When you run short trail runs, and long trail marathons and even ultras its easy to waste years searching for ‘the perfect trail shoe’.  The reality is that if you do lots of type of running over lots of distances there is no once shoe fits all. It took me years to realise this and now I usually have 2 or 3 different pairs of running shoes on the go to tackle short grippy runs, long distance support and comfort and ultra distance extreme comfort.

 

In this review I revisit an old friend from 2012. Back when I first started trail running the Brooks Cascadia was my go to trail shoe for running. Since Ive started running in Connecticut in the USA I’m finding the terrain challenging and my style of running changing on these rocky steep New England trails so I was curious to see if latest Brooks Cascadia 13 s were like the ones I had from the good old days !

 

When I say this shoe is boring I mean it in a great way. It has no surprises. Its designed to be inoffensive and good over a variety of terrain.  If you are new to trail running and bewildered about the range of shoes available then this is a superb place to start. Its actually quite hard to make a broad range of appeal trail shoe that doesn’t have any flaws and Brooks have done a superb job. 

 

Once you’ve trimmed the ridiculously long laces down you’ll find the fit is very ‘goldilocks’ not too tight and not too wide The shoe also comes in 2 width options for those with wider fit. I’m a size 8 and its true to size (whereas I order half to a whole size bigger in Altras).

The 10mm drop and lots of heel cushioning makes it great for running fast down rocky downhill trails and the grip is more than adequate on wet and dry rocks and mud. I’ve now done about 150 miles in this pair and they are showing no signs of coming apart at all. Id now say the build quality on these are as good as Altra. 

 

The Brooks Cascadia 13 has a good durable mesh on top that dries quickly, and unlike its predecessors is not prone to splitting after only a 100 miles. I also like the strong robust rubber rock guard at the front. The cushioning is adequate enough for anything up to a trail marathon but I do find the stability is a little bit under par, which means I have found I am more likely to go over on my ankle wearing these compared to wearing Altras. The only shoe that gives the Cascadia a good run for its money is the Altra Lone Peak and its party piece may be the super stable ankle ‘mid’ version. 

 

The Verdict 

There is little wrong with this shoe. There is also nothing particularly exciting. If you are new to trail running this is an absolutely brilliant start BECAUSE its so inoffensive. This Volvo Estate of shoes will be relatively good on and off trails, over pretty decent distances and it seems the Brooks build quality is back to where it was a few years ago.

 

 

Other than the stupidly long laces I cant fault this shoe. Its boring to the point of feeling incredibly familiar on my feet, like an old friend. Boring is good in running. You want to concentrate on anything other than the features of a trail shoe that is annoying you.  If you are an Ultra runner you may find the cushioning isn’t quite good enough, if you are a fell or mountain runner you might find the grip is better but overall I challenge any’experienced’ trail runner to find a better all round trail shoe.