One of the age-old questions before every Death Race…
Should I wear hiking boots or trail shoes for the Death Race?
Well, first and foremost you should wear whatever you’ve been training in and are used to wearing for hours upon hours upon hours. Death Races are long as shit, and you might get a chance to change them at a gear drop spot, and you might not. It all depends on the format of your Death Race. In my first Death Race, I got to change my shoes at some time 2 days in when we finally arrived back at Amee Farm. If there is a basecamp there is a high chance you’ll be able to change your shoes, eventually. No matter what you choose to wear on your feet, make sure they are comfortable, supportive, able to drain water, fit well. Another thing to take into consideration, if you bring a second pair of footwear think about foot swelling and whether or not you need to go a half size up for your secondary footwear.
Remember, you may not even need footwear for an entire segment of the race. Before I did my first race I was silly enough to think I could train myself to do a Death Race in barefoot shoes or similar, then after my first encounter with the event, I realized how important solid footwear is for something like this. Fast forward to the 2015 Death Race and everyone had to wander around the Green Mountains of Vermont barefoot tied to each other. So, the point is, you may put a lot of thought into your shoe just to find yourself not wearing any for 10-20 hours of the race. Good luck!
Now for the question, hiking boots or trail shoes?
It’s really about what works best for you. I can’t tell you what’s going to be better for you. Maybe you have weaker ankles and need the support of a boot, maybe you psychologically hate the idea of having the heavier weight of a boot on your foot, its all a matter of preference. At every Death Race, I have seen a variety of shoes worn by the athletes. When I last raced I saw Inov-8, Brooks, Hokas, heck I even saw a few attempts to use Vibram FiveFingers, remember those? Personally, I used various models of Brooks Cascadia shoe, Inov-8 212s when I was racing, now if I were to go back I’d probably switch to the Altra Lone Peak since those shoes fit my fat hobbit feet better than any other brand. If you like boots wear boots if you like shoes wear shoes. The choice is yours. Make sure they have traction, comfort, support, and that you can stand wearing them for 60hrs.
I know this isn’t the answer you wanted so I’ve procured a list of some of the things I look for in a pair of Death Race footwear as well as some options for shoes that I know about from my own experience, or that I have gathered information about from others and they consider are good footwear to use for a Death Race. Hopefully, this short list will help you narrow your options and find a solution that works best for you.
What to Look for in Choosing Death Race Footwear
Toe Box
What I probably consider to be one of the most important elements of a shoe, the toe box should provide a barrier that will protect your toes from all the mayhem you’re about to endure. If your shoe doesn’t have a good toe box, you’ll find yourself wishing it did by hour 24. The toe box is typically a slightly harder material than the rest of the upper of the shoe.
Traction
You want solid footing, this race takes place on a mountain, in Vermont. Even when it has traveled to the likes of Mexico and other places, it’s always been on terrain that requires enhanced traction control. Finding a shoe with good grippy nubs on the bottom of the sole is what I look for. You want something that will grab the dirt or gravel and hold your foot in place as you push upward on the trail.
Support
With the expectation that this event will last well over 48 hours, you want footwear that will provide you with ample support, and yes, you can still find zero drop footwear that provides tons of support. With this you’ll want to make sure your foot doesn’t slide around and that the upper as well as the sides and the sole all hold your foot securely in place and don’t allow too much shifting side to side.
Comfort and Fit
You’re going to be wearing these for upwards of 60 hours, and even if you get a chance to swap you’re looking at 30 hours in each pair. That’s a lot of time, comfort and fit have to be a priority. You need something that will soothe your soles. Everyone is different, personally, I remove insoles to make my shoes more comfortable, do what works for you and make sure you can handle wearing this footwear for hours on end. If your shoe doesn’t fit well, you’ll regret it, so take the time to get properly fitted.
Breathability and Drainage
This is probably one of the more important features, your feet will be encased in whatever footwear you choose, damp environments can be troublesome when it comes to managing your feet. We want footwear that removes water quickly with each step and allows ample air flow through the upper and throughout. A shoe or boot that breathes well will help you earn that skull.
Now, let’s take a look at some options:
