While I was thinking about Mizuno Elixirs/Ronins, Saucony Kinvaras/Viratas, Merrell Mix Masters and Lunaspider sneakers, I spotted the Sportiva Helios at my favorite running store, ZombieRunner while taking a look at the Kinvara and Virata sneakers they had there (As well as the Salomon S-Lab).
One of the owners and one staff member said that the Sportiva Helios sneakers were among their favorites and each owned a pair, I thought I'd give it a test run. Lo and behold, these sneakers turned out to be the perfect in-betweener to help me in my adjustment towards minimalist running while still offering enough cushion to show some mercy during longer runs or for recovery runs.
This is primarily a trail shoe and a fix over the previous generation as a plate has been added to protect against sharp objects poking through the outsole.
The shoe, despite having much more sole than other minimalist sneakers, still remains shockingly light, and the upper mesh seems a near seamless fit with no stitching areas that rub any parts of my feet to blisters. What's more, the insole and rock plate are removable, and the base of the emptied sneaker remains nicely finished and easy to run in. They do run a half size small, but that's okay.
While not strictly a summer shoe, these sneakers are highly breathable and can be worn sock-less without worry or discomfort.
Ride height is much lower than traditional sneakers, but still nowhere near as low to the ground as the breathos or minimus sneakers.
The 4 mm drop is shallow enough to feel near minimalist, but that little drop, coupled with the extra outsole is still plenty merciful on your feet if you're still transitioning.
It's hard to believe that the full length rock plate, which is ridiculously thin, actually protects your feet, but it does. Even more surprising is the effect the rock plate has on overall rigidity, considering how flexible the rock plate is, but you notice the difference when running with and without the plate.
The sneaker is designed for trail use, but can handle light road as well. In terms of usage, it's ideally suited if you are planning a, say, 8 mile run, where 1 or 2 of the miles is on road.
The rubber lugs on the outsole are fairly soft and malleable compared to road shoe outsoles, but still more rigid and structured than more typical trail shoes. So if you mix things up but lean towards more trail than road, these sneakers should last a very long time.
The toe-box is reasonably wide, though not cavernous. And the mid foot is very snug and tight. The heel is also very snug and there's no slippage. Even when sweating, I didn't notice heel slippage, and there was no rubbing that caused skin irritation over an 8 mile run.
On the trail, forward/backward motion is crisp with great stopping power, grip, and springy kick off. On the side to side, there is plenty of grip for the trail, but it's not quite as side grippy as the breathos. I think this is because of the way the lugs and ridges are designed. Having said that, the waved ridges, open straight across from edge to edge, does make mud running a less sticky affair and there's plenty of flow for water, mitigating hydroplaning over slippery rocks. The lugs seem to dig deep into wet rock making it "seem" much safer. Still not quite super grippy, and the slightly decreased tactioception from the thicker sole makes you just a touch less sure-footed than in the breathos. Even still, it felt plenty grippy on drier areas and there was no muscle burn or bone pain after the run like you get with the breathos over rocky/boulder terrain.
The Sportiva Helios also really shines on the longer the run. On the Breathos, I get noticeably tired at around the 8 mile mark on trails, but with the Sportiva Helios, my feet feel ready to take on much more. For long distances, I would choose the Sportiva Helios over the Vivobarefoot Breathos every time, if only for the improved endurance and pain free run where I need it most.
All told, this is my favorite new trail running sneaker, and I imagine it will be with me a long time.
Cheers and happy running!
Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>
La Sportiva makes a great product in general and this sneaker in particular is one of my favorite pairs of shoes. Great traction and grip. It can handle gnarly trail conditions. If you're in the market for a trail runner, it is hard to do better than this shoe.Best Deals on La Sportiva Men's Helios Trail Running Shoe
I have a pair of Sportiva Wildcats that have been amazing shoes both on the road and trail, so it was an easy choice to stick with the brand. I had been thinking of transistioning to a minimalist style shoe for some time, and by the descriptions on Sportivas website the Helios seemed to fit the bill. They are so light compared to my Wildcats, and just as comfortable.I run mainly on the road and these have held up relatively well since I know they were designed for trail use, but so were the Wildcats and I have trained for and run a half-marathon in them and still use them for weekend around town shoes. The Helios outsole is a little softer than the Wildcat and is wearing away a bit quicker with my road training, but I still anticipate getting to the end of my 3 month traing regiment and completing my half-marathon in them before they are done. I am currently running 15+ miles a week in them and am 3 weks away from my half.
I also play ultimate frisbee in the Helios twice a week and have put some trail miles on them as well. I can tell a huge difference in the amount of sediment they keep out when playing hard in the dirt compared to the Wildcat, and they breath and let water flow through just as well. No fear of soggy feet after creek crossings as long as you wear a good sock or go sockless.
Sportiva is now my go-to brand for all types of running since the shoes wear so well overall. The inside of both pair of shoes look amazing and not torn up at all. The only limitation on how far these will go will be wearing the sole off.
The only reason I give them 4 stars instead of 5 is due to overall leg pain that I am having since switching to this shoe. I believe it to not be the shoe neccisarily, but my having never trained in a minimalist style shoe before. My pain is deffinitely lessening the more I run in them. I suppose I am using certain muscles differently than before and also changing my gaite somewhat. I tend to run more on the ball of my foot in the Helios instead of stiking my heel as I did in the Wildcat.
0 comments:
Post a Comment