TRIED & TESTED
Not Just a Budget
Buy
We put the Maxed Terrain Mashai trail running shoe from Mr Price Sport to the test , and found that it is a solid performer , in spite of its entry-level price-point .
– BY SEAN FALCONER & NICOLE HAYES
I
can recall a few years ago when Mr Price Sport made contact to place some adverts in this mag , following the Two Oceans and Comrades Marathons of 2011 , 2012 and 2013 . Several runners who had finished in the top 10 and earned gold medals had run the 56km and 90km ultras in Mr Price ’ s Maxed Elite running shoes , and the Mr Price Sport team was rightfully proud of the achievement . A few years later , David Gatebe did still better , winning the 2016 Comrades in Maxed Elite shoes .
The message that the Mr Price Sport team wanted to put out in their advertising was that one did not need to buy the most expensive running shoes on the market to be successful in running , as the Comrades winner was running in shoes that cost a fraction of the shoes of many of his competitors . That sparked quite a debate amongst shoe reviewers , and the general consensus was that the Maxed Elite shoes were perfectly adequate for light-on-their-feet elite runners with superior biomechanics , but the jury was out on whether an ‘ average Joe ’ runner with more ‘ needy ’ biomechanics and possibly carrying a bit of middleage spread could run 90km in supposedly entry-level shoes , based on their price-point .
The question was , would the shoes hold up to a few hundred kays of training in the lead-up to the race , and would they offer enough cushioning and support for a 90km ultra , given that many runners need more support the longer a race goes on , due to tiring muscles , increasing pronation , etc . To be perfectly honest , I don ’ t know the answer to that question . My gut instinct is that some runners will be absolutely fine over 90km in a relatively lightweight , no frills Maxed Elite shoe , and some runners will need ‘ more shoe .’ But the exact same thing applies to every other shoe brand out there . What works for me may not work for you …
Enter the Mashai
So , when the team at Mr Price Sport made contact recently and asked if we would like to review the women ’ s Mashai trail shoe , I jumped at the chance . I was keen to know how these off-road shoes from the Maxed Terrain range perform , so I arranged for my partner , Nicole Hayes , to be given a pair for weartesting , and she hit the trails , in both wet and dry conditions , including one 10km trail race .
“ This is the first time I am doing an official weartest on a shoe , so I tried comparing the Mashai to my current pair of trail shoes , which are admittedly showing a bit of wear now ,” says Nicole . “ Therefore , the first thing I noticed was the much better grip the Mashai gave me on the trails . I felt a lot more confident on the steeper bits , and it was a pleasant change to have sure footing again ! Also noticeable was the toe shield , which saved my toes from a few painful encounters with stones and tree roots , but I did find the Mashai a bit firmer than my other shoes .”
There were other aspects of the shoe that Nicole liked as well . “ I really liked the flexibility of the midfoot and forefoot , and the overall lightness of the shoe really appealed to me – very different to the shoes I have been running in . Also , I ‘ felt ’ the ground a bit more , due to this shoe having a thinner midsole . I don ’ t mean I could feel it when I stood on a stone , but rather that I felt like I was more in touch with the trail ,” she says .
“ The one thing I didn ’ t like was that there seems a bit less ankle support , due to the lower cut of the collar , when compared to my other shoes . That ’ s not criticism of the Mashai , just that my previous shoes reach a bit higher on the ankle , which I prefer . That makes these shoes feel just a little less stable and supportive , but on the other hand , I felt the Mashai gave me more support in the arch of the foot , so that offset for the lower collar .”
Overall Impression
In conclusion , Nicole says she really enjoyed running in the Mashai , but she actually has an unexpected view of them . “ Overall , I am not convinced that this is an entry-level shoe , as I think my other pair offers a bit more support , which you need when you are less sure on the trails . In other words , I think this shoe is actually more suited to more experienced runners who are better , so to say , at trail running . But very importantly in these challenging COVID times , if you ’ re looking for a shoe that will fit your budget and get you comfortably through a trail run , I would recommend the Mashai .”
Images : xxxx
Men ’ s Women ’ s
GET THEM HERE
Available at a recommended retail price of R499 from Mr Price Sport stores countrywide , or you can buy them online from the Mr Price Sport website . Please note we only tested the women ’ s version – the men ’ s version , which features a different outsole tooling , retails at R599 per pair .
58 ISSUE 142 JUNE 2021 / www . modernathlete . co . za