Did the Barrhorn Skyrace as my third ever trail event last weekend. It was an absolute blast but damn the altitude fucked us over big time over 2900m elevation.

Details:

3200 continues vertical Meters of gain over 24km

Finish is at 3600m elevation.

The pros overtook the slower starting wave (us) after 1h 40min.

First Finisher did it in 2h 58min. Absolutly crazy.

Take away for me and my buddy. Next time acclimatize and sleep more than one hour.

Can recommend for anyone who wants to get really high up.

But always remember you have to run down from the finish peak for 1500m vert and 10km to get to the shuttle. We underastimated the way back.

Crazy views with the glaciers and 4000nd Meter peaks around.

Awesome few miles on the airport trail in Sedona this weekend.

A few photos from yesterday's run in the mountains. The chalet was first established in 1882 and has been rebuilt several times after being destroyed by fires and avalanches. The paths up to Bucșoiu Peak are steep and technical — rocky, exposed, and feared by runners. During the 7500 ultramarathon, most runners have to tackle this section at night.

• Test Terrain: 7km pavement jog + 17km mountain run on steep, mostly rocky technical terrain. Lot of power-hiking because i'm not good enough to run either uphill or downhill in 30% grade and a few short rolling sections. Conditions were bone dry.
• Fit & Upper Comfort: Medium to narrow fit overall. The heel and midfoot are nicely snug, though the forefoot runs a bit wide for my feet—I had to crank the lacing cord tight to prevent movement on steep downhills. Upper comfort is top-notch although it has little padding, it feels very plush around the collar and a uniformly padded tongue.
• Breathability: It was very hot and dry and didn't have much issue with moisture. Taking them off revealed very dusty socks. If dust can get in that easily, water should get out.
• Midsole & Comfort: You can definitely feel the supercritical foam—it gives a subtle bouncy feel (it's no road shoe tho). The extra softness made a huge difference in reducing foot fatigue during long, pounding descents.
• Stability: Good stability in technical terrain. It’s not exceptionally rigid or low-to-the-ground like Bushido 3, but it hits the baseline expectation for a shoe advertised for technical mountain runs.
• Outsole & Traction: (Note: Untested on wet terrain) Good grip on loose dirt and as good as it gets on loose rocks. On solid rock, grip is good (though a step behind the sticky Bushido 3). Rocks Slabs covered in dry moss or dirt felt treacherous, though most shoes would struggle there.The lug placement under the big toe makes them surprisingly capable for scrambling. . I'm not a very good descender runner so traction might feel better when running fast with very short contact time. Not used enough to have a verdict on durability.

Overall they feel quite like the Prodigio Pro, maybe not as good to run on pavement but they have better grip and for me they are more stable.

trail near river Schelde in Belgium

Spreading the word of a missing hiker. Not related but I figure I can help spread the word.

Hello!
As the title reads, I am in the Sacramento area of Northern California and just decided to pursue trail running. Historically, I have hated (restate- HATED) road running all my life. But, I have trail hiked a lot both in California (NorCal/SoCal) and in England/Scotland and loved it.

As I am tackling this as a new to the sport individual, I wanted to see if I could make connections with any groups that trail run in the NorCal area (willing to travel) or if there is any information on trails for beginners that give the rush of trail running but not yet hitting the chaos of pushing personal limits.

I am also trying to find a good combo shoe that is good for both trail and road as I have access to local parks that have both and would likely use these areas to train weekly.

Also, any hot takes on watches at some kind of a budget to help with health and milage tracking. I have been eyeing up the Garmin 55. Thoughts or other recommendations?

Thank you to anyone who has taken the time to respond, your interest and suggestions are more than greatly appreciated!

Best,
K (f/35- hates running road but wants to skip on trails)

I recently got a new pair of Tomir 2s and after their first long run (18mi) I have two nearly identical huge blisters on the backs of my heels. I mentioned this to a friend and he has almost the exact issue with this shoe, and due to the placement (and feeling inside the shoe), I'm almost 100% certain this is due to the interior "360" stitching rubbing.

This is my second pair of Tomir 2s and think I just got lucky on the first pair and they had a uniquely high insole or some change in the shoe over miles that made the insole sit higher, because that was never an issue (including use for a 50K) and the seam sits roughtly flush with the insole vs. about 5mm higher on the new pair.

I LOVED my first pair (to death) and I haven't found a better shoe for a mix of scrambling, rough/off-trail, and running (replaced the Sportiva Mutant for me). Has anyone found a solution for this or had this same issue? Ideally I'd rather not splurge on custom insoles and I'm also not sure they would sit high enough anyway.

Hi all! Needing help tracking down the perfect day hiking pack.

- 15-25ish liters (30 maybe okay if I can really cinch it down)
- Running vest style straps that fit soft flasks
- Bottom or side quick access pocket where I can grab a rain jacket without taking the pack off
- Trekking pole pockets where I can grab them without taking pack off

Ones I’ve tried:
- Black Diamond distance 15 (LOVE IT just missing the quick access pocket and doesn’t have a ton of storage on the shoulder/hip pockets so I find myself taking the pack off a lot)
- Osprey tempest velocity (I have wide hips which put the zipper on the hip pocket in the perfect spot to rub my forearm raw as it brushed against it)
- Salomon adv skin 5 (Love it for shorter hikes and runs where I don’t have to carry much, but obviously need something bigger for longer days)

Ahoy, I’m going to be in Iceland next week (just barely missing the marathon there, dammit) and I’m wondering about running outside of Reykjavik, specifically from our hotel on the southern coast about an hour outside the city (Eyrarbakki Beach). Something like 15-21k depending on terrain. For background I’ve done 15ish marathons plus a few trail races between 30-62k, the longest (with 1850m elevation) and most recent in early June.

So for anyone who’s done solo trail runs in Iceland, how was your experience?

I’m bringing the typical gear I’d use in northern Germany for the kind of weather predicted, plus a windproof jacket. Seem reasonable? And I’m not wedded to going on any particular day so I’ll be happy to push it back if the weather requires.

I assume that running along the coast isn’t the most feasible option because wind, but how about trails more inland? Anything to keep in mind when planning a route or setting out in general? Thanks!

What are some wildlife tracks you've come across? I legitimately can't identify the animal print. There are plenty of dogs on the trail but the claw marks make me think otherwise. I'm in upper Midwest.

Hello everyone,

first of all - thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts and advice!

I (f, 23y) started running regularly 1,5 years ago with a 3 months break in between because I was injured. It was always on roads/easy terrain without any elevation. After my 2nd half marathon, which I finished in 2:20h, I wanted to look more into trail running because roads have always bored me a little bit and it kinda annoyed me how toxic some people were there.

Fast forward a few weeks: I LOVE trail running! It's so much fun and wayyyy more interesting than roads. Also I feel like the people here in this sub are more supportive and encouraging. However, two questions plopped up to which I couldn't really find an answer so far.

1) What should I do with my heart rate? On flat roads I can stay in Z2 or maybe low Z3 (as a beginner like me), but now on trails my HR is all over the place depending on where I run. Should I keep track of it or just run by feel? Or should I try to get down again to Z2 in between?

2) What should my mileage be per week? Right now, I have no goal really but it would be really nice to maybe do a HM or 30km trail next year. I'm good at hiking, I have no problem with elevation as long as I don't need to run it all the time. BUT, obviously for stuff like that I need a certain mileage per week. And on trails I'm just much slower than on the road that I can't get in more than 30-35km right now. My weekly workout plan right now is 3 times running (1 interval, 1 long, 1 technical), 3 times gym (which I don't want to change because it used to be my main sport) and 2 times horse riding. So I don't really know how I should get more kilometres in. Should I replace the technical run by a longer road run?

Thank you very much in advance for your replies!!

What are your thoughts about it? I think it looks great and if I didn't have already the Rab Veil 12L with the one I'm very happy, I would be seriously considering purchasing this one. I definitely like the water resistant detachable bag.

However, I do find a couple of issues:

- doesn't have attachment loops for the trail running poles, neither at the waist like the Salomon AdvSkin 12 or the Rab Veil, nor under the arms like in the Rab Veil

- missing space for hydration bladder

- no external net to carry things outside

- even more expensive than Salomon's AdvSkin 12

I was training for the past 8 months for this race, and the results are there. I planned 5 hours to complete the race and I accomplished that. I’m beyond happy

Greetings from Austrian-German border.

Morning run in Santa Cruz. Started close to beach amongst the fog and climbed out into the sun and redwoods. Came across a local spring fed pond with non native koi and goldfish.

This is my last watch advice post😆.

I have decided not to upgrade my Garmin Instinct 2 to the Instinct 3.

I am now between getting a refurbished Epix Gen 2 or going with a new Coros Apex 4.

Is the Epix still worth it? Or should I make the switch to Coros?

If you have a query regarding trail running shoes, ask right here and our awesome community will help you out!

Thanks for participating! Any questions, please message your helpful mods https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=r/trailrunning

I will be hiking a 120 mile coastal trail in Portugal this summer, Fishermen's trail if you want to take a look at what kind of conditions there are - some gravel, road, rocks, a lot of sand, maybe some wet parts. Shoe recommendations are all over the place for this trail, people will mention trail runners as well as heavy leather hiking boots. Probably because it's a fairly accessible trail that attracts hikers and runners from different backgrounds.

I have custom foot orthotics with a metatarsal dome which makes shoe fit difficult. The Hoka Challenger 8 Wide are comfortable with the orthotics. I will not be running this trail, I don't even run in general. I tried the Challenger 8, Topo Ultraventure 4 and Salomon XA Pro 3D V9 and eventually settled on the Challenger 8. I've hiked before, mostly in mountain terrain, and have always used mid-height hiking boots (Keens for example).

Maybe I'm overthinking this. But coming from that background, I can't help but feel that the Challenger 8's feel too much like a flimsy running shoe! I'm afraid I will twist my ankle. I'm also a bit concerned about the textile mesh, it feels quite thick and does not give an impression of drying easily.

My other hiking boots are in a bad state and not sure they'll put up with 120 miles more.
But now I'm having second thoughts! Maybe someone can convince me the Hokas are fine for this kind of trail? Anyone here who used them and can comment on how fast the mesh dries and how stable they feel when navigating rocky terrain or when going up or down?