La Sportiva Slingshot Trail Running Shoe
July 23, 2008
[Readers, you should take this tester's comments to heart. She recently went out just to "improve her time" in a marathon-length mountain running race, and instead went ahead and won the women's championship. So she knows a thing or two about mountain running. Just thought you should know. -Head Geargal]
In the garage we have a 6ft x 6ft book case filled with shoes. No, I am not Imelda Marcos, we use a lot of specific athletic footwear, like running shoes. Trail runners are really close to my heart, because I want them to fit well, last at least a month or two, and give me the sensation of light feet that can feel what is underneath them. I stumbled across La Sportiva Slingshots in my size at a sale section of local mountaineering store and, since there were a few inches of extra space on my shoe shelf, I bought them without even trying them on. It was not until the first trail running race that I realized what a treasure I had just stumbled upon. There was no heel lift, they fit like a glove (well, not literally but you know what I mean). And they weighed nothing [again, not literally - HG], yet gave enough traction and support for on mud, rocks and roots. Because I’m a bit worried that such a light race shoe won’t last through all the training miles, I have dedicated these shoes for racing only, which works out perfect since as soon as I put them on I feel like a pro of sorts. They just make you feel fast! My first Slingshots are just starting to show wear and tear after a full year of trail racing. Time to get a new pair!
