La Sportiva - Cyklon Mountain Running Shoe

I have been running in Altra for a number of years now, but did find I was still getting random blistering on anything longer than 30km. On a whim I bought the La Sportiva Cyklon, mainly because they were crazy cheap due to being discontinued. Having never worn them before I ran a 45km trail run yesterday (like a good girl guide I carried my usual shoes with me in case this terrible idea didn't work out). Not only did I not blister anywhere, but my niggling ankle pain didn't happen either. I plan to wear them for at least 50km of my 100km in Feb (I quickly bought 2 more pairs haha), and swap out to my Altras if I need to. I do find them a bit thin in the sole, and no rock plate means I can feel everything. However I am not overly bothered by this, since I will move to a cushier shoe mid race if I have to.

I run in la sportiva cyklons, there is another similar version made for longer running (for me I wear the cyklons on long runs and they are perfect). I moved to these from zero drop altra, and honestly love them so much!

Terrain is what determines shoe.  What course?  Also this is a WILD time to consider fresh shoes. When is the race? For Rocky and technical (courses like Broken Arrow 46k in Tahoe or most of trail stuff you see in places like PA): I wear things like LaSportiva Mutants or Lycans (RIP).  Its a trade off with the slimmer last they are built on for the control in heavily rocky terrain, definitely keeping it under 50 miles for my feet in those models. For buffed out west coast trails: something like the altra mount blanc  Road component?: anything over 5 miles on road and I am going for a mixed terrain shoe or the Mount to Coast H1. Logging roads (gravel): mount to coast H1 or altra olympus with gaiters. Road: altra via olympus 2 Winter/cold water?: LaSportiva Cyclin GTx

I’d recommend trying the jackal 2 with the boa system. I’ve never tried the original jackals but don’t find them overly stiff. Foot is held in place very firmly and a very stable base with a wide toe box (for la sportiva). Also have the cyklons but your race might be at about the outer limit for those as they’re not as supportive. If I were you and you say it’s rocky if there’s any chance of rain I’d steer clear of anything Salomon. Please feedback on your choice and enjoy the race!

The only limiting factor will be your shoes. A good mud-capable trail shoe should have lugs *at least* 5mm deep and ideally quite widely spaced (the closer the lugs are together, the more likely they are to get clogged). Something like the Salomon Speedcross, Inov8 Trail Talon (or Mud Talon) or the La Sportiva Cyklon? The euro mountain brands tend to be better at making these shoes but there are plenty of options out there.

The lug pattern matters just as much as the outsole material. For example, the Bushido is likely going to be a better rock shoe than the Cyklon just because of the outsole design. For rock, especially wet rock, you want large lugs with lots of surface area. Look at the outsole of an approach shoe vs a mud shoe like the Speedcross for example.

Yeah I love mine, a second replacement pair have split in the same place (where the ball of the foot is) annoyingly so perhaps a little narrow for me. 

Yeah me neither. They are so comfy, first pair were replaced under warranty and this pair have gone in same place in under 100 miles.

They have a very wide toebox compared to other La sportiva shoes. At least compared to the Bushido and Cyklon, those are the other shoes I have. Around the heel and midfoot they still fit snug.