New Balance Men's MT1010v2 Minimus Trail Running Shoe

I've purchased this for an upcoming Spartan race.On my first OCR outing (and a few more) I ran in old trail sneakers, which handled things great, but despite draining adequately weighed a ton when the materials soaked up the watery mud like a sponge.My last run was with Merrell trail gloves which were also great overall, but getting any grip on the climbing ropes was very difficult and I had to rely solely on my arms to get to the bell.I've been a fan of Merrell shoes for hiking (and lately minimalist running) for years, and always come across New Balance among the top contenders whenever I am on the hunt for a new shoe.These are also half the price of the "official Spartan Shoe" Reebok All Terrains (mine came to $56)I've only been able to use these for training so far, running them on the trails and my own course in the area, but they handle the hills, mud, dirt, grass and trail much better than I had hoped for.Holds quick turns well, sprinting is easier with less slippage, and even wet grass did not pose a problem for me.A note on sizing, is that I noted most of the reviews indicated to order a half size down, yet a large majority also indicate fit as expected. Perhaps they size down from regular New Balance sneaks??In my case I wear a size 11D almost across the board, and here as well without a problem. I was a little concerned one of my toes was a bit too close to the front when I put them on, but after breaking them in a few miles that concern has gone away.The bottom tread is amazingly aggressive, and I'm still wondering if in deep mud whether they would collect, rather than push aside the muck, but so far it hasn't done so.About the only thing I haven't done yet is test out drainage, but if this performs as everyone has stated it looks like these will be my go to shoes for all my OCR races whether Warrior Dash, Tough Mudder, Spartan Race or any other I come across.Definate buy, especially for the price.

Since wearing Vasque, Brooks and Montrail, I now wear only New Balance shoes for everyday use, trail running and hiking. The reason is the number of lasts and widths they provide customers and the superior service they offer end-users whether they purchased their shoes from New Balance or other sources.For the past two years, I wanted to try the Minimus series for their design and unusual comfort. If properly fitted, many Minimus shoes fit the foot like a sock but safeguard every segment of the sole. My principal concern was support: they didn't seem to provide enough for my foot. The other was pronation. Some Minimus shoes felt as if I were tightrope-walking. The sense of absolute balance comes with use, and neither from insoles nor a higher profile.Enter the MT 1010v2 Minimus Trail Runners. After break in, the sole is so comfortable, it's addictive!First, they are far more beautiful shoes than they appear on on amazon. The colors are brilliant and their styling unusually fine. As one who always wore 2E widths in virtually all New Balance shoes, the standard M (or D) width was more than ample here, because the toe cage widens broadly. When properly fit, they hug the foot like a sock, the Vibram soles of these shoes are fantastic shock absorbers too, both lightweight and strong. They have exceptional grip, and add more stability to the Minimus sole than one might expect.I experienced no hot spots on break-in although the shoes run nearly a half-size longer than I expected. As one who has rarely worn less than a 10.5 (US) I found this a minor annoyance, at least for the ways in which I wear athletic shoes. For this particular shoe, I was unwilling to risk a 10. I walk or run on steep slopes and that naturally forces the foot forward. My feet also swell when I run and I always wear socks. Hence, a marathon tie solves most of the problems a conventional customer might have, because it "centers" the foot in the shoe. If I'd bought a 10, the shoes would have been too snug around the arch and instep in the heat.Two different New Balance service staff advised me to stick with the 10.5 size on the basis of other New Balance lasts I found comfortable. If I even go straight Minimus, and purchase a pair with flexible fabric, a 10 might work, but not for now.The build of the shoes appears imported. I hope they last. My pair was produced in Vietnam, but so were other New Balance shoes I've loved, including the 980v3. While the retail on these is a bit high, amazon's price is amazing -- nearly 45% off.One major caveat. If you have very high arches, recognize that all arch support for these shoes comes from the sole, not from the insole. There is very little arch support IN the shoe. I have found the arch support of the sole more than adequate, though. If you also have a very high instep, you might try a different shoe, because the last of this model really narrows around the center, hence compressing the arch AND instep for support. That might make some users uncomfortable over time.Even though I tried shoes with similar lasts at retail before I bought them on amazon, sizing will remain a blessing and a curse at New Balance. Still, the company remains my go-to brand for outdoor and athletic shoes. They just do a better job at the science and service required in the business. I might have given these 4.5 for sizing, but the soles more than compensate for that.

Reviews of this shoe are all over the map in terms of sizing. My experience I ordered 10, 10.5, and 11 all in D width. 10 was too small, 10.5 was the right length but too narrow, 11 felt better in width but was too long, 10.5 EE seemed to fix all these problems. I got mine from warehouse deals and it was in used like new condition. Mine came with rocks in the sole and signs of moderate wear on the outsole my guess is someone ran 10-20 miles in these and didn't like them and sent them back. Now my question is if these show such heavy sole wear after a short period of time how long will they hold up, 50 miles maybe 100? At this current pricing I'm not sure such a fragile shoe is worth this kind of money. I bought these for a tough mudder style event but they arrived the day after and so I ended up running in a 15.00 pair from a super big box chain that uses a smiley face in their advertising. I do think the lighter padding would have held less water, hence less weight than the pair I ended up running in but I'm not 100% sure if the extra tread would have held mud or shed the mud. One last note 2 out of 4 pairs I received had very poor quality control with glue showing at points where the body of the shoe met the outsole. Because these seemed difficult to fit, have questionable durability, and spotty quality control I feel I can only give these a 3 star review.

I usually wear an 11, but I followed the advice of some of the reviews and went a half size smaller. Great advice, fits perfect.Great durability and comfort. Has done exceptionally well on all the snow and ice I have right now. Love the protection they give.My only caveat is that they are a bit heavy, at least if you are used to minimal trail runners. I was sporting a pair of Vertical Ks for the past year, and they were light as air...but they had none of the protection.