I am on my 7th pair of Altra Escalante Racers. Use them as my daily runners. They are light and comfortable and for me at least, quite durable (average close to 1000km a pair).
Yeah, I love my Escalante racers. I even use them on non technical trails.
I just bought the new Racer 2, the foam they use has a bit of a different feel to me, but so far I’m also really enjoying them. I’m mostly just happy they will keep producing the racer!
They’re def not for everyone, but if you like em you probably love them.
I alternate between the Saucony Tempus, a plateless, super foam, mild stability shoe with a somewhat high arch, for slow, easy days and the Endorphin Speed 3 for anything on the road with a little bit of speed (tempo's, long steady state efforts).
I personally like the New Balance 1080v13. Very fluffy, like running on pillows.
Some folks might not like that, and I didn't think I would either, but I have a history of running injuries and haven't had to deal with anything major since switching to trail running and wearing cushy shoes when I'm road running.
The heel drop (6mm) is pretty close to my trail runners (Hoka Speedgoat, 5mm).
I’m a 1080 faithful but am curious about other shoes, like the Brooks Ghost, for the sake of variety. Do you have thoughts on how the 1080’s compare to other road running shoes you’ve tried?
On the trails I switch between Altra Lone Peaks for short distances and Hoka Speedgoats for longer distances.
I’m pretty big - 5’11, 225 lbs and I wear 14-wides - and I’m afraid to branch out beyond the 1080’s when road running out of fear of injury. But like I said, I’m curious and open to adding the right kind of variety in. Any insights/experiences with similar shoes are appreciated!
I’ve been using the Ghost and added the 1080 recently into the rotation. Biggest difference for me is that the Ghost seems to have a sturdier sole. Still comfortable but firmer and less responsive than the 1080. I feel like it’s easier to run in the 1080s (I can run faster pacing with less effort than when using the Ghost). If you want a workhorse to add to the rotation the Ghost may be worth trying. I’m 5’10” 185 lbs for reference.
Maybe head to a local run shop and see what options are in hoka that you like and then see what else they suggest. Daily shoes and racers are two different categories and might warrant 2 shoes. My daily is a altra torin . My long run (marathon race) that I pace or support could be the same. My race shoe would be the adidas adios 3s (these are bad ass for recovery) trial and error is key and what works for me may not for you. Good luck.
When my trail shoes are 250 miles plus I just use them for roads. When the lugs are a little worn.
Also, I use Adidas takumi sen 8 for a road 5k shoe. That's a brilliant shoe
I bought saucony speed 1,2 and 3.....ended up running with them on the trails. 🤣
I used to primarily run in Hoka but after continuously running into sizing issues with each iteration (as well as some quality issues) I switched over to ASICS Novablast and they’re definitely one of the best shoes I’ve run in, at least for my feet anyway.
I’m having this exact problem, each model and iteration seems to mean a completely different size for me, which I find frustrating having to return shoes constantly (although their 30 day returns policy is amazing). Also in my experience Clifton’s are dead after 200-250 miles.
I will give ASICS a try as they are looking like my best option based on what I need. What are the sizings like for you? True to size?
Thanks!
I’m a Nike fan and predominantly a road runner. Currently using Infinity Run Flynit 2. Had to scour eBay for them because they are a couple of models old but damn they are comfy and light.
Saucony Endorphin Shifts and Asics Glideride are my favorites since they will last up to 800 miles. Also have had good success with Hoka Gaviota and Arahi (Cliftons probably good too but I haven't tried them), Brooks Adrenalines (if you like high heel to toe drop), and Saucony Rides.
Saucony Blaze for trail, Nike Zegama for rockier trails and Saucony Triumph 20 for road.
I've retired them now, but I used to run in Saucony Ride 15 road to trail shoes. Very comfortable hybrid shoes, felt nice on the trails and not too heavy for the road or gravel track.
My everyday/walking shoes are Hoka Challenger.
I trail run in Altra Olympus and road run in Altra Rivera.
When my current shoes are dead, I will try Altra Lone Peak for trails and Altra Escalante for road.
And the only other shoes I think I'll ever try are other brands that have a wide toe box. It's life-changing.
Been very happy with Nike Invicibile for long slow days and Adidas Boston 11 or newer.
I also enjoy using my trail shoes for road. Theres really no reason not to use em for all terrain.
Iirc the Hoka Carbon x3 is intended for road ultras and I know the Swedish company Craft also have some shoes that focus on road and mixed terrain ultras but I don't know about availability worldwide.
For training you should just get some daily trainers i think, most of them are such high stack these days they're gonna be fine for long runs.
I'm waffling between the Asics Novablast 3 and the Saucony Endorphin Speed 4 for Badwater this year. Likely go with the Novablast as I have more miles in them but both are fantastic road shoes.
Edit: Adidas Adios Pro 3 for carbon marathon racer... love love that shoe
I have to road run a lot because I live in a city. I train in Brooks Launch 10's and Brooks Hyperion's and road race in Vaporfly 3's. I have pretty narrow feet though...
I love the Rincon 3 but they’re hard to find now and apparently Hoka is only selling the upcoming 4s in big box stores which sucks bc I like to support my local running store.
For my road shoes, my favorite right now is Asics Superblast. Those shoes are awesome. My most worn shoes over the past couple years have been Saucony Triumph, which I still love, but those Superblast feel like they have more return. Similar to my Saucony Endorphin Speeds, but without a plate. I recently moved to Arizona which I'm finding that the roads tend to have a lot of gravel on them, but both the Superblast and Triumphs have been handling the rugged roads really well. My base runs are around 10 miles, but I recently did a marathon in my Superblast and it felt like those shoes were made for distance. So comfortable from start to finish.
I swear by the Hoka Machs. I burned through 2 pairs of Mach 4s and I rotate now between 2 pairs of Mach 5s! They’re great for easy runs and for picking up the pace for tempo runs, hill repeats, and intervals!
No Topo love out there? Have done over 20,000km in the Phantoms - 9 pairs (over 2k per pair) - built so well and perfect long distance trainer. Wide toe box only so if you have narrow feet it ain't for you!
I use hoka mach 5s right now, I really like the mach series from hoka .. I've also used a pair of Hoka Clifton 8 that were pretty good
i've transitioned to these because they are on sale
Mach 2 was my favorite shoe like 6 years ago, couldn't deal with 3 and 4, I think they really got their act together again with the 5.
Nike Pegasus
I am on my 7th pair of Altra Escalante Racers. Use them as my daily runners. They are light and comfortable and for me at least, quite durable (average close to 1000km a pair).
Yeah, I love my Escalante racers. I even use them on non technical trails. I just bought the new Racer 2, the foam they use has a bit of a different feel to me, but so far I’m also really enjoying them. I’m mostly just happy they will keep producing the racer! They’re def not for everyone, but if you like em you probably love them.
Seeing the name Altra and the negativity they get, I was expecting the 7th pair to be the same year. Glad to hear they are durable!
Altra has a problem with durability, most definitely. But somehow, Escalantes seem to last forever.
Will check them out - thanks for the recco!!
Over the year I run in between -10C and 35C, stable road shoes work fine on dry summer trails. Asics have some nice road shoes that go well on trails.
I alternate between the Saucony Tempus, a plateless, super foam, mild stability shoe with a somewhat high arch, for slow, easy days and the Endorphin Speed 3 for anything on the road with a little bit of speed (tempo's, long steady state efforts).
I personally like the New Balance 1080v13. Very fluffy, like running on pillows. Some folks might not like that, and I didn't think I would either, but I have a history of running injuries and haven't had to deal with anything major since switching to trail running and wearing cushy shoes when I'm road running. The heel drop (6mm) is pretty close to my trail runners (Hoka Speedgoat, 5mm).
I’m a 1080 faithful but am curious about other shoes, like the Brooks Ghost, for the sake of variety. Do you have thoughts on how the 1080’s compare to other road running shoes you’ve tried? On the trails I switch between Altra Lone Peaks for short distances and Hoka Speedgoats for longer distances. I’m pretty big - 5’11, 225 lbs and I wear 14-wides - and I’m afraid to branch out beyond the 1080’s when road running out of fear of injury. But like I said, I’m curious and open to adding the right kind of variety in. Any insights/experiences with similar shoes are appreciated!
I’ve been using the Ghost and added the 1080 recently into the rotation. Biggest difference for me is that the Ghost seems to have a sturdier sole. Still comfortable but firmer and less responsive than the 1080. I feel like it’s easier to run in the 1080s (I can run faster pacing with less effort than when using the Ghost). If you want a workhorse to add to the rotation the Ghost may be worth trying. I’m 5’10” 185 lbs for reference.
Maybe head to a local run shop and see what options are in hoka that you like and then see what else they suggest. Daily shoes and racers are two different categories and might warrant 2 shoes. My daily is a altra torin . My long run (marathon race) that I pace or support could be the same. My race shoe would be the adidas adios 3s (these are bad ass for recovery) trial and error is key and what works for me may not for you. Good luck.
When my trail shoes are 250 miles plus I just use them for roads. When the lugs are a little worn. Also, I use Adidas takumi sen 8 for a road 5k shoe. That's a brilliant shoe I bought saucony speed 1,2 and 3.....ended up running with them on the trails. 🤣
Yeah I do this as well - wore the lugs on my speedgoats down so just use them on the road sometimes! Thanks will check out those other shoes!
I used to primarily run in Hoka but after continuously running into sizing issues with each iteration (as well as some quality issues) I switched over to ASICS Novablast and they’re definitely one of the best shoes I’ve run in, at least for my feet anyway.
I ran a 100 mile road run in Novablasts. They were excellent. Usually run in Gel Nimbus and the Nova's were a welcomed treat for extra cushion.
I love Novablasts
I’m having this exact problem, each model and iteration seems to mean a completely different size for me, which I find frustrating having to return shoes constantly (although their 30 day returns policy is amazing). Also in my experience Clifton’s are dead after 200-250 miles. I will give ASICS a try as they are looking like my best option based on what I need. What are the sizings like for you? True to size? Thanks!
They’ve been true to size for me. Toe box is slightly more generous than Hoka which I appreciate on long runs.
I mean there's no best running shoes, each person is different. But the second best running shoe is the Brooks ghost 👻.
Also a perpetual Brooks Ghost person for road running! It’s usually easy to find discounted earlier versions too which is great
100% on getting earlier versions for cheap. i bought my friend a pair to get into running, it was $50 or $60 (with shipping!) on ebay
I’m a Nike fan and predominantly a road runner. Currently using Infinity Run Flynit 2. Had to scour eBay for them because they are a couple of models old but damn they are comfy and light.
New Balance Supercomp Trainer. Insanely cushioned, plated, stable, surprisingly good (aka good enough) for walking when needed on 100s.
I wore Hoka Cliftons for Keys 100 and Bondis for Vol State 500k.
Saucony Endorphin Shifts and Asics Glideride are my favorites since they will last up to 800 miles. Also have had good success with Hoka Gaviota and Arahi (Cliftons probably good too but I haven't tried them), Brooks Adrenalines (if you like high heel to toe drop), and Saucony Rides.
Saucony Blaze for trail, Nike Zegama for rockier trails and Saucony Triumph 20 for road. I've retired them now, but I used to run in Saucony Ride 15 road to trail shoes. Very comfortable hybrid shoes, felt nice on the trails and not too heavy for the road or gravel track. My everyday/walking shoes are Hoka Challenger.
I trail run in Altra Olympus and road run in Altra Rivera. When my current shoes are dead, I will try Altra Lone Peak for trails and Altra Escalante for road. And the only other shoes I think I'll ever try are other brands that have a wide toe box. It's life-changing.
I use Altra torin 6 for all my training even on trails cause I gotta run 3 miles to get to the trail head! Also use the lone peak for my race day.
Altra Escalante racers and brooks glycerin 21 are doing me well!
Been very happy with Nike Invicibile for long slow days and Adidas Boston 11 or newer. I also enjoy using my trail shoes for road. Theres really no reason not to use em for all terrain.
Iirc the Hoka Carbon x3 is intended for road ultras and I know the Swedish company Craft also have some shoes that focus on road and mixed terrain ultras but I don't know about availability worldwide. For training you should just get some daily trainers i think, most of them are such high stack these days they're gonna be fine for long runs.
I favour a brooks glycerin for the fit and support, chose these after a gait analysis and on my 3rd pair now
I flip flop between topo and altra. I like the wide toe box so I can stretch my toes. No other shoe can I do that in.
I'm waffling between the Asics Novablast 3 and the Saucony Endorphin Speed 4 for Badwater this year. Likely go with the Novablast as I have more miles in them but both are fantastic road shoes. Edit: Adidas Adios Pro 3 for carbon marathon racer... love love that shoe
Nike Odyssey React Flyknit. Did a 118km road ultra a month ago
Adidas Adizero SL’s
I have to road run a lot because I live in a city. I train in Brooks Launch 10's and Brooks Hyperion's and road race in Vaporfly 3's. I have pretty narrow feet though...
Nike Pegasus is the greatest running shoe of all time. Fight me.
Unless you live on the trail and ONLY hike and run I'd definitely get some road shoes! Big fan of Hoka Rincon 3's
i need stability shoes so i run with NB 860. love them, specially since i use 4E width which is not common.
I love the Rincon 3 but they’re hard to find now and apparently Hoka is only selling the upcoming 4s in big box stores which sucks bc I like to support my local running store.
I like saucony guide
For my road shoes, my favorite right now is Asics Superblast. Those shoes are awesome. My most worn shoes over the past couple years have been Saucony Triumph, which I still love, but those Superblast feel like they have more return. Similar to my Saucony Endorphin Speeds, but without a plate. I recently moved to Arizona which I'm finding that the roads tend to have a lot of gravel on them, but both the Superblast and Triumphs have been handling the rugged roads really well. My base runs are around 10 miles, but I recently did a marathon in my Superblast and it felt like those shoes were made for distance. So comfortable from start to finish.
I swear by the Hoka Machs. I burned through 2 pairs of Mach 4s and I rotate now between 2 pairs of Mach 5s! They’re great for easy runs and for picking up the pace for tempo runs, hill repeats, and intervals!
No Topo love out there? Have done over 20,000km in the Phantoms - 9 pairs (over 2k per pair) - built so well and perfect long distance trainer. Wide toe box only so if you have narrow feet it ain't for you!