{"id":8365,"date":"2016-07-18T15:17:03","date_gmt":"2016-07-18T22:17:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=8365"},"modified":"2018-11-11T22:02:48","modified_gmt":"2018-11-12T06:02:48","slug":"gear-review-brooks-mazama-trail-running-shoes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/run\/gear-review-brooks-mazama-trail-running-shoes","title":{"rendered":"Gear Review: Brooks Mazama Trail-Running Shoes"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"cb-itemprop\" itemprop=\"reviewBody\"><p>My trail shoe requirements are pretty simple: Give me a shoe that provides stability, allows nimbleness on singletrack, and most of all, helps me feel fast on varied terrain. The Brooks Mazama meets or exceeds these criteria and has quickly established itself as my go-to shoe in my extensive gear collection.<\/p>\n<p>Right out of the box, it\u2019s obvious this is a <em>fast<\/em> shoe designed to eat up trail. The raised toe is begging to spring off the ground, and the light weight and flexibility lets me know the shoe won\u2019t be weighing me down. This thing wants to race fast and dirty, and I\u2019m gonna let it.<\/p>\n<div class=\"curalate-widget\" lang=\"en\" style=\"margin: 0 auto !important; position: relative !important; max-width: 1080px !important;\" data-widget-id=\"SFp0TLpMM567ZqhYNtPO1FRCrLg2sxgP\" data-active-product-icon=\"tag\" data-stretch-to-fit=\"true\" data-shop-button-text=\"SHOP\" data-auto-show-products=\"true\" data-replace-tabs=\"false\" data-custom-css-url-override=\"\" data-custom-js-url-override=\"\" data-widget-version=\"v1\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"curalate-widget-image\" style=\"display: block; margin: auto; border-radius: 3px; max-width: 100% !important; width: 100% !important;\" src=\"https:\/\/d28m5bx785ox17.cloudfront.net\/v1\/img\/Gsd5Xi2CpchRN5UhJqrQ0gxABQfmb6aeMViMtpY3eWM=\/d\/l\" \/><script class=\"curalate-widget-script\" src=\"https:\/\/d30bopbxapq94k.cloudfront.net\/js\/curalate-widget-client-all.prod.min.js\" async=\"\" defer=\"defer\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/div>\n<p>My calendar this summer has various shorter trail adventures mixed in with a 200-mile race around Lake Tahoe and a 100-mile stage race in the Himalayas. That\u2019s a lot of time on feet, so I need a shoe I can wear every day on <em>any<\/em> terrain and one that\u2019ll keep me excited.<\/p>\n<p>The angled lug design on the Mazama is low enough to hammer groomed trail or fire roads, but has enough protection to get me up and over the rockiest of trails in any race. Though I appreciate the light cushioning in this shoe, it\u2019s more tailored to shorter races of 50k or less.<\/p>\n<h4>Let\u2019s Check Out the Build<\/h4>\n<p>Without ripping the shoe apart, it\u2019s obvious that there\u2019s some protection wedged in the footbed, and sure enough, there\u2019s a propulsion plate that doubles as a light rock-plate, providing just enough protection from the trails while assisting with push-off, all while still allowing for ample torsional flex. \u00a0This was a very welcome surprise.<\/p>\n<div class=\"curalate-widget\" lang=\"en\" style=\"margin: 0 auto !important; position: relative !important; max-width: 1080px !important;\" data-widget-id=\"G2ZpnpliOfetCtNjaDAczx3fATXF4aXj\" data-active-product-icon=\"tag\" data-stretch-to-fit=\"true\" data-shop-button-text=\"SHOP\" data-auto-show-products=\"true\" data-replace-tabs=\"false\" data-custom-css-url-override=\"\" data-custom-js-url-override=\"\" data-widget-version=\"v1\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"curalate-widget-image\" style=\"display: block; margin: auto; border-radius: 3px; max-width: 100% !important; width: 100% !important;\" src=\"https:\/\/d28m5bx785ox17.cloudfront.net\/v1\/img\/4-V5dN0lv2KZ2jbhDK9dxaXSsV_sS7KrJJRxXSW7Ebg=\/d\/l\" \/><script class=\"curalate-widget-script\" src=\"https:\/\/d30bopbxapq94k.cloudfront.net\/js\/curalate-widget-client-all.prod.min.js\" async=\"\" defer=\"defer\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/div>\n<p>The 6mm drop (23\/17) is perfect for me, allowing enough drop to not wreck my Achilles, but still flat enough to allow for a natural gate with ample ground feel. Combine that platform with an independent forefoot and heel, and you\u2019ve got a shoe that offers control and nimbleness on any type of terrain.\u00a0 The shoe far exceeded my expectations here.<\/p>\n<h4>Fit and Feel<\/h4>\n<p>The Mazama fits true to size and has a sock-like, European feel to it.\u00a0 The forefoot is securely tight without being uncomfortable, and the heel cup keeps me secure while bounding around turns, even with severely fatigued legs.<\/p>\n<h4>Details, details.<\/h4>\n<div class=\"curalate-widget\" lang=\"en\" style=\"margin: 0 auto !important; position: relative !important; max-width: 1080px !important;\" data-widget-id=\"QO0GGGOtGhScxgpZBN4VpT4rRoT5DyCi\" data-active-product-icon=\"tag\" data-stretch-to-fit=\"true\" data-shop-button-text=\"SHOP\" data-auto-show-products=\"true\" data-replace-tabs=\"false\" data-custom-css-url-override=\"\" data-custom-js-url-override=\"\" data-widget-version=\"v1\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"curalate-widget-image\" style=\"display: block; margin: auto; border-radius: 3px; max-width: 100% !important; width: 100% !important;\" src=\"https:\/\/d28m5bx785ox17.cloudfront.net\/v1\/img\/4mOmD-HpuMJJjmQH7x8TRWXs2ltmuGY-1z88xwHQHYk=\/d\/l\" \/><script class=\"curalate-widget-script\" src=\"https:\/\/d30bopbxapq94k.cloudfront.net\/js\/curalate-widget-client-all.prod.min.js\" async=\"\" defer=\"defer\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/div>\n<p>I\u2019ve got a pretty easy foot to fit, so what really differentiates shoes for me are the details.\u00a0 The Mazama again exceeded my expectations here. Two details in particular\u2014a gusseted tongue and a lace garage\u2014set my mind at ease that I won\u2019t have tongue slippage, my shoes won\u2019t fill with debris, and my laces coming undone won\u2019t be an issue. Besides, shoes just look faster when laces are tucked in, don\u2019t they?<\/p>\n<p>The stats on the shoe line up with industry standards.\u00a0 Moderate drop, just under 19 ounces a pair (depending on shoe size), but it\u2019s the extra attention to speed and design that\u2019s propelled the Mazama to the top of my shoe quiver.<\/p>\n<p>Shop <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/product\/103756\/brooks-mazama-trail-running-shoes-mens\" target=\"_blank\">men&#8217;s<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/product\/103275\/brooks-mazama-trail-running-shoes-womens\" target=\"_blank\">women&#8217;s<\/a>\u00a0Brooks Mazama Trail-Running shoes at REI.com.<\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>My trail shoe requirements are pretty simple: Give me a shoe that provides stability, allows nimbleness on singletrack, and most of all, helps me feel fast on varied terrain. The Brooks Mazama meets or exceeds these criteria and has quickly established itself as my go-to shoe in my extensive gear collection. Right out of the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":8830,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[277,359,136,429],"internal-tag":[623,1676],"class_list":["post-8365","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-run","tag-gear-review","tag-run","tag-trail-running","tag-trail-running-shoes","internal-tag-eric-schranz","internal-tag-pre-redirect-run"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/run\/gear-review-brooks-mazama-trail-running-shoes","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Gear Review: Brooks Mazama Trail-Running Shoes","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/run\/gear-review-brooks-mazama-trail-running-shoes","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/run\/gear-review-brooks-mazama-trail-running-shoes"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/07\/Motofish-051316-9671.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/07\/Motofish-051316-9671.jpg?fit=1500%2C1000"},"articleSection":"Run","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Angela Crampton"}],"creator":["Angela Crampton"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["gear reviews","run","trail-running","trail-running shoes"],"dateCreated":"2016-07-18T22:17:03Z","datePublished":"2016-07-18T22:17:03Z","dateModified":"2018-11-12T06:02:48Z"},"rendered":"<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"wp-parsely-metadata\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"headline\":\"Gear Review: Brooks Mazama Trail-Running Shoes\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.rei.com\\\/blog\\\/run\\\/gear-review-brooks-mazama-trail-running-shoes\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.rei.com\\\/blog\\\/run\\\/gear-review-brooks-mazama-trail-running-shoes\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rei.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2016\\\/07\\\/Motofish-051316-9671.jpg?resize=150%2C150\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rei.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2016\\\/07\\\/Motofish-051316-9671.jpg?fit=1500%2C1000\"},\"articleSection\":\"Run\",\"author\":[{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Angela Crampton\"}],\"creator\":[\"Angela Crampton\"],\"publisher\":{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"name\":\"Uncommon Path \\u2013 An REI Co-op Publication\",\"logo\":\"\"},\"keywords\":[\"gear reviews\",\"run\",\"trail-running\",\"trail-running shoes\"],\"dateCreated\":\"2016-07-18T22:17:03Z\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-07-18T22:17:03Z\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-11-12T06:02:48Z\"}<\/script>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/rei.com\/p.js"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/07\/Motofish-051316-9671.jpg?fit=1500%2C1000","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8365","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8365"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8365\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8831,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8365\/revisions\/8831"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8830"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8365"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8365"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8365"},{"taxonomy":"internal-tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-tag?post=8365"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}