Trail Race Gear Picks: Two Trail Shoes and a Watch That Earned Their Miles

Introduction

Most gear talk happens right after a new release, when a product is fresh and conditions are controlled. This is the opposite of that. The picks below were put through a rainy, muddy 50k in Maryland’s Susquehanna State Park, a course with roughly 5,000 feet of elevation gain where March weather means you can get snow, rain, mud, or dry trail in any combination. Rain was all but guaranteed, so waterproofing, grip, and comfort over multiple loops mattered more than anything else.

The standouts from that day: the Topo Athletic Mountain Racer 3 and Nike Ultrafly as a two-shoe rotation, with the Coros Apex 2 Pro on the wrist the whole way. None of these is brand new, which is actually the point. They are widely available, and each one still holds up when the weather refuses to cooperate.

Topo Athletic Mountain Racer 3

The Mountain Racer 3 is not a new shoe, but it is one of the most versatile trail shoes around, and it earned its place as the first-round pick for a rain-soaked race. It uses a Vibram Megagrip outsole with deep lugs in the 4 to 5mm range, sits at a moderately low stack of around 33mm in the heel, and has a 5mm drop. It is also reasonably lightweight for how much grip you get underfoot.

In the mud and wet stuff, the grip was excellent. The shoe also drains well when soaked, which matters when nothing is waterproof. The main trade-off is midfoot lockdown: once you get moving across varied terrain and put in real hours, the midfoot can start to feel a little loose. On firmer road and gravel sections, the low stack in the forefoot also felt harsh under the ball of the foot, lacking some resilience when the trail turned to pounding pavement. On cambered trails that looser fit becomes more noticeable too.

For soft trails, single-track, and genuinely sloppy conditions, it is easy to recommend. If your course mixes in long firm sections, it may be worth pairing it with a second shoe rather than counting on it alone.

Nike Ultrafly

At roughly mile 17, a mid-race gear swap made sense, and the Ultrafly came out of the rotation. This is Nike’s race-day trail shoe, built around a ZoomX midsole wrapped in a Cordura shell, with a carbon fiber plate and a Vibram Megagrip outsole. The lugs are noticeably smoother and shorter than the Topo’s, maybe a third the depth.

The stack is substantial at 38mm in the heel, yet the whole package stays fairly light, coming in under 10 oz. On the runnable and road sections, the difference was immediate: the cushioning and snap brought life back into tired legs, and it felt like a racing shoe rather than a survival tool. It essentially brings the feel of a fast road racer to the trail.

Two caveats worth knowing. The grip, while improved over earlier Nike trail attempts, cannot match deep-lugged shoes in heavy mud, though in truly sloppy conditions almost nothing grips perfectly anyway. The upper also runs a bit roomy, which affects stability on technical footing. And the bright white colorway ages fast; ours picked up a yellowed patina around the collar after a race and a wash, which some will find charming and others will not. Still, for runnable courses and race-day pace, it is a compelling pick.

Coros Apex 2 Pro

The watch on the wrist for the full race was the Coros Apex 2 Pro, paired with a heart rate strap. It tracked the entire multi-loop, rain-soaked effort without complaint, which is exactly what you want from a GPS watch on a long day out. Its versatility across changing terrain and weather is the reason it belongs in any trail race kit list.

One practical lesson from race day: plan your layering around the strap. With a rain jacket that has tight cuffs over the heart rate strap, you have to pull the strap up after the jacket is on, and it is easy to forget. Minor, but worth knowing before you line up.

Overall Buying Advice

The two-shoe rotation was the smartest move of the race: the Mountain Racer 3 handled the soft, muddy loops, and the Ultrafly took over when the course turned firm. If you race on mixed terrain, consider the same strategy instead of searching for one shoe that does everything. The Apex 2 Pro rounds out the setup with reliable tracking for long, variable days.

If you mostly run soft trails and wet conditions, start with the Mountain Racer 3. If your routes include a lot of runnable ground and you want speed, the Ultrafly is the better fit. Both shoes have been out long enough that they are easy to find, and one is likely on sale at this point.

Conclusion

None of these picks is cutting-edge new, and that is what makes them credible. A muddy, rainy 50k with plenty of elevation is a hard test, and all three products passed it with their strengths and limitations clearly on display. Match them to your terrain and conditions, and they are easy to recommend.