Review: New Balance MT101

I had been waiting to do a long run in these before putting together a review, and after today's 4 hour and 15 minute jaunt through rocky trails, I've formed an opinion.  I've done several trail runs in these and taken them out for a spin on paved surfaces as well, and I have to say that they perform well on both accounts.  However, I'll concentrate on the trail end of thing because there are plenty of racing flats I'd rather be in on paved surfaces.

When I first slipped these on and hit the trails, I was immediately struck at how well they performed.  It felt like I was wearing a racing flat with all the benefits of a trail shoe.  I felt lighter on my feet and the RockStop shield in the forefoot did a great job of protecting my feet from rocks.  I could feel the trail under my feet much better, which makes me feel a little more sure-footed on the rocky trails of the Hill Country.

One of the things I always loved about the Cascadia was that it drained water really well.  Last night, I found a fairly deep puddle of water on my run (shocking, in this drought), so I stopped and submerged my feet up to my ankles and then finished my run.  Not surprising, the shoes drained water as well as the Cascadia.  However, after drying overnight, they felt like they had stretched out a bit.

Today, I went out for my first real long run in the shoes.  I'd previously gone 2+ hours in them, but I wanted to see how they'd feel after 3-4 hours.  Amazingly, they didn't feel any less comfortable than the Cascadias I've been running in over the years.  My only complaint is that due to the minimalistic nature of the shoe, the rear foot doesn't have much between your foot and the ground.  Adding to this problem is that some of the foam is exposed on the rear of the shoe, instead of having a layer of outsole over it.  On these really rocky trails around Austin, when you come down on your heel, it tends to feel not so nice.  I realize the goal of minimalist shoes is to put the runner on their forefoot.  I'm a midfoot striker, but on trails its fairly impossible to always come down on your midfoot/forefoot, especially when bombing down a hill with sharp rocks dominating the trail.  My left heel is a little sore after today's run.

Pros:

• Weight - This shoe is light.  Its 7.48 oz (men's size 9).  Its not as light as a racing flat, but it feels like one compared to the Cascadia (10 oz).
• Price - $75.
• Feel - the shoe allows you to feel the trail, but (for the most part) protects you from what's under your feet.
• Breathability - the shoe breathes well, which also translates in draining water as well.

Cons:

• Lack of rear foot protection - not a huge concern, but can definitely result in some soreness.
• No lateral protection - if your foot happens to come down next to something protruding horizontally, the shoe provides little protection again the object.  Again, not a huge concern because this doesn't happen often.
• No toe protection - if you stub your toe on the trail, there's no protection.  This doesn't happen often, but the Cascadia affords a little extra protection up front against this.

Overall, this shoe gets a solid A.  The negatives are there but are far exceeded by the positives.  I have to thank Brooks for changing the Cascadia just enough that I decided to try something new.  The MT101 is definitely my new trail shoe.  Its getting major updates in January, so I hope they don't screw it up.