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Life expectancy of trail runners

Steven Light

Member
Time of past OR future Camino
CF (May - July 2018)
Meseta (October 2019)
2023?
It seems the majority of opinions on footgear leans towards using trail runners and that seems good to me. Several shoe store people have voiced concern that one pair might not hold up for the 800km+ walk. Any thoughts about this?

Also I just discovered "Cloudventure Midtops" made by the Swiss company "On". I love them so far but it's the dead of winter here in Vermont and haven't walked more than 4 miles at a time in them yet...Does anyone have any experience with this brand? Gathering gear and trying things out is a great way to make it through the winter while we wait to get started in the spring! Thanks.
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
I plan to bring trail runners too. I've worn through two pairs in the last 16 months of travel, so I think your instinct is right that 800km is probably too much for one pair. At least, that's my thinking going into the my first camino this spring.

But I'm counting on the ability to buy something serviceable along the route rather than carry an extra pair with me from the start. I'd probably have both pairs for a few days, using the new ones a little at a time to break them then, before tossing the old ones.
 
It seems the majority of opinions on footgear leans towards using trail runners and that seems good to me. Several shoe store people have voiced concern that one pair might not hold up for the 800km+ walk. Any thoughts about this?

Also I just discovered "Cloudventure Midtops" made by the Swiss company "On". I love them so far but it's the dead of winter here in Vermont and haven't walked more than 4 miles at a time in them yet...Does anyone have any experience with this brand? Gathering gear and trying things out is a great way to make it through the winter while we wait to get started in the spring! Thanks.
I have worn mid priced trail runners on all three of my Caminos (2 Frances and 1 Norte/Primitivo). I buy a new pair each time and they have always lasted to the end. In fact, they always have a little wear left in them, so on my last night (always in a hotel) I freshen them up by wearing them in the shower for my flight home. I then wear them on local hikes until I am finally willing to toss them.
 
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I walked two caminoes , Portuguese and Norte/Primitivo, with same pair of trail runners. Totally abt. 1500kmtrs. Had no problems whatsoever. Not a single blister or other difficulties. Could use them again but I take a new pair for next camino starting next week. It will be 1300kmtres. The shoe is Salomon Wings Access GTX.
 
Been wearing my trail runners (Altra TIMPs ~$110) non-stop for the past two months and averaging 4 to 5 miles a day per the wife’s Fitbit. Most of that is urban walking on concrete and asphalt, so definitely putting them to the test. After roughly 500km carrying my 240lbs, the interior padding has compressed and the tread is worn, but I’d guess they are still serviceable for at least another 250km.
 
I wore trail runners for both of my SJPDP to Finisterre Caminos. Sure, the tread was worn, and I had to replace the insoles on the first pair, but they lasted the entire way.
I trained in the same model shoe, but wore a new pair that I had only worn a few times before I started the Camino. Don't wear the same pair that you've already put 500 training kms on!
 
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I bought a new pair of hiking shoes the same that I wear to work every day...wore them every day the entire month before my Camino from SJPdP to Muxia...my hiking shoes were very stretched and about 2/3 worn when I was done...bring extra shoes laces and consider buying insoles...also about 50 km from Sanitago there was a large pile of dead shoes most sewn on sole hiking boots and cheap sneakers that all had blown out soles...many of which had been repaired with duct tape.
 
I wore Brooks Adrenalines the full CF and to coast. My feet throbbed every night and I had blisters.
I wore HOKA Stinsons on the full Norte, Inglais. My feet were awesome!!!!
I wore HOKA Stinsons (a change in design :() for the full Le Puy, Norte, coast and they showed wear instantly. They got me through! But there were many holes. Three of my children also survived in their Stinsons but my three sons had shoes sent from the States to SJPP. One in Salomans and the other carried his Salomans and kept his Keen sandles on the rest of the trip.
 
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Wear shoes in which you are already comfortable. I've worn Nike running shoes on five caminos with no problems. Only time I had to trade them for boots was winter 2014: too much snow and mud.
 
I trained and brought some Altra Olympus 2.5 trail runners with me on the Camino Frances last year. I think they started breaking down internally around 200k on the Camino. The cushioning seem to compress on the right shoe, started causing heel pain, then a seem let loose on the outside. Maybe they were duds, but I met a peregrino who wore them on the AT and he said they only lasted him about ~250k. I had trouble finding new shoes on the Camino in my size. I settled on some Merrels, but they were not wide enough. Blisters started within days of break in. I was blister free until changing shoes. You may consider using a bounce box for your backup pair. Just keep bouncing forward until you are within reach of your goal.
 
Some factors to consider.
The quality of the trail runners.
The size, weight, foot structure, walking style etc of the pilgrim wearing them.
I wore Merrell trail shoes on five Caminos, before trying something different and wearing NB trail runners on the next. Even though the Merrells worked well I figured the trail runners would be lighter and cooler and I've worn NB runners for years. Always liked them. Unfortunately the set I wore broke down fairly quick on the Camino and were looking pretty rough at the end and I ended up with some knee and foot problems.
Not saying they are a bad shoe, just the wrong shoe for me.
Next Camino back to trail shoes.
I have noticed that on all the shoes I have worn, 800-900 km's is about all they are made for, ha ha. At least mine, anyway. The soles get slick, and the interior fabric torn and frayed. One pair (the NB trail runners) never left Spain as they were tossed in the bin in Santiago and I wore sandals home. The others were relegated to outdoor chores duty in the yard and garden.
One thing I did learn, even if I did not follow the advice, was that if whatever footwear you bring with you is not working and causing problems, get rid of them and get some new, different type shoes first chance you get on the Camino. Those trail runners were causing me woes, but I was stubborn, and a couple of fellow pilgrims advised getting new shoes in Burgos, but I didn't listen and was a bit too frugal and my feet and knee paid the price. In retrospect I should have binned them and got Merrells or Salomons at the first outdoor shop I encountered.
 
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Had not thought about shoes wearing out on a Camino. I wear very large shoes (think Bozo the Clown feet) and the shoe manufacturers seem to keep changing styles on me. By the time I find a pair I like they have changed the model! Woe unto me.
 
I’m breaking in a pair of Solomon Speedcross 4 Trail runners for El Norte in 3 weeks. I will take trekking sandals also hoping when possible to switch to sandals second half of the day thus maybe extending the treads on my Speedcross.
 
I used low cost Karrimor D30 waterproof trail-runners which carried me for 1000 kms on Camino Frances and Camino Fisterra Muxia. They probably had another 200kms left in them, but I disposed of them at the end. They were very comfortable, and I never had a single blister or foot problem. My faithful footwear friends. They were infinitely preferable to walking boots. I'm setting out to do Caminho Portugues one month from now, and will be wearing Asics Sonoma 3 trail runners, also waterproof. They are bright yellow. My wife thinks that I am mad, but at least no-one will steal them. I'm wearing them now, breaking them in. I'll let you know how I get on.
 
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It seems the majority of opinions on footgear leans towards using trail runners and that seems good to me. Several shoe store people have voiced concern that one pair might not hold up for the 800km+ walk. Any thoughts about this?

Also I just discovered "Cloudventure Midtops" made by the Swiss company "On". I love them so far but it's the dead of winter here in Vermont and haven't walked more than 4 miles at a time in them yet...Does anyone have any experience with this brand? Gathering gear and trying things out is a great way to make it through the winter while we wait to get started in the spring! Thanks.


Steven, I wore trail shoes for some of the same reasons mentioned by others. The main one was weight, but also comfort. I've read that every pound added to your feet is like adding 5 pounds to your back. I don't know if that's true. Mine were Merrell's upon the advice of my son and a salesman who were much more experienced than I. I don't know the model, and the tag is too faded to read it. Besides, they're probably out of production as I bought them about 5 years ago. They held up very well. I hiked SJPP to Santiago. I'm still wearing them. They were well broken in before leaving. There are still enough cleats on them to be useful and there is only a little fraying on the outside. I did replace the insoles in Pamplona as they began to deteriorate, but the shoes were a few years old by then. A note about that: I tried going to gel insoles and found that they made the shoes too tight, so I simply added another foam insole. The only complaint I had, and this may apply to all trail shoes, is that the sole allowed me to feel the trail surface TOO much. After a few days I began to feel any pebble larger than about 5 mm.

Along with your choice of shoes, I'll repeat two pieces of advice you'll find throughout the forum: Break-in and make sure you're comfortable in your shoes before starting the Camino; and take care of your feet on the Camino. I put a thin film of petroleum jelly on my feet before poly sock liners and good socks each day. I had zero blisters.

Buen Camino!!
 
Hoka One Ones on the Portuguese last fall. Loved them. They were great on the cobblestones. I'm still wearing them 2 months later. I too was told they wouldn't last by REI salesperson.
 
My Altra Lone Peak 3.5 last about 500 miles or a little more. I use Super Feet insoles for the Plantar Fasciitus I experience. In that 500 mile I will wear out 2 pair of insoles but really no problems with the shoes.
 
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It seems the majority of opinions on footgear leans towards using trail runners and that seems good to me. Several shoe store people have voiced concern that one pair might not hold up for the 800km+ walk. Any thoughts about this?

Also I just discovered "Cloudventure Midtops" made by the Swiss company "On". I love them so far but it's the dead of winter here in Vermont and haven't walked more than 4 miles at a time in them yet...Does anyone have any experience with this brand? Gathering gear and trying things out is a great way to make it through the winter while we wait to get started in the spring! Thanks.
I wore trail runners on both CFs. They held up fine. I recommend them.
 
I’d like to point out the importance of sock size. If your socks are too small/tight, you could have problems no matter what kind of shoe/boot you wear. Just sayin’, from my experience in 2016...
 
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Was I the only one who clicked on this thread and had braced myself for news of some scary research on trail runners? you know, the type that tend to be of a certain age, with a grey beard and light frame and very focused... anyway it seems we're safe under the radar for now :)
:):):)
 
When I did the CF, I used a pair of Nike trail runners that already had approximately 100 miles on them and had no problems at all. Almost used them again for the Portuguese (starting in Sagres, so another 500-miler), but figured it was best not to tempt fate so I got a pair of Pearl Izumos that also performed great. I made the mistake of using those on the Le Puy route, and enough tread had worn off that I experienced notable performance issues on hilly sections.

All that to say that a new(ish) pair of trail runners should easily stand of to 800 Km. After that, it depends on the terrain, e.g., I think the Pearl Izumos could have stood up to both the CF and the Portuguese since both were relatively flat...trying to push them into hilly/mountainous terrain after the Portuguese was, well, pushing it.
 
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Depends on the terrain. At home I walk a lot so use Pearl Izumi trainrunners, Brooks Glycerin runners, Merrell FST shoes or Vasque hiking shoes. The hiking shoes are a little heavier but last a lot longer. I have a weird heavy gair and I can get about 600 km our of a pair of runners tops. Vasque hiking shoes - my last pair did at least 1500 km and I still have them for in the garden. I don't like trail runners for rocks. I also don't like sole flexibility as I am prone to midfoot discomfort so need a stiff sole.
 
A pair of Salomon Speed Cross 3s held up through months of training walks and 800Km on the CF.
A lot kinder on the ankles than any walking boots I've ever worn.
 
Life expectancy of trail runners?
I'm not too sure, I am one of those people who can't get their head around 'fun' and 'run' being used in the same sentence.
I do know that Jim Fixx, who started the whole running thing, died of a heart attack whilst out running at 52 years old .... so maybe 52 is the average life expectancy of trail runners?


Eeerrrmmm, or have I missed the point? ;)
 
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I have walked 3 Caminos. Training for my first walk I bought some Merrells. I was told by the owner of the outdoor store who is respected because of his knowledge that these would be the perfect combination of support and weight for my planned 1000k walk. In training I got terrible blisters. At that time I was living in Ashland, Oregon and my friend, who is a marathoner, took me into a running store. I learned that day that Ashland is one of the training grounds for ultramarathoners. The owner of the store is one of the top ultramarathoners in the world. As soon as I told him I was walking the Camino he and his two employees (ultra marathoners too) at the same time all pointed to a pair of Brooks Cascadia‘s. They guaranteed they were the best shoe out there.
Especially after he asked me to take my socks off so he could inspect at my feet They have been awesome for me. I had one blister the first thousand kilometers I walked. And I bought a second pair for my second Camino and I walked the La Puy and the Camino Francis. I had one small blister in about 1400 km. And I think that was from walking too far one day and having wet feet. I was too lazy to change my socks.
Really smart on my part. Last year I walk the Camino Portuguese. You won’t believe this but I wore the same pair that I wore previously. I did the whole Camino from Lisbon, no blisters on my feet we’re in good shape. I did have some right knee problems I don’t know if that was because that the shoe support had worn down so much or it was the incessant walking on cobblestone and paved roads. Probably a combination of both. I will be walking Norte either this year or next and I think you know what pair of trail shoes I’ll be buying. I can’t recommend them enough. But like each person’s Camino each person’s feet are different. As I mentioned in another post I do believe just from observation that people who have boots and especially heavy boots seemed to have more foot problems with those than people with trail runners. If you have weekend calls you may have no choice but to go With some type of food that has ankle support.
 
It seems the majority of opinions on footgear leans towards using trail runners and that seems good to me. Several shoe store people have voiced concern that one pair might not hold up for the 800km+ walk. Any thoughts about this?

Also I just discovered "Cloudventure Midtops" made by the Swiss company "On". I love them so far but it's the dead of winter here in Vermont and haven't walked more than 4 miles at a time in them yet...Does anyone have any experience with this brand? Gathering gear and trying things out is a great way to make it through the winter while we wait to get started in the spring! Thanks.
September time, I met a guy in Ponferrada looking for a shoe store. His trail runners were falling apart. Damaged uppers and soles falling off. Springtime, met another guy in the Pyrenees whose feet were soaking because it was very muddy so they are no good for early spring when the snows are melting. Trails across the meseta from Hornillos to Hontanas are shared with farm machinery so once again in early Spring ankle deep mud so you will get wet feet. Lightweight hiking boots are my personal choice
 
My daughter's adidas trail runners easily made the distance and are still going strong. Our new balance and brooks standard runners held out till the end but the soles were looking pretty sad. Make sure your shoes are broken in enough and trialed with a few long walks under pack weight and don't stress too much. Just take every day as it comes and enjoy the experience. You'll probably get a blister or 2 but that adds to the travel stories.
 
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I’ve worn Topo and Altra trail runners. In both I found the uppers perished and got small holes in them long before the treads and inner soles showed any sign of wear. I blamed walking in the sun and rain for over 40 days each camino. That and the fact I buy a size too big. The holes started along the line where my shoe creased when walking. I did send an email to the companies just nicely mentioning that there is little point in over engineering the bottoms of the shoe if the tops are going wear out long before anything else does. Yet another post showing how anal I am!!! :p:p:p
I am now reconciled to the fact that I need to buy a new pair for each camino. It’s all good.
 
Heda, I only go a half size bigger on my Camino shoes as my feet don't seem to swell very much. My son has had that crease you mention when purchased too big. I also find I have better luck on brands where the mesh is more tightly woven and then do not get tears. All good points you mentioned.
 
Friend of mine walked on salomons, not sure what type. They where destroyed by the time he got to Leon. I walked on hanwag boots. Destroyed by the time I got to Santiago. Hanwag replaced them free of charge.
 
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Was I the only one who clicked on this thread and had braced myself for news of some scary research on trail runners? you know, the type that tend to be of a certain age, with a grey beard and light frame and very focused... anyway it seems we're safe under the radar for now :)
Life expectancy of trail runners?
Haha! I just clicked on this thread with the same thought. I had just seen the thread on "Good news for older peregrinos" about reversing cognitive decline, and thought this would be along the same lines, or would cite statistics of runners having accidents or being attacked by bears! :D
 
3 Years ago I started my Camino training in a short boot, worked well until I got on The Camino Frances and then at Burgos had to get rid of them and discovered the Columbia Ventralia Outdry trailrunner. I have since done 2 Caminos and truly enjoy the comfort and realizability of these shoes. They last about 800 km which is fine with me as I usually do 800km in between Caminos. No blisters, great toe box, I use a Dr. Scholls Xtra strong insert and altogether very pleased. I just started using my 4th pair.
 
It seems the majority of opinions on footgear leans towards using trail runners and that seems good to me. Several shoe store people have voiced concern that one pair might not hold up for the 800km+ walk. Any thoughts about this?

I wore Altra Lone Peak trail shoes on my April-May 2018 Camino. I'm not sure what they are rated for but I trained in them for a couple months, wore them for a month all over the Scottish highlands for a month, then wore them on the Camino (over 800km), and then wore them all summer where I work in a national park and do a lot of walking. I'm STILL wearing them a year later; one shoe squeaks on hard floors and the tread is fading on both shoes but they're still holding up great! I did have to replace the insoles but I can't wait to get another pair.

Altras may not be the shoe for you but it's completely possible to find trail shoes that don't die during the Camino.
 
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