“Disclaimer: I received the Under Armour Horizon RTT Trail Shoe to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!”
There comes a time when you have to try something new to make things creative. When the opportunity arose to test out some new shoes, nonetheless trail running shoes, I threw my name in the hat. Being a trail running novice this opportunity also peaked my interest. Luckily I within a few days a box showed up with the (Black/Elemental) color…or may I add my son’s High School colors (Black/Orange). Thank goodness he wears a size 13. My first impressions were just that, first impressions. Upon opening the box from a visual perspective the shoes looked bulky, heavy and not very flashy. Soon after my first run those impressions would change for the better.
Below is a quick breakdown from the website on the Under Armour Horizon RTT shoes:
- Durable PU & textile upper for breathability & reliable protection
- Reinforced welded synthetic material in critical areas for increased durability
- Mesh heel with dual protective welds
- Molded collar foam package for added comfort
- Charged Cushioning® foam puck placed under the heel for responsive comfort
- Lightweight, full-length EVA midsole for optimal cushioning
- High traction rubber lug outsole for dependable traction on a variety of conditions
- Offset: 7mm
- Weight: 9.2 oz.
- Imported
Being a novice I knew trail shoes existed, but my opinion was they were designed no different than my daily running shoes. Boy how wrong was I.
The next day I immediately headed to the nearest trail to test these out and experience true trail running. The path I choose consisted on initial blacktop that transitioned to rocky dirt terrain. While running on the blacktop my first impression was that there wasn’t much give, which could have been due to them being straight out of the box. Soon after I hit the dirt path and felt the “lugs” take effect. Wait back up a second. Being a novice I had no idea what a lug was so had to look up the definition. Basically a lug is a deep indentation that improves stability and traction. Well these soles definitely accomplished that. I honestly had no idea how much fun and peaceful trail running could be not to mention the 8 miles that seemed to fly by during that first run. Nature at its best around every turn. Over the next few weeks I would learn to embrace what ever the trail threw at me.
Next was to see how the Under Armour Horizon RTT held up on pavement and whether the design for rugged terrain would have any impact. I set out on a 13 mile run and midway through felt the sole of the shoe didn’t react as much as they did when running on trails. I felt that my feet felt more restricted and sluggish over the 13 miles. For some odd reason the shoe felt heavier to me. Even with the above mentioned impressions I still find myself lacing up the shoes for my runs around the neighborhood.
So back to that first visual impression. While I thought they looked bulky, heavy and not very flashy, I’ve come to grow on these shoes. They are designed for trail running and different types of terrain. They are going to get dirty, wet, and caked with mud. The good thing is they clean up well and after about 100 miles they look still brand new. The tread on the soles are holding up better than my daily running shoes which is a plus. I couldn’t be more happy with the design of these shoes as I did not experience any blisters while breaking them in.
If you are looking for a trail shoe at a reasonable price ($109.00) I would recommend these in a heartbeat. See what other BibRavePro’s have to say about the Under Armour Horizon RTT Trail Running Shoes. MelTedrick Casey Angie Jessica Fallon
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Running Through Life 