Last Saturday I ran my third Battlefrog race. (www.battlefrogseries.com) I placed well, 6th female, but my feet were killing me from wearing a minimus style shoe (New Balance WT10) for a 15k course. I knew better after Miami two weeks earlier where I finished 4th overall female, and my feet were already “damaged” from that- blisters on my heel and forefoot, 2 black toenails, a missing toenail – I will spare you rest of the gory details.
Saturday I met with Matt the owner of Gritty Runner –awesome company name, right?!? - who provided our team with new Inov-8’s to demo. First, I would like to say that Matt is a very nice guy, if you see his tent at future Battlefrog events, be sure to stop by. We had a great time talking about Obstacle Course Racing! He was very knowledgeable about the shoes he sells and which style are best suited for which courses. Check out his site http://grittyrunner.com and until March 31st use code ocrunited for $10off and free shipping.
Little did I know that once I got home Saturday night, that I would be called back to be on the “Pro-team” for the Battlefrog College Championship for ESPN. I was honored to be asked and knew this would be the perfect opportunity to debut the Inov-8 Roclite 295 for Women.
Color- Am I allowed to call them “cute” without losing OCR cred? Black with teal and pink? Colorful laces! It makes my inner child very happy!
Fit- True to size. I wear the same size as I do in other running/training shoes.
Stability- They have a more robust outsole than what I have been wearing. This may prevent stubbed toes and definitely will provide more protection to broken toes.
Grip- After wearing minimus shoes I was used to a very flat bottomed shoe (Vibram sole) These Inov-8’s have more of a trail/cleat to them. I was unsure how they would fare on solid surfaces, walls, balance beams, logs, etc. After trying them on the course, they felt great and had a nonslip grip on the different textured surfaces.
Comfort- The shoes fit well. My feet did not slip around inside of the shoe. They were supportive while maintaining a light weight feel.
Shoelaces- I have to bring this up because my WT10’s I was wearing would come untied multiple times per race. It got to the point that I had to double knot and then zip tie the laces so they would stay tied. After a day of activity, these did not come untied.
Additional testing-
Water- The course I was on did not have water. I want to try my shoes in the pool to make sure they are light enough to swim in and to see how quickly they drain.
Mud- Most of my testing was in grass and sand. I would like to see how well the grip is maintained and if the bottoms “fill up” between the nubs.
Mud- Most of my testing was in grass and sand. I would like to see how well the grip is maintained and if the bottoms “fill up” between the nubs.
Socks- I wore socks in the first test, but my feet were dry. I usually run obstacle course races without socks so I am curious to see what it is like to run with wet socks, and to test to see which socks work best.
* I am open to recommendations- I am new to this whole racing in socks thing!*
I went on http://grittyrunner.com to check out the selection. Every women’s pair on there is calling my name!! I better start winning more races and collecting “big checks” to help accommodate my shoe addiction.
For race schedules and discounts be sure to check out my sponsor at http://www.ocrunited.com/
Until March 24th the code BFSamples will get you 30% off the Tampa/St. Pete race. http://battlefrogseries.com/
