After four week’s of running in The North Face Ultra Endurance trainers I’m getting on very well with them.
Often it’s a shock to the system when switching between brands, but I’ve not had that with the Ultra Endurances. Previously I’ve been wearing the Saucony Excursion, which are considerably well-padded and in comparison, the Ultra Endurances have less cushioning, but elsewhere they are very supportive and comfortable.
The tongue is a little thinner than I’m used to
The only thing I have found hard to get used to is the unpadded tongue. It’s a lot thinner than on other trainers I have worn (see photo above) and it extends further up over the top of the foot as well. The North Face describes it as a gusseted tongue as it’s designed to minimise debris getting inside, and to be fair, it does hold my foot that bit firmer.
One feature I really like is the wide toe box. I often find my big toes catch the sides, but the Ultra Endurance gives them room to move. There’s also large bumper around the front giving excellent protection from rocks that also helps extend the life of the trainers.
The snakeplate adds protection in the forefoot of the shoe
The word Snake Plate is written down the side and this adds protection in the forefoot of the shoe. Around the back of the heel is a ‘Cradle’ that holds your foot stable. There is FlashDry fabric on the inside so the trainers can wick sweat away and dry out quickly.
You can wear these for the gym too
The Vibram Megagrip sole lives up to its name; it has just enough lugs to allow you to run on a fairly muddy trail, but if you were going to be running long distances in really claggy stuff then you maybe need something with more aggressive lugs. The Ultra Endurances perform very well in the rain and the Vibram sole is reassuringly sticky over wet rocks and roads.
Outsole is made of MEGAGRIP compound
See more at www.thenorthface.co.uk
