As someone who prefers road to offroad running I have long avoided buying trail shoes. However, as an avid parkrunner who enjoys touring different venues it is not possible to entirely avoid all grass and muddy paths. Some of these have been slippery and difficult to traverse safely following periods of wet weather. When a new venue started up within easy driving distance of home, and reports from the inaugural made clear the terrain included many patches of squelchy mud, it seemed the time was right to bite the bullet and see how I coped in the recommended footwear for offroad running.
Since my poor experience with Nike customer services put me off that brand I have switched my allegiance to ASICS and have so far been happy with shoes purchased from them. I therefore decided I would give a pair of their trail shoes a try. The FujiSpeed 2 was chosen as it was: ‘Designed to go fast on technical terrain […] lightweight, dynamic precise yet comfortable thanks to the combination of a carbon plate and FF Blast + midsole foam.’ This sounded a versatile shoe that would offer grip through mud but also cushioning on other surfaces, plus a carbon plate to aid performance – perfect for the varied challenges of parkrun courses.
New out of the box the shoes felt reasonably light but with a more solidly built mesh upper than my race day shoes (MetaSpeed Sky+). There is a good level of cushioning at the heel and on the tongue which made them easier to put on and lace up. Having purchased my usual size they felt comfortable on my feet with no slippage but sufficient wiggle room around the toes. The light mesh upper meant they didn’t feel tight but could still be laced firmly to provide confidence they wouldn’t come off on sticky surfaces. For those who like to use the lock lace technique the required eyelet is available.
The foam sole provides a degree of bounce but didn’t feel squishy. The roll forward design suggested the possibility of speed on suitable surfaces.
I trialled these shoes at the parkrun venue that prompted their purchase – Thoulstone. The sub zero overnight temperatures beforehand meant some of the course was still frozen. The route therefore included: iced in tractor ruts, uneven grass with numerous mole hills, several stretches of puddled mud. Trail shoes were recommended and a wise choice.
I was pleased with the grip and stability provided by the shoes throughout all the varied terrain. I couldn’t test the possibility of speed – the propulsive qualities – as the ground conditions sapped all energy, offering negligible rebound. The cushioning meant they did not feel different to road shoes on the short sections of smoother, firm ground. They remained comfortable to wear and secure throughout.
I will update this review once more miles have been run on other courses but for now I am very happy with this trail shoe choice.
