Topo Athletic  MTN Racer 3 Trail-Running Shoes - Men's

These trail runners are amazing and ended my ridiculously long and difficult search that lasted around a year. Now that I've done about 50 miles in them I felt comfortable posting a review. I've used a pair of Altra Lone Peak 4s for going on four years now and the midsole has packed out. Altra has has subsequently changed the Lone Peak to be longer and narrower in the 7 (which I'm OK with), but unfortunately they also reduced the overall volume above the toes, so they were too constricting for me. I hike a lot in the White Mountains (NH), which has super rocky trails (and some that are exclusively rock...). The Hoka Speedgoat is a go-to option out here for the extra cushion and because of the super sticky Vibram Megagrip outsole. Unfortunately, those were too narrow for me. Enter the Mtn Racer 3. This is Topo's answer to the Hoka Speedgoat, and I think it's superior in most ways. The Mtn Racer 3 (like all Topo trail shoes) features Vibram Megagrip outsoles. I like their lug pattern better than Hoka's. Topos have a foot-shaped last that lets your toes splay naturally. The Mtn Racer 3 has a very similar stack height and drop as the Speedgoat. However, the Mtn Racer 3 is more comfortable to me because (in addition to the toebox room) the tongue is more padded and there is more volume available around the midfoot in a given size, without needing to go with a "wide" option. I have very high arches and use Currex RunPro insoles, and the Mtn Racer 3 accommodate both extremely well. I skip one eyelet when lacing, right at the top of my arch, and am otherwise able to cinch down and get a secure fit in the midfoot and heel (using a heel lock). I've done my highest mileage days ever in the Whites in these shoes right out of the box, which is truly amazing. In the Speedgoats, because they have a narrower platform I felt like I was unstable and had much more lateral movement. I didn't feel comfortable even trying them on-trail given how they felt walking around the house. The Mtn Racer 3, given the wider toebox, is more stable and I don't feel any of that instability from the stack height. I also don't feel super isolated from the ground. Sure it's more isolation than my old Lone Peaks, but I still get great trail feel. I also never really ran in my Lone Peaks either as I didn't trust the outsole, but I haven't had any instances of slipping with the Megagrip outsole on the Mtn Racer 3, even on wet rock/slab like we've had with the incessant rain this summer. I also haven't really noticed the change from a zero drop to a 5mm drop for hiking/running. (I still use zero drop shoes for strength training during the week.) I consider the Mtn Racer 3 an upgrade to the "2" in a couple key ways: (1) the tongue is more padded and (2) there is more overall volume. Both are very important to me given my high arches as mentioned above. I tried the 2s in-store and at home, but I knew if I tightened the laces down that they would aggravate my extensor tendons. I wish the tongue on the Mtn Racer 3 was even a bit more padded (like the Lone Peak 7 is), but it's sufficiently padded now. I've also hiked a few times in the Topo Ultraventure Pro, and really wanted to love those shoes. They were also super comfortable, had the same outsole plus a rock plate, and seemed perfect for hiking in the Whites. Unfortunately, they had an intrusive TPU heel counter that would dig into my malleoli (lateral ankle bones) no matter which sock/liner combinations or lacing patterns I tried. I've since learned that when looking at Topo's website for trail shoes, anything that says "Light Stability" means it has that annoying TPU heel counter, and anything that says "Neutral" has a much lower profile heel counter like what's in the Lone Peak. The "Neutral" seems to work better for me. It doesn't make sense to me why manufacturers keep putting these intrusive TPU counters in low-top trail runners instead of reserving them just for their mid-height options, but whatever. (The Salomon Speedcross 6 would have worked great for me too except for that same rigid heel counter that dug into my ankles and caused me to change my gait.) For anyone checking out the Speedgoat, I highly recommend comparing directly to the Mtn Racer 3. For someone that doesn't need or want as much cushion and/or that wants something more Lone-Peak-adjacent, I'd check out the new Terraventure 4 or maybe the Pursuit.

I needed a shoe that would work great in muddy and wet conditions. Every review said the MTN Racer 3 was incredible in those conditions.  I also read that my Altras would not cut it. I had the Trailventures for a few years and they were excellent with the wide toebox neutral cushion and very low drop. I thought The MRN RACER 3 would be perfect, but unfortunately they are very narrow in the middle of the last and that produces a very prominent medial arch support. I don't know why a company with this much awareness of good foot biomechanics would put arch support in the shoe described as neutral. . I called customer service at topo and they said that it does not have any arch support but clearly something is pushing on the medial arch. Everything else about the shoe is incredible but unfortunately I cannot wear them for running or hiking, especially downhill. I'm going back to the Trailventure, which apparently has a wider midsection and in the last and doesn't create any pressure on the medial arch. I am disappointed because the mega grip Vibram Out sole is really incredible. It is not available on the non-waterproof Trailventure. if you prefer a little bit of arch support then this is probably the most incredible shoe for you. But if you really need neutral cushioning this one won't work .