Vasque shoe question

[harrywalther]

Hey Sarah & Wendell -
I finally got myself a pair of Vasque Blurs after my Salomons crapped out with only about 250 miles on them (mesh gave) and my feet are happy campers so far.

Since you are quasi-dealers for Vasque here's the question - I originally wanted to go for the Velocity because it seems a bit more rugged and rugged is what I think I'll want for the remainder of the year in terms of shoes.

Do you guys (or anybody else who happens to read this) have any opinion / experience regarding Blur vs Velocity?

Thanks,
Harry

[Pacific Coast Trail Runs]

Glad that you're liking the Blurs, Harry. Wendell's worn both the Blur and Velocity (I wear the Amps), and will respond to you in a bit.

We will have some Vasques at Pirates Cove, if you want to try on a pair of Velocity. What size do you wear?

See you on the 24th!

Sarah

[pctrailruns]

Hi, Harry,

I wore the Velocity for years until Blur came out. They're made with the same last and I like them both for technical and smooth, dirt trails. I wear the Blur now since they're a little lighter and seem to have a little more cushion for me.

Wendell (PCTR)

[harrywalther]

Thanks,
so what about the AMP? could you bring a 10.5M to the pirate's cove run for me to check out?

[Pacific Coast Trail Runs]

We should have a pretty good selection of shoes at Pirates Cove - but we'll be sure to have both the Velocity and the Amp in 10 1/2 for you to check out.

See you then, Harry!

Sarah (PCTR)

[ultrajegi]

Hi Harry!

I've worn the Velocity, Amp and Blur. The Amp is a great shoe, unfortunately it doesn't hold up very well (I wore it in my first 100 and I ended up with 4 holes in my shoes - two on each side!). I've heard the same complaint from others, so I'd stay away if you want durability.
I've only worn the Blur in a 50k race, and it just doesn't fit me quite as well as the Velocity and tends to hurt me after a while. It supposedly has more cushion, but I find it hard to actually notice the difference on a technical trail (I also wear orthotics, which are somewhat cushioned). I think with any shoe you need to figure out how they fit you personally - that's the most important thing. It also depends a lot on how far you run, and if you use orthotics etc. I for example wear one size up (since in 100s your feet swell up, and if you like your toenails ... well they go anyways) and the Blurs are a bit wider than the Velocity shoes, ending up being a bit too wide for me. The Velocity sole is excellent on any terrain (I've worn them at HURT, Massanutten, Wasatch, ...), has great rock protection (Blur is good there, too) and I found the Velocity to roll very well with my foot strike, making it feel "lighter" than its weight suggests. For very rough or muddy terrain I'd go with the Velocity.
I don't think you can go wrong with either shoe, but there's a reason why the Velocity has been around while other models came and went ... ). For your shoe size you might try to go a half size up (which could be a good choice for long races).

Ciao,
Beat

[Pacific Coast Trail Runs]

I love the Amps and get hundreds of miles out of each pair before I have any issues with the mesh durability. But, to me, they fit completely differently than the Velocity and Blur.

I can take a pair of Amps out of the box and run 50 or more miles in them - they just fit my feet. The Blur I can wear, but they just never feel as good the Amps. And the Velocity doesn't seem to work well for my foot - I need the wider toebox of the Amp.

Wendell, on the other hand, wears the Blur and the Velocity (and sometimes the Mercury, I think) but doesn't wear the Amp - the others fit his foot better.

So, Harry, I would suggest that you try on the Velocity and the Amp - and the Mercury, if you want - to see which one fits your foot-shape the best. Given that the Blur works for you, I think you might like the Velocity better than the Amp - and either the Velocity or the Amp will work on the most technical, rugged terrain, in my opinion.

Sarah (PCTR)

[harrywalther]

Thanks guys!

I know by now that the fit is absolutely essential and depends on the make (i.e. the last) not the brand - that's why it's so great to be able to try out shoes right after a race!

Beat, I am looking for a shoe to get me through 50 + miles. The Blur works fine for me for 20+ trails, so I doubt it wouldn't for 50k. I'm pretty lucky with my feet. I never had problems with blisters, plantar f. etc, but they are rather wide and I need a *big* toebox. Where did the Amps break? Sound like a warranty case, maybe?

I did take my Salomons back to REI and pregnant doged and they exchanged them for the Blurs. (Another thing i never felt comfortable about with the Salomons were the laces - if they break and they do tend to without warning you're pretty much screwed.)

Sarah, I don't think I need to look at the Mercury. It looks like it's pretty close to the Blur and I have no issue with that shoe.

I'll see y'all at Pirates Cove.

Hey, maybe PCTR needs a shoe subforum. I can see this board getting very popular very soon!

[ultrajegi]

Hey Harry,

My Amps admittedly broke during a very rugged (on shoes) 100 miler (of course I only noticed at the end), and they were broken in with one or two 50k runs at least. The holes were in the mesh on each side on the forefoot, I can show you in more detail this Sat. Maybe they improved it, but the shoe still looks the same. Otherwise though I thought it was a great shoe.

Btw, they make a "wide" version of the velocity, which I also had worn in a 100 miler, but I didn't think they were that much wider, really. They're hard to get though, since I guess dealers don't usually want to carry such inventory thats rarely demanded ...

Ciao,
Beat

[Pacific Coast Trail Runs]

You're right about the wide width, Beat - Vasque offers it both the Blur and the Velocity. (The Velocity come in a narrow width, too.)

We don't keep anything other than medium width shoes in stock but can order any Vasques, including the wide widths, and get pretty quick turn-around on them.

Sarah (PCTR)

[Pacific Coast Trail Runs]

We sold 5 pairs of Vasque shoes at Saturday's event, in addition to delivering several pairs of pre-ordered shoes.

Please don't hesitate to ask us to bring certain sizes and styles to an event so that you can try them on. As Harry mentioned earlier, trying them on right after a run is ideal to get an idea of how they really fit your feet.

Sarah (PCTR)

[thr3ee]

You might want to warn people who wear size 13 to check ahead of time as I think that Beat may have bought out Vasque's entire stock for the year :-)

-Steve

[Pacific Coast Trail Runs]

Ha! We actually put in a special order for his - and rented a trailer to deliver them.

Sarah(PCTR)

[franco]

Hello Sarah & Wendell, and fellow runners.

Do you know if Vasque offers a cross-over shoe, that is also good on the road? I don't like the idea of having to drive to my favorite trails. When I can run there in about 15-20 minutes.

By the way, I had a great time running Pirate Cove. It was a great choice for my first 30k.

thanks, franco

[Pacific Coast Trail Runs]

No, Vasque doesn't make a road shoe or a 'crossover' shoe. But it sounds as if you're just running a couple of miles on pavement in order to get to trails, and I don't think that would be a problem in any of the Vasque shoes. They're all pretty cushioned - and, I agree, it's not worth driving.

I would definitely run 15-20 minutes on the road in my Amps if that got me to the trails.

Sarah (PCTR)