Need a pair of trail runner in Leon

[Denniswalkcamino]

Hi Peregrinos,

Im having problems with my trail runners and need to purchase a new pair. I’m arriving in Leon tomorrow, and hoping to find a store where they have more choices of trail runners. Can someone suggest a store in Leon please? I thank you in advance!

 

[HedaP]

I can recommend a very good shop close to the cathedral and on or very near the camino. It stocks all sorts of camino walking gear including shoes and sandals eg, altra, teva, keens, etc. They are very used to looking after pilgrims and speak excellent English.
Deportes Atmosfera
17 Calle la Rúa
http://deportes-atmosfera-sport-leon.negocio.site/
There are cheaper shops such as Decathlon.
Depends on what brand you are looking for, how much you want to spend and how much time you have.
Good luck.

 

[JennyH94]

Hi Dennisying -

I hope that you've been able to source a store in Leon where they have a good choice of trail runners. If you haven't been able to, El Corte Ingles in Leon has a very good Sports/Outdoors department - last year I found they had a whole floor devoted to everything sporting and outdoors. The address is: Calle Fray Luis de Leon 29. It's about a ten minute walk from the historic centre of Leon.

If you're undecided about which trail runners to buy, I can recommend La Sportiva Wildcat trail runners - they're an Italian brand and they have a wide toe box. They also feature a moulded shoe tongue that has no stitching on it so, once the shoe is laced up, it sits very comfortably on the top part of your foot, with no pressure on the foot bones as sometimes happens with shoes that have tongues which are stitched.

Alternatively, if you can get to Astorga with your current shoes without the risk of injury or blisters, there's an excellent outdoors store to go to - Deportes Huracan at Plaza Santocildes, 1. It's on one of the main squares as you come into Astorga - the second one, from memory. The owner of the shop is Swiss - he's lived in Spain for well over 25 years and his shop has served pilgrims for many, many years. He's a specialist fitter of sports and hiking shoes and he will really look after you. You can't miss the shop - it has a huge backpack out the front.

Good luck with your new shoes - take joy in every step and every moment.

Buen Camino -

Cheers from Oz - Jenny

PS - at the time of typing I hadn't seen HedaP's post - that sounds like a great option - it sounds as though they have a great choice - are pilgrim footwear specialists and their location is terrific.

 

[TMcA]

I was in Leon two days ago and visited a sports store also on Calle de Rua. I don't think it was the same store as described by @HedaP, but it is on the same street about 75 ft. before Calle de Rua tees into Calle Ancha. Both of these stores are on the Camino.

The personnel were friendly and spoke excellent English. They stocked Salomon and other footwear brands...I know this because my wife was looking to replace her 3 year old Salomon shoes. (My wife bought her shoes at a Decathlon store in France, put them on, and walked for 10 days without a problem. But describing the fit of her shoes in French was a challenge for me. So the ability to communicate how the shoes feel on your feet is important. We probably just got lucky at Decathlon.)

BTW, I also wore almost brand new shoes for this year's 10 days on the CF and I had no problems whatsoever. But I had bought the exact same model and size of a Salomon low hiker that I had used for about 600 kms earlier. This has made me a believer in "no break in required" if the boots are low and the fit is correct.

Wishing you happy feet and Buen Camino.

Tom

 

[t2andreo]

I saw El Corte Ingles referenced above. They are an excellent source for branded sports clothing. I have bought branded and store brand polos and t-shirts there, and Camino gear like hats, sleeping bags, and ponchos.

Because much of their stock is bought from wholesale sources, the fit varies by brand. TRY YOUR CHOICE ON BEFORE PAYING. Do not rely on tagged sizing.

There are El Corte Ingles stores in Pamplona, Burgos, Leon, and just outside Santiago. They have locations throughout Spain, and some in Portugal too. Here is their Spain store locator web page (in English):

https://www.elcorteingles.es/centroscomerciales/en/eci

FYI - here is the Decathlon store locator page for Spain: https://www.decathlon.es/es/tienda

And for Portugal: https://www.decathlon.pt/pt/loja

Hope this helps.

 

[trecile]

I'm pretty sure that I stopped into a New Balance store when I was in León.

 

[John Crawford Howell]

Advice on shoes is normally fraught with good intentions as experiences vary greatly. So, I'll simply share my own experience from doing the Camino Frances in 2017: I made the trek in Saucony Peregrine 6 Trail Runners. The platform of the shoe was, in a word, phenomenal. From SJPdP to Santiago, not one single blister. None. I adhered to advice of buying shoes one half to a full size larger than normally worn and I took very good care of my feet.

 

[Denniswalkcamino]

Thanks for all the suggestions. So I ended up getting a pair of La Sportiva Raptor from Corte Igles in Leon. Super comfortable and loads of grip. Very happy! Now back on camino with happy feet!

 

[John Crawford Howell]

Thanks for all the suggestions. So I ended up getting a pair of La Sportiva Raptor from Corte Igles in Leon. Super comfortable and loads of grip. Very happy! Now back on camino with happy feet!

Excellent!

 

[Introibo]

Just as I was about to mention Alpamayo Sports on Av Lancia......
Very helpful staff and spoke excellent English

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Thanks for all the suggestions. So I ended up getting a pair of La Sportiva Raptor from Corte Igles in Leon. Super comfortable and loads of grip. Very happy! Now back on camino with happy feet!

My son loves La Sportivas. They are often quite hard to find.

 

[JennyH94]

Great news Dennis - take joy in every step in your La Sportivas.
Cheers from Oz - Jenny