For Craig - Spencer Imbach

P100 Race Day Options

Spencer Imbach's expert gear recommendations on Rendezvu

Products in this list

H1 by Mount to Coast — This brand is worth checking out. The H1 is their hybrid shoe which means it just has lower lugs which are also more durable and can handle road runs. I've used them in road and trail workouts. The foam is next level and the shoe is so lightweight. Fit for me is perfect and so satisfying. MTC is a small company in China and when these arrive they have such a strong factory smell it's pretty addicting. But anyway, they have next level innovation and inject their foam with a material used in car factories to preserve durability/shine in car paint. It's mindblowing how the foam is so light, soft, bouncy and also holds up consistently for 500+ miles without issue. These along with UG4 are my top recs, if you want to spend a bit more you can get better traction or the Believe collab which has a more comfortable upper.
ULTRA GLIDE 4 by Salomon — Salomon fit is always so true and reliable. These are a more cushioned shoe I use in daily training, long runs, and would even lace up for a shorter trail race. Typically, though, it's my go-to for reliable comfort on 3-6 hour training runs at easy to moderate effort. The price point is pretty hard to beat and imo these are a better buy than it's upgraded SLab version.
New Balance Men's Fresh Foam X Hierro v9 Trail-Running Shoes Brown 8 by New Balance — These fit the bill for Max cushion and price point. I've heard good things and trust new balance comfort. The only con here is they may start to feel a bit dead after 50km, vs the bounce/response of an H1 or the propulsion of an Ultraglide4. Still worth having on the radar
KEEN Men's Seek Trail-Running Shoes Brown 8.5 by KEEN — Another max cushion option, Keens first trail shoe is getting good reviews. It's got lower 4mm lugs like the H1 so works well as a hybrid shoe and can handle anything in ptap no problem. Jeff Browning has been working with this brand to develop their shoes so I trust that. Believe in the run is reporting functional fit, long lasting foam, durable lugs but lacking toe protection.
Brooks Men's Cascadia 20 Trail-Running Shoes Gray 9.5 by Brooks — I think this is one of the most underrated shoes. It hits every metric and the only drawback is the weight, which I eventually found to be irrelevant and compensated for in comfort. I had these last year at Grindstone as a backup shoe because i eventually found this is a shoe I trust to run 20+ hours in any day on any type of terrain. I hated them at first, I was sent 3 prototypes. It felt heavy and like a dad shoe. Even the colorway Grey/Black/Nightlife grew on me and looks super rad. Once I broke them in, i kept coming back for them. These shoes have such reliable comfort and also vibram megagrip - I used them on technical stuff in the northeast when I went for an FKT in VT which I never would have imagined. If i had to thruhike the PCT or AT i would use these too. And anything in between. Good price point.

For Craig - Spencer Imbach

P100 Race Day Options

Spencer Imbach's expert gear recommendations on Rendezvu

Products in this list

H1 by Mount to Coast — This brand is worth checking out. The H1 is their hybrid shoe which means it just has lower lugs which are also more durable and can handle road runs. I've used them in road and trail workouts. The foam is next level and the shoe is so lightweight. Fit for me is perfect and so satisfying. MTC is a small company in China and when these arrive they have such a strong factory smell it's pretty addicting. But anyway, they have next level innovation and inject their foam with a material used in car factories to preserve durability/shine in car paint. It's mindblowing how the foam is so light, soft, bouncy and also holds up consistently for 500+ miles without issue. These along with UG4 are my top recs, if you want to spend a bit more you can get better traction or the Believe collab which has a more comfortable upper.
ULTRA GLIDE 4 by Salomon — Salomon fit is always so true and reliable. These are a more cushioned shoe I use in daily training, long runs, and would even lace up for a shorter trail race. Typically, though, it's my go-to for reliable comfort on 3-6 hour training runs at easy to moderate effort. The price point is pretty hard to beat and imo these are a better buy than it's upgraded SLab version.
New Balance Men's Fresh Foam X Hierro v9 Trail-Running Shoes Brown 8 by New Balance — These fit the bill for Max cushion and price point. I've heard good things and trust new balance comfort. The only con here is they may start to feel a bit dead after 50km, vs the bounce/response of an H1 or the propulsion of an Ultraglide4. Still worth having on the radar
KEEN Men's Seek Trail-Running Shoes Brown 8.5 by KEEN — Another max cushion option, Keens first trail shoe is getting good reviews. It's got lower 4mm lugs like the H1 so works well as a hybrid shoe and can handle anything in ptap no problem. Jeff Browning has been working with this brand to develop their shoes so I trust that. Believe in the run is reporting functional fit, long lasting foam, durable lugs but lacking toe protection.
Brooks Men's Cascadia 20 Trail-Running Shoes Gray 9.5 by Brooks — I think this is one of the most underrated shoes. It hits every metric and the only drawback is the weight, which I eventually found to be irrelevant and compensated for in comfort. I had these last year at Grindstone as a backup shoe because i eventually found this is a shoe I trust to run 20+ hours in any day on any type of terrain. I hated them at first, I was sent 3 prototypes. It felt heavy and like a dad shoe. Even the colorway Grey/Black/Nightlife grew on me and looks super rad. Once I broke them in, i kept coming back for them. These shoes have such reliable comfort and also vibram megagrip - I used them on technical stuff in the northeast when I went for an FKT in VT which I never would have imagined. If i had to thruhike the PCT or AT i would use these too. And anything in between. Good price point.