The shoes above are: Left - Asics Gel-Evolution 4 and Right - The North Face Rucky Chucky Gore-tex trail shoes. I ran the Mohican 50 mile trail race this past weekend in these two shoes.
I wore the North Face Rucky Chucky's for the first 37 miles which was some paved road, some gravel road, and lots and lots of trail. Much of it was really muddy and slick. I then changed into the Asics Gel-Evoltuion 4's for the last 13.2 miles which was a mix of paved asphalt and gravel road with just a little bit of road that had some packed sand on it, which was lovely to run on by the way.
I will not give away my next post too much, which will be my report of my experience at The Mohican 50 miler but I would like to tell you about the shoes and how they performed.
To set the stage, my feet are as flat as a board and I have orthotic insoles. My orthotics were made by Doug Patch at OrthoNeuro in Columbus, Ohio. If you ever need orthotics, he is the man to see. He is a runner and athlete and he knows feet back and forth. I can not say enough about his fine work. Here is a photo of my flat feet to give you some idea:
TRAIL SHOES
The North Face Rucky Chucky gore-tex are a very stable trail shoe. Here is a link to The North Face website that describes them if you're interested:
I have the gore-tex version but the description is the same.
These shoes did an amazing job. There was plenty of rain right up to the start of the race and then it miraculously stopped about 30 minutes prior to the start. Needless to say, there were sections that were quite wet and muddy. These shoes performed remarkably. We had at least one creek crossing and I actually stood in the creek for a moment and no water entry into the shoes whatsoever. I absolutely love the waterproof quality of these shoes.
I banged my toes against some mighty roots and the snakeplate did it's job. While I felt the "thud" it did NOT to any damage. They are very stable and provide plenty of cushioning. I am 5'-11" and weigh 175. The traction on these babies is the best that I have come across. I have owned Montrail and Merrell and I like the outsole on these North Face better. The traction that they provided on slippery uphill section was unreal. If you can't tell by now, I love these shoes and would definitely recommend them. If you need a waterproof trail shoe that is very stable, even motion control like, this is the shoe for you.
Here is a photo of what they looked like after the race. These babies have 37 miles of trail grime, mud, horse poop, a few dead bugs, and sweat on them. I did not touch them after the race. I took them off at mile marker 37 at the Grist Mill aid station and changed into my road shoes, The Asics Gel-Evolution 4.
ROAD SHOES
The Asics Gel-Evolution 4 shoes are very stable, comfortable motion control training shoes. Again, I have very flat feet and over-pronate quite a bit. I have been training in these for about 200 miles and decided to use them for the final 13.2 miles (paved asphalat road and gravel road) of the race.
I am a heavy outside heel striker and these shoes have been better than most that I have tried. I am always looking for a road shoe to fall in love with so I can just buy that and stop the maddening search for my perfect match. I don't know if I have found the perfect match but she is a stable and comforting partner and I think I will keep her around for a while. I have always liked the way Asics fit my foot and the cushioning in this shoe is top notch thanks to Gel in the heel and the forefoot. The asymetrical lacing is the best and it is very comfortable, especially after many hours in the saddle, so to speak. The toe box is very generous and I never felt my toes hit anything in the front. My only beef with this shoe is the mesh seems a bit thick for my summer training shoe needs. I like a shoe with a bit breezier feeling so my pigs can get a breath too. These are great three season shoes but a bit too much for me in the heat of the summer. For runs of less than an hour, no problem. Anything more is too hot for me.
They performed very well at Mohican. They handle both uphills and downhills equally well. Very stable platform and the cushioning is best in class for a motion control shoe.
I like these shoes and will stick with them for a while. I may try on others but she did good by me so I will stick with her for a while.
Here is a link to Asics website page on this shoe:
I did NOT take a photo of these after the race as they looked very similar.
To wrap up, I would highly recommend both of these shoes if you have very flat feet and over-pronate quite a bit like I do. Especially if you are in need of a trail shoe. You will love The nOrht Face Rucky Chucky Gore-tex. By the way, the Rucky Chucky is named after the ultrarunning landmark (the rucky Chucky river crossing) at mile 78 of the Western States 100 mile endurance run held June 27 & 28th from Squaw Valley to Auburn California. This race is considered one of the Grand Daddies of ultrarunning. I hope to be lucky enough to tun this race some year.
Well, that is my shoe report. I am working on the Mohican 50 mile trail race blog post and will post when I get photos back as I took a disposable camera with me, not a digital.
Thanks for reading and please send along to your running friends.
Steve
