I have been looking at trail running shoes for several months. There are a lot of choices out there, and I've tried on several from different makers, such as Adidas, Columbia, Asics, and others. A couple weeks ago, we were in one of the local Sport Chalet stores near my home, so I decided to look at what shoes they had to offer. From past experiences with shoes, my motto now is that if the suggested retail price is not at least $80 then it is probably too low of a model and won't last, be comfortable, or supportive.
My last two pair of road running shoes have both been Asics, so I thought I would focus mostly on that maker's shoe line. Most of their trail running shoes are upward of $90. While I browsed the shelves, I found a shoe that was on sale, the Asics Gel-Kahana 3. The retail was $75, so I thought I would give it a try. It was surprisingly comfortable and fit very similar to my other road shoes, but of course had a more aggressive tread pattern which is what I was looking for.
The Asics Gel-Kahana 3 is a mid-priced trail shoe, but not one you should quickly overlook. My first run with this shoe provided extra cushioning under the ball and heel, but didn't really add much ankle support. I've been running with road shoes on the trails and haven't really needed the extra support, so this was not a problem. The extra protection from rock bruises was a much needed relief. I now have the extra traction for climbing hills and running more technical trails.
I have to say the the one place this shoes seems to really excel is the degree of traction on descents. I ran down a twisty and powdery 25% grade hill and didn't slip once. So, if you are looking for a good trail shoe, I would recommend the Asics Gel-Kahana 3.
Fellow trail runner Chris Barber over at SeriousRunning.com has started the first National Trail Running Day to be held accross the country by other trail runners (August 22, 2009). This inaugural event was started to increase awareness and interest to the sport of Trail Running. There is already a National Running Day (in which I participated), but no day just for those of us that love to run the trails.
