Of those in our adventure racing test, the Kanadia is the most traditional ‘trail shoe’. It’s basically a beefed up road shoe with a slightly more rugged upper, strengthened toe box and aggressively treaded sole. You won’t be nimbly dancing over uneven rocky ground in these, but they will do you well for a solid ‘local’ trail shoe.
The Kanadia feels like a traditional heel strikers shoe with plenty of cushioning in the heel, with more drop than some of the others we have tested. The shoe feels like it would be more suited to the heavier footed heel striker looking to clock up the miles on easy off road trails. Whippet-like fell runners won’t find their perfect shoe here.
There’s plenty of padding round the heel of the Kanadia to give a comfortable ride, although the beefier upper means you know you’re wearing it, unlike some of its rivals which were much more slipper-like. Nevertheless, the toe box is sturdy enough to protect your tootsies from stubbing, and the aggressive tread pattern provides plenty of grip in soft and muddy terrain. On rocks, we were not so impressed as the rubber used for the lugs is extremely hard. This makes it great for longevity, but less so for gripping to even dry rock. On wet rock it was a case of Bambi on ice.
The sizing of the Kanadia was on the random side – they come up very small, so if you’re an internet shopper, make sure you can send them back before you commit. We’d always advise going to a running shop for a try out instead.
↑The Good
+ Great, tough and aggressive tread, suitable for mud and grass.
+ Decent cushioning for heel strikers.
+ Robust toe box.
↓ The (not so) Good
– Lugs too hard to grip to rock.
– Largish heel drop.
– Pretty heavyweight.
Verdict
A decent enough shoe for slogging round the local fields, but you wouldn’t want to take them further afield if there was any danger of hitting rock. Nice cushioning but the heel drop means off camber and very tricky terrain is out, and if you’re a forefoot runner, forget it. Still, they’re not as expensive as some so definitely worth considering.
Score: 6/10
Adidas
Kanadia TR5
RRP £80
Spec:
- Weight: 308 g (size UK 8.5)
- Upper: Sandwich open mesh upper for maximum breathability; Synthetic overlays for support
- Lining: Comfortable textile lining
- Midsole: Moulded EVA insole for comfortInjected EVA midsole for long-term lightweight cushioning.
ADIPRENE® under the heel for superior cushioning at impact - Drop: Around 11-12mm
- Sole: TRAXION® outsole for maximum grip in all directions
- Last: N/A
- Sizes Available: 6.5-12 (they can come up very small, so try before you buy)
- Colours: Black / Tech Onix / Tech Grey, Prime Blue Melange / Tech Grey / Pantone, Black / Vivid Red / Sharp Grey, Vivid Yellow / Tech Onix / Tech Grey