Men's New Balance Fresh Foam 980 Trail

I used these shoes for trail running, backpacking, and day hikes. This season I have been limited to weekend adventures, so these shoes have been on about three 3 day weekend backpacking trips, a hand full of day and overnight trips, and a hand full of trail runs (5 to 12 miles each) over the past three months. At this point I would expect them to show some wear, but these shoes are totally falling apart! The tread is fine and the mid-sole has plenty of life left, but the mesh fabric strips on the toe are all but gone! My big toe is going to start sticking out soon and they are letting lots of sand and small gavel get into the foot bed.

They are comfortable and I like the drop and the full contact sole. They work great for running, hiking, and backpacking, but the mesh material is not nearly tough enough to last on trail.

I got this to transition to a a mid-foot strike, the 4mm drop seemed to be the place to start. I read a number of reviews hinting that it may not last on the road. I havn't found that to be true. I've had these shoes all season and they're still holding strong 20+ miles a week and no issues. Took them on my first 1/2 and they held up, they get my calves to screaming but it's well worth it as the pain is gone from my knees. I also use them for my Insanity work outs with out problems. I did purchase anohter insole to put in them for a high arch but wound up taking it out. Any way if you're looking to transition these are the pair I used and once they wear out I may just get another pair.

This is a good all around trail shoe. It doesn't do anything great but does most things well

This shoe just didn't work for me and I don't feel it was necessarily because it was a bad shoe, just wasn't right for me. Let me first say that I much prefer minimalist, they seem to work better. So that is why I will give the shoe a 4 instead of a 3.

I used the 980s for about 3 weeks, running 3-4 times a week at roughly 6-12 miles in that time frame. The trails I run are rather rugged and the tread didnt handle so well on loose rocks and gravel. Also the failing point for the shoe was the tread, I ripped a lug off on a run. I'm hard on footwear and I don't feel that was a failing on the shoes part but indicative of how I use my gear.

Some things to keep in mind when shoe shopping. Happy trails.

I ran my first ultra in these shoes. The Paris Mountain 50k. These shoes were great. The terrain included steep rocky climbs, roots, dirt, and wet rocks. No slips; no problems at all.

bought these to run javelina 100 mile race,broke them in. even though i liked the fit and feel, after one race they were done.

Trail running every day and just last weekend did the rim to rim to rim in them.

I truly wanted to love these shoes; part of me still does. I have wide feet and have difficulty finding a trail shoe that doesn't squeeze. These fit great and provided an extremely comfortable ride. Straight out of the box I took them on an 11 mile run through moderately technical trails and single track. I LOVED them until...I went to take them off after my run and noticed small tears on the outer uppers of both shoes.

Since then I have put another 40 miles on them and they are just as comfortable as ever but there are now multiple tears in the uppers and some have gone all the way through. My instinct was to put Shoe Goo on them to keep them from growing but...I will be returning these before my 90 day guarantee is up.

I'm an aging, low mileage, light weight runner with chronic plantar fasciitis in one foot, and most of my runs are done on about 50% hard-packed or rocky trails and 50% asphalt. Given this context, this shoe works very well for me. It's stable on uneven ground and hasn't contributed to any joint pain that I can discern. Note that it's sized small; I went up the recommended half size over normal and it was still snug, especially in the toe box. However, since I run in orthotics, I simply removed the insole, put in a thinner one and pulled out the thin socks, and have found the shoe to be quite comfortable. One of the things I demand in a trail shoe is that it not pick up gravel so that I don't have to worry about scratching wood flooring when I get home, and this sole design is perfect in that respect. I've had the shoes only a few weeks so it's too early to tell about durability, but it's a great looking shoe that makes me look faster than I am!

I have been using various road shoes to tun trails over the past 20 years because I could not find a quality train shoe that ran and weight like a road shoe plus was aggressive and tough,crib ally it had to come in a 4e. This shoe is all that and more.
Fit- heal is firm and holds my foot like a glove, lacing system is very adjustable with additional eyelets, the foam molded soul is stellar and feels like it is holding my foot, toe box is wide enough for my foot. No hot spots or creases to cause blisters. I may have to go up a 1/2 size to accommodate my big toe.
Ride- the soul pattern is "grippy" on every terrain. I run mountainous trails and single track, often following cow paths. Gravel, rock, dirt, shale, off camber and steep ups and downs. The tread design on these shoes are genus! The patterns under the forefoot digs in going up and the heal acts like a brake going down. There was almost no side roll, it is almost too grippy.
Longevity- I have only logged about a 100 miles in them but a few runs have been 12 & 15 miles. My feet did not get tired, sore and I did not feel any of the pressure points I would get with my road shoes. My feet felt better than ever! If I can get 300-400 out of them I will be stoked!
Be aware that the heel drop is 4mm. I was running in 8mm before and it took a 1/2 runs for my legs to adjust.
If you are a trail runner looking for a wide fit. Give it a try!