Ultramarathon shoes

xcmum

Having never attempted an ultra, what sort of trail shoes do you go for? I see a load of people wearing Hoka one ones and the Vibram five fingers. Are my cheap ASICS going to be ok for the distance & terrain (50km)?

MinimalistShoeAddict

I think you should use the shoes that you are most comfortable with based on your running form.

Hoka shoes will work for some, Vibrams (or even barefoot) will work best for others:
http://birthdayshoes.com/barefoot-running-ultramarathons-possible-of-course

I do not own Hoka shoes but I did try them on at a marathon expo out of curiosity and admit they did feel very comfortable (although extremely different than any other shoe I have worn). Here is an interesting comparison of the various Hoka models:

http://fellrnr.com/wiki/Hoka_Shoe_Review

There may not be a right/wrong answer. Feel free to experiment with different shoes. You preference may vary based on distance, temperature and terrain.

sammyneb

I haven't ran a 50K yet..gearing up for my first in October. But I think the biggest will be what terrain you are running. the course i'm running can very easily be done with "street' shoes. But I ran a more technical HM last weekend so I had bought trail shoes for that race and also because they hold up better when wet. I got a pair of Saucony Peregrine, and they were actually the same price as my "street" saucony's that I wear.

sarahc001

Hokas and Altra Lone Peak or Olympus are extremely common, but it is a matter of personal preference. I love my Hoka Stinsons (both the Stinson tarmac, which I use on "groomed" trails, and the Stinson trail, which I use on anything muddy or technical.) I do not like the hoka mafates- they just feel sloppy/unstable to me, and I wasn't really happy with the Bondis either. The best part about hokas for me was that on runs of 20mi or more my feet would start to hurt, and the hokas completely eliminated this. I can go 50+ and not feel the way I felt after 20 in my Asics (gel nimbus, which I thought were the be all end all until I tried hokas.)

If you are considering them, you should either get a VIP membership from roadrunner sports (online $1.99 your first year) which will entitle you to a discount on the shoes, free shipping, and 100% money back returns for up to 90 days on shoe purchases. The other alternative is running warehouse, which offers a similar guarantee but you receive store credit. RW also has free two day shipping, in case you're in a hurry to try them out.

LoneWolfRunner

I like the Montrail FluidFlex

Linli_Anne

For my mud runs, and the couple of trail runs I've done I've enjoyed my Saucony Peregrine trail shoes. The terrain I was running on was sand, tall grass prairies, minimal hills, moss/bog.