Perfect amount of cush and the grip I’ve come to value ima VJ This latest version of the ultra has highest level rating for me…super grippy sticky on technical trail and comfy on longer runs too. Best trail running shoe ever.
I was torn between these and the Lightspeeds and so I reached out to VJ and they recommended these for my stated purpose. Excellent advice. I am impressed with the build of this shoe. Heavy duty materials where they're needed to protect the foot on the trail, lightweight elsewhere. These are the lightest shoes I own (8.8 ounces, M-9) and yet somehow they feel substantial at the same time. Great ground feel, support and adequate cushioning. VJ's size advice is spot on. I typically wear a M-9.5 but sized down 0.5 and the fit is perfect. I bought mostly for the grip. I have a trail race coming up with a significant section of stone stairs and I am really concerned about slippage as I've run them before and they are somewhat technical, especially if wet. I have 100% confidence in the MAXx2 on this stretch. I've been running trails and gravel in Hoka Challenger ATR 7s...a very nice shoe. These are better in every way. Glad I took the plunge and bought them sight unseen.
These shoes are so comfortable and cute!! I will definitely be using them a lot for walking my dogs, easy runs around my neighborhood park which is a mix of grass, gravel, and road, and basic trail runs! They are super light and comfortable!
I have so many VJ that I will use some of my others for more technical terrain and racing but these ones will be worn a lot! I will even wear them for just going out since they are comfortable and stylish but also grippy!
Nice roomy toe box, comfy, cushiony, and drain water/dry better than previous models too! As always, can’t beat the #bestgripontheplanet! Excellent shoes for the slickery Adirondack mountains terrain!
Sometimes a new model of a shoe you wear regularly comes out and is a pleasant surprise, other times,
you get a sidegrade, no real substantive changes. Then there's the occasional disappointment. The Ultra
3 from VJ Sports is unfortunately very much in this last category for me.
The VJ Ultra 2 was my "do it all" shoe. Super fast descents down technical terrain, endless grip up
slippery rock slabs, comfortable enough to complete a couple of mountain marathons and even an ultra
in. The successor falls short of this benchmark for me in a lot of ways.
Now my expectations of a shoe are not applicable to everyone. I live in the wet tropics of Australia, and
my go-to runs are up and down mountains, through steaming rainforest and jungle.
First impressions and fit:
Straight out of the box, there's a lot to admire. The limited edition colourway "Vihreä" (Green) is
flourescent but desaturated enough to not hurt the eyes. Taking it up my local mountain I found it blended
nicely with the lichen on the rocks and the new growth from the rain. I'm actually a fan of lurid
mismatching colours on running gear, and the shoes also work in that regard. What's the point if you
don't look like a deranged clown hurtling through the forest?
The laces have an interesting construction, the green ridges on the side make for an excellent lockdown
that doesn't budge through eyelets or the knot. However, this can also be a downside if you're used to
your laces shifting subtly as you run to make the most secure and comfortable fit.
The thick slab of foam is slightly misleading, it doesn't feel anywhere near as high as it looks. This is the
midsole wrapping around the upper slightly. And finally the tacky, wonderful Butyl rubber compound that
anyone familiar with VJ knows the value of. Wearing the shoes on tile floors makes a sound like walking
on wet paint, and you can feel them sticking. It's that good. Now in a full coverage sole compared to the
Ultra 2's segmented approach.
Fit wise, I chose a 9.5US (my normal size), and the dimensions all seem correct. Walking around the
house and driving to my local mountain to try them out, all seemed good. However, once I started uphill
issues started arising.
VJ claims to have a wider toe box with this iteration, and I would agree in principle, however, my pinkie
toes rub like crazy against the side wall and the top of the upper. Something still isn't quite right with the
shape of the last. The fitlock system seems to engage well, but I really ran into problems tightening
these shoes.
I normally wear thick merino socks to protect my ankles and shins from the million biting, stinging insects
and the even worse plants in this corner of Australia. About 10 and 20 minutes into my climb, I adjusted
the lacing, much looser. At the 45 minute mark I had to take the shoes off entirely. Searing, grinding pain
on my lateral metatarsals, under the arches of my feet and even on top. It started uncomfortable but
bearable at the bottom, but just got worse as I continued. I found I was able to continue minus the socks,
but it was still not comfortable. Worse, the rubbing on the toes was now free to cause blisters. The fit was
good front to back, a very grippy material in the heel kept my foot in place, but I had way too much room
laterally in the heel, even before I took my socks off.
I tried again a few days later, with much thinner socks this time. Almost the same experience, just less
intense. I had to loosen the laces to the point of instability to feel comfortable.
Upper:
The aforementioned fitment issues thoroughly impacted how the shoe performed. Without a secure fit on
the foot, I wasn't able to be confident in foot placement, grip or responsiveness on technical downhill
sections. Even retightening to the point of pain to get the fitlock system to work for me, it was still loose in
the heel side to side.
Taking the shoes to a gentler trail and relaxing the laces, it was fine. A little insecure needing more
attention than normal, but inoffensive in most aspects. All of this could be idiosyncratic issues, i.e. just a
me problem, or maybe just this particular pair has an error in manufacturing. But the bad news for
technical terrain doesn't stop there.
Midsole:
VJ's nitrogen infused SuperFOAMance is a strange choice for this shoe compared to the firmer, more
responsive foam from the second version. It went from a comfortable powerhouse in the 2 to a slightly
wallowing, lazy feeling shoe in the 3 that makes you work harder to cover the same terrain. The foam is
the lowpoint of this shoe for me. It's comfortable underfoot, but isn't very springy, doesn't return much in
the way of energy. Worst of all, from a company that specialises in Skyrunning, Obstacle Course Racing
and handling the most extreme conditions with ease, it leaves the foot almost numb and unable to feel
the terrain underfoot. There's little sense of connection to the ground or securit...