Writing shoe reviews is easy. A good shoe fits and is comfortable. A bad shoe rubs and is uncomfortable. Pretty straightforward isn’t it? Not really. A shoe that you race a triathlon in, is not the shoe you want to take out for an off road training run and a shoe that is comfortable in a 10 km trail run is not necessarily the shoe you want to wear in a 6 day adventure race. There are some athletes out there that seem to be able to run in anything and not get so much as a blister, or if they do, they have the stoicism to ignore it and just keep going. Don’t take advice from these people, they generally wear their undies on the outside, eat rusty nails for breakfast and still carry their kit in an A-frame backpack. Their opinion is not relevant to the rest of us normal people.

I tried out the Keen Ridglines at the Bull of Africa adventure race. The Ridglines are Keens latest offering in trail running shoes and replaces the Trebuco and the Wasatch. They are a fully breathable shoe, which in my opinion is an improvement over the semi permeable Wasatch. Having a shoe that drains quickly and allows your feet to dry out on the run is far superior to one that may keep some water out, but doesn’t allow your feet to breath. What I particularly like about this shoe is the balance between support, comfort and protection. Even though the Ridgelines are a neutral shoe they offer good support through the mid sole and ankles. I tend to roll my ankles, and while this is not based on any science, when I’m wearing the Ridglines, I feel more confident of my footing and less likely to roll my ankles than when I’m wearing a straight running shoe.

The Ridgline is a close fitting shoe. The heel cup fits perfectly and you don’t need to cut off the circulation in your foot to prevent heel slippage. The heel cup is fairly shallow though and can cause a problem for those that wear a thick orthotic as it prevents your heel cup from fitting properly into the shoe. As I’ve come to expect in all of Keens trail shoes the sole provides excellent protection from rough trails and sharp stones. Running shoes tend to compromise protection for cushioning. This can lead to your feet becoming very sore and tender on long treks over rough ground, it also means that the sole wears out quickly. After 6 days of racing in the Ridglines I had no issues with my feet, which made me much better off than most of the people I saw hobbling around after the race.

Other features that KEEN have maintained are the asymmetrical lacing system and the large volume toe box. Both features result in a very comfortable shoe that provides comfort while not pinching or cramping your toes. A common complaint in doing endurance events is athletes losing toe nails. None of our team who were using the Ridglines suffered from blackened or lost toenails.

The Ridgeline is an excellent trail running shoe which is light enough and has sufficient cushioning to use as a training shoe on the road. It is not light compared to a racing shoe and if you were out to win the local half marathon you would probably choose something a bit different. For the majority of athletes looking to mix up their training with some on and some off road running or for the serious trail runner you should look no further than the Ridgeline. Say goodbye to the wardrobe full of half a dozen different types of runners, they can all be replaced by one pair of Ridglines.

Stew Cowey, Geelong

This entry was posted on Friday, May 22nd, 2009 at 2:35 pm and is filed under Shoe Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.