This past weekend we were to be found racing the WAR (Wicklow Adventure Race) adventure race in Glendalough.  On our feet for the running leg were Columbia’s trail running shoe, the Ravenous.

Released as part of the revamped product line, the Ravenous is a new shoe from the ground up. The trail running market is dominated by some big players such as Salomon, Inov8 and The North Face so these shoes have some tough opposition.  We had done the run two weeks earlier in different shoes and noted a huge difference in grip, comfort and performance on the trail resulting in a new personnel best 15 minutes faster than before.

In particular this was in the grip department where the shoe worked really well on the technical descent of the Miners trail.  In part we attribute this to a new heel system too.  The support is fashioned around the outside of the shoe rather than the inside.  The padding on the inside of the shoe keeps it comfy but the rigid exterior (called Tech-lite) only allows a certain amount of movement meaning that the shoe goes where you want it, not the trail.

On that trail should you need to splash through a stream or puddles the shoe dries really quickly thanks to a mesh construction that breathes really well should you suffer from hot feet like this tester.

The main drawback to the shoe is the styling.  Certainly there are better looking shoes out there but this is a case of function over form.  In fact we have got used to the styling.  The yellow is growing on us and there is a blue version that we really like if you can find it.

These shoes really work.  We were sceptical to begin with but after the weekend we are totally won over.  Don’t believe us?  The overall winner, Eoin Keith had them on his feet for the whole race!  RRP is €110 available nationwide.

Below is a video of one of Columbia’s Tech guys giving a demonstration of the benefits of the Ravenous.