As we know, nowadays there are a huge variety of running shoes - for all types of terrain, for narrow or wide feet, with minimal or maximum cushioning, with or without support, for men, women, children and even dogs!
So, choosing the right running shoes can be very tricky indeed especially if you’re looking for a lighter weight minimalist trail shoes. Therefore when our friends in Great Outdoors store in Chatham Street (Dublin) asked me to check out their latest lines of Salomon’s I wasn’t going to say no!
Having been a fan of this brand for years I had recently tested the Salomon Fellraiser which felt like the perfect shoe for me, but still I was looking for that one shoe that ticks some different boxes, particularly for ultra-distances.
Then the “Salomon S-Lab Sense Ultra” the golding shoe was sent my way. My first reaction, apart from ‘OMG they are red!, was what a super well made shoe it is, and they look very fast.
And I have to say they blew my mind when I slipped my feet into them for the first time. They have a simple but elegant design and after a couple of moderate introductory runs my feet and eyes started getting used to the nice bright red colour!
I enjoyed the lightness of the shoes and their precision in technical terrain, plus this shoe has a bigger toe box (good for when the feet expand on an ultra!) and feels wide and very soft and really comfortable on the downhills as well as the uphills. They have a snug fitting in the mid-foot and heel-cup for less movement which makes this shoe great for fast pacers, as well as incredible feel and control on soft and muddy trails.
A week later I was taking them on some more difficult terrain in the Wicklow mountains – flying down the likes of Scarr peak and beginning to feel a real confidence on fast rocky descents and jumps, that I didn’t have before. The grips seem to work on most terrains, including mud and wet railway sleepers (boardwalks). They seem to have taken elements from some of their previous designs and applied them to this low, light yet ultra-distance shoe, the fitting is perfect and their Quicklace system is the best on the market. Final technical point – the Sensifit overlay surrounds the foot nicely, helping to keep all that tricky Wicklow mud (and stones) out of the shoe!
So, the next test was a long run. I mean a very long run, at 51km! I had been thinking that I’d need to change my shoes halfway as there was good part of road running along the Wicklow way but no, my new Salomons survived the entire punishment, my running-form remained super-light with no blistering or problems with my feet. The shoe seems to encourage an even foot-strike, probably due to the low-profile and reduced heel-drop, therefore taking a lower toll on the body.
I've laced up enough to know the difference from an over-rated or over-priced and a good-value shoe but after doing a couple of runs in these shoes, I must say that the price tag, while not cheap, is definitely justifiable. Running is my hobby and my passion and I have always taken it seriously, so shoes are worth getting right! Getting to test out these shoes was a privilege as well as great fun! And they are possibly the best running shoes I’ve ever tried. Well done and thanks to the team at Salomon, and to Great Outdoors!
Also thanks to Ken Cowley for editorial consultancy, like myself Ken is a runner and is also a journalist, for more info about Ken see his link below.
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www.greatoutdoors.ie
www.kencowley.com