A month ago I reviewed the La Sportiva Electra trail shoes. At that time I was excited to run Desert RATS in them… but something happened.
My right big toe kept bumping the reinforced toe box. That foot is slightly larger than the other, and what felt fine on the left was problematic on the right. I went back to the Boulder Running Company. After another consultation I left with the neutral Montrail Bajada’s. Bright orange, as light as my Saucany road shoes… perfect.
I raced Desert RATS in the Montrails and loved them. Lightweight but with enough nub on the sole to grip slick rock and single-track. 25.9 miles later, my feet were in perfect condition. Even the orange nail polish survived! No blisters, no chafing due to stitching on the seams… nirvana.
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Last weekend I ran the Colorado Marathon, a downhill road marathon in Fort Collins, CO. Due to some instability issues in my glute and foot that couldn’t be addressed before the race, my PT strongly advised that I wear the Montrails for the marathon, saying that the nubby sole wouldn’t affect my performance in the least.
He was right. I ran downhill on asphalt and concrete for 26.2 (well, 26.48 according to the Garmin, but who’s counting) miles in trail shoes and qualified for Boston with a 3:32 time.
In my non-professional, run-in-what-works opinion, these Montrails are perfect both on and off the trail. Even though it’s a neutral shoe it takes well to insert-adjustment for feet that require orthotics or other minor jacking. The sizing runs small; I bought a 7.5 women’s whereas I usually take an 8 or even 8.5 in some brands.
[…] I raced Desert RATS in the Montrails and loved them. Lightweight but with enough nub on the sole to grip slick rock and single-track. 25.9 miles later, my feet were in perfect condition. Even the orange nail polish survived! No blisters, no chafing due to stitching on the seams… nirvana. Previous123Next […]