Fell races or Trail races? The most popular fell shoes are probably Walsh's and Inov-8's. The Inov-8 270 MudClaw has a fantastic grip and can be used for both trail and fell racing. Walsh's are out and out fell shoes with very little cushioning. I'm currently alternating between New Balance RX Terrains and Inov-8 RocLite 315's. I was told the RX Terrains were being discontinued - so I bought three pairs strictly for training on the fells. Don't know whether they're still on the market. RocLite 315's are comfortable and hard-wearing. I've used them for off-road half marathons and had no problems.
Suggest you have a look on the Fellrunner's forum where they're currently discussing which shoes to wear in the forthcoming Three Peaks Race.
Cheers!

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Give me the hills!

i get the impression inov-8 have really upped the game when it comes to fell shoes.

i have a pair of NB RX 1441 cos well.. they looked uber cool... and come with zip on gaiters which i liked.
now i've ditched the insole i'm smitten.

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Highly recommend Inov-8 Flyroc 310.
use them for my x-country runs (road, fields, trails, muddy footpaths), absolutely awesome and hard wearing too. studs aren't as aggresive as mudrocs but more than man enough for even steep muddy footpaths. tread clears mud well too. footbed is low so chances of turning an ankle are lowered and you really feel connected to the ground in them. the fit is great (like wearing a sock) and the shoe is lightweight and tough. not much cushoining which isn't a problem if your route is mainly off-road. hope this helps

I agree the Flyroc 310 is a great trail shoe. Good on hard -pack and mud but they don't work as well on wet grass or rocks. For pure fell running I would go with the Mudclaw 270. I have them and the grip is fantastic. Don't run on any roads with them. The nubs wear quickly.

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Ive been using the Soloman Speedcross 2 shoes for fell running lately. Ive also used them in a recent trail race (quite a muddy/dirty trail race) and they were brilliant.

They are very light and comfortable. I would recommend these :D

I use Addidas Swoop 2 for my x-country fantastic grip! This is a complete offroad shoe. Word of advice though not recommended if your course include tarmac. Rubber studs wear quickly and very slippy when the tarmacs wet.

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can someone highlight any differences between fell, trail, and XC trainers? I'll be looking to race XC with the club this year but I've never ran in anything other than road shoes - do they all do the same thing or are there big differences? What should I be focusing on to find a good XC race shoe other than comfort? (i'm thinking along the lines of, how much grip is enough grip... can you have too much tread/grip for xc racing etc?)

Any help much appreciated!!!

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