Scott Kinabalu Ultra - Tried Tested and Abused

Accelerate Trail Runner Graeme has been lucky enough get his hands on a pair of Scott's beast of a trail shoe, the Kinabalu Ultra. This shoe is designed for trail runners who demand versatility and endurance, this shoe is engineered to thrive on the unpredictable terrain of long-distance efforts. Check out Graeme's thoughts below.

I'll concentrate on how theyfeelto run in. I normally run in a mixture of trail shoes, and my runs vary from ~10-20k to the odd 50k ultra – usually on quite rough ground but inevitablywith the odd stretch of tarmac or graded path. I have a pair of Topo Athletic Vistas, and Saucony Xodus Ultras, so the comparison is inevitably with these.

Billed as an ultra shoe, initially, I noticed how firm they seem compared to the Vistas – I do like to feel the cushioning, so I had to get used to this but never did my feet feel stressed. And I think they did soften up after a few runs. The ride feels more like the Saucony Xodus Ultras than other Scott’s I’ve worn, with a less pronounced rocker.

They performed really well on rough ground too – the firmness giving me more feedback than my softer shoes and giving me a very stable ride. Additionally, whilst having a more usual lug pattern when compared to the Scott Supertracs (which I’ve had in the past), the grip on wet rocks was as sound as what I’m used to; the lugs have a reasonable spacing so handle claggy British mud and peat.

The UK sizing seems a bit big - I kept with my usual UK10 but I had slight room to spare especially in the forefoot – useful when feet expand on an ultra. The shoes feel very light in the hand – I never felt I was dragging a big shoe around, which can happen with these bigger, long-distance shoes. They drain water really well and I expect the summer ventilation should work in the same way (but it’s not been that hot this winter yet!)

A really great comparison from Graeme who has a arsenal of different trail shoes at his disposal. You can find the Kinabalu's down below and see what you find 😁