You know how it is when you find the perfect Trail shoe? And then they stopped making them? Devastating right.

That’s what happened to me in 2016 when pearl Izumi stopped making trail shoes. I have been unsuccessfully searching ever since. So much time, so much MONEY, so much disappointment.

I’m delighted to say that finally I truly feel that this 58yo Cinderella has finally found her slipper!

It’s actually a stretch to call me Cinderella or the Topo ultraventure a slipper but from the very moment I slid my foot into this gorgeous, shimmery green hued shoe I knew it was “the one”

The acid test would come after the first hundred K or so though…to see if it was starting to scrub out in the heel which is a pretty universal problemo for me in running shoes.

Now about 150-200km in that inner heel cradle fabric is still as smoothly sublime as day 1. Sweet lord it’s a miracle! I’ve had many scrub out in under 100km 🤦🏼‍♀️

I bought these mainly for an upcoming 1000 K hike in Western Australia in Sept/October. I don’t do much in the way of running any more. That said I have taken it out for a couple of short trots and they were wonderful there also!

So I’ll be buying another pair very soon cos 1000km with a pack is pretty hard on shoes and I ain’t expecting them to be up for that on top of two months of lead in training.

Pricey? Yes. $250. For this small business woman with a heavily impacted business (cheers COVID ☹️) it’s a lot.

Upside is my whole body and soul loves these shoes AND together we are NOW totes up for 7 weeks walking in the bush (cheers COVID 😃)

So yeah. Everyone’s feet and mechanics are different sure… but these are so working for me!

Light even with a sturdy Vibram sole, they cradle my heel perfectly, no movement even when I lace loose as I like too.

There’s the roomy toe box which accommodates my Injinji toe socked digits perfectly, a good grip on all but one slimy hard mud weirdness on a decent I came across but I didn’t stack. And the lugs are not so aggressive that hard dirt roads feel awful or stones and mud get so caught (looking at you ON runners) you need to take a bloody hoof pick out with you…

They also look GREAT! I think my iridescent green pair looks like a Christmas 🪲 I love that. So festive.

So all up, these appear to be my new and hopefully a very long time, trail shoe of choice.

And thank you Blue Mountains running co for your super speedy service. Impressed!