Montrail Odyssey Trail Shoe Review

being a montrail ambassador means i'm constantly being asked about montrail shoes. i would say the shoe i suggest the most is the montrail odyssey. this is because the montrail odyssey is the most versitile trail running shoe on the market today. even the most hardened trail runner is forced to run road on ocassion. the montrail odyssey was designed as a light weight trail shoe that is just as comfortable on the road as on the trail. matter of fact... this is my road shoe. it's also my favorite light weight trail shoe (just 12oz). i even race ultras up to 50 miles in this shoe because it's light weight, stable and has a great cushioned sole for my achey knees. is it tough? i wore a pair of montrial odysseys on a circumnavigation of the sisters mountains in oregon. 45 miles and 10,000 feet of gain with a summit of the south sister and a 3,000 foot decent on a lava rock and scree... and i'm still running in them. on those hot days you'll appreciate the upper being made of very breathable mesh and on the wet days you will appreciate the gryptonite treads. great shoe.

the montrail odyssey in action! - olympic national park



outside magazine's take on the montrail odyssey

Montrail, Nitrus - you son of a hardrock!

for three months there has been a box in my bedroom. the contents of which has been called "the son of the hardrock". well the hardrock and i have a long standing relationship, we are very close... so i've been waiting patiently to take her son, the nitrus, out for a real trail run.

today... (after three months of injury) was that day and we got along swimmingly. this shoe could be my go to shoe. however i was open and honest with the nitrus. she knows i'm seeing other montrails (including her mother the hardrock - kinda weird). so we'll just have to see how the relationship developes. the first thing i noticed was the nitrus is very torsionally rigid and has a super protective sole called the terraflex (which is a three component system combining a high-traction outsole, a protection plate and a shock-absorbing midsole). it's designed for "high mileage hammerheads" (perfect!) so it's very supportive, stable and cushioned. they also felt super light (13oz) and have a lot of breathable mesh on the upper for the big sweaters. the upper is also designed to accomodate a wide foot, which i don't have but couldn't notice a difference. it also has the gusseted tongue to keep degris out, but it really helps to keep the tongue in place more than anything. for the pronator, this shoe also has a medial post.

put simply: they felt light, very supportive (for my poor knee), stable and they fit really well.

Montrail, Hard Rock

The Montrail Hardrock is my "go to" running shoe. I might race in a lighter shoe from time to time but I put in most of my miles in the Hardrock. This is because it is the most supportive and protective trail shoe I have found. It protects my foot from the elements. The shoe was designed for ultrarunners running the Hardrock 100, considered the hardest of the 100 mile ultramarathons. The course is notorious for rough rocky terrain including extended scree sections. The hardrock has a protective plate that runs the entire length of the sole for protection when you land on those jagged rocks. This past winter I ran the Presidential Traverse in my Hardrocks. This traverse is 26 miles of nothing but rocks. Without the Hardrocks I would have suffered severely. Instead I finished without a single blister or injury. Recently in training i put in a 200+ mile week of trail running. I would not attempt this with any other shoe period.

I occasionally suffer from knee pain and have had surgery on one of my knees. With the Hardrock I know I'm getting the most cushion and supportive trail shoe on the market. This shoe takes care of me and fits great as well. The reinforced heal cup keeps my heal in the shoe and happy when climbing. And for those long days on the trails there is plenty of room in the toe box for your toes to move around (and not blister). I know many people who use this shoe for various other activities. Hikers are starting to realize they don't need a big leather boot to hike. I have many friends who use the Hardrock as their main hiking shoe, or even an approach shoe.

If you want a great protective trail shoe, or are someone who puts in a lot of miles the Hardrock is the shoe for you.

SOLE Custom Footbeds

When I go running or biking these days, you will always find a pair of SOLEs in my shoes. I even use them for indoor spinning. Correct knee and leg alignment is of paramount importance in these repetitive sports, and it all starts with the arches of the feet. The arches help to absorb each running strike and to transmit the energy of each pedal stroke. Well-engineered footbeds assist the muscles in maintaining the anatomical position of the arch. When the arch is not supported then it can lead to misalignment of the ankle and then the knees, hips and lower back, which can lead to injury in any of these areas.

I started using SOLEs in my running shoes after I first tried custom athletic orthotics from my doctor. I used my doctor’s orthotics for several months. They made my feet a little sore, but seemed to help my running. Then I used them in a foot race with a relatively new shoe. It was a hard race, and I developed the worst feet I have ever had. I was not sure if the problem was the shoes or the orthotics, so it was several months before I tried the shoes again. In the meantime, I had been given a pair of SOLE Regular Softecs, so I threw these in the shoes and went for a run. While I am not about to claim that SOLEs will always be better than orthotics you get from your doctor, this was certainly the case for me. It turns out the orthotics were too stiff and hard. Dirt and rocks had gotten between the orthotics and the arches of my foot and had worn my skin away. Once I started using the SOLE footbeds, the same pair of shoes that hurt my feet so badly, Montrail Continental Divides, became my favorite pair of trail runners. The SOLEs have just the right amount of cushion and help prevent blisters in addition to keeping my leg in proper alignment.

After much experimentation with mountain bike shoes I have settled on using Shimano SH-M120 (currently SH-M121). The shoes are rugged and comfortable, but the insole that comes with the shoe is flimsy and flat. After my success in using SOLE Softecs in my running shoes, I started using SOLE Slim Sports in my cycling shoes. When my feet swelled during Primal Quest last year, I went without socks on the bike. This strategy kept my feet dry and allowed them to heal on the long bike legs. If I had tried this with the footbeds that came with the shoes, I am certain my feet would not have fared so well.

You can find detailed advice on the company website, www.yoursole.com, but here are a few tips:
+ SOLEs come in whole sizes, so buy the next whole size larger if you are a half size.
+ They are heat moldable, but you can definitely use them without molding them.
+ Before you mold your footbeds, make sure they fit in your shoes:
- Take your old insoles out.
- See if the SOLEs fit snugly in your shoes.
- Your old insoles can help act as a trimming guide.
- Progressively trim small slivers from the front of the footbed until they fit.
+ Mold in 3 easy steps:
- Heat the oven to 200F. Put the SOLEs in the oven for 2 minutes.
- Take them out, put them in your shoes, stand in your shoes, and lace them up.
- Stand with feet shoulder width apart for 2 minutes. In this position you best approximate neutral and your arch is at it’s highest. The footbeds will cool down and take the shape of your shoe and neutral positioned foot.
- **For bike shoes do not mold in a standing position. Instead heat them up and jump on your trainer for two minutes and spin. SOLE will take the shape of your foot in a non-weight pedal stroke, rather than a weighted standing position.
- Get outside and enjoy!