Freet Connect 2

My post reviewing the Vivobarefoot Primus SGs some years ago attracted a lot of hits and seems to have been widely read. I still love these shoes, I'm about to buy another pair. There's nothing like them for grip on mud & technical ground if you want barefoot shoes.

My favourite running shoes though, are Freet Connect 2. I've done several ultras in these, and they are unbelievably comfortable. Admittedly they were a bad choice for the steep wet grass of the Brecon 50, but for the Bullock Smithy, Round Rotherham and several others they were fantastic.

They have better grip than you might expect looking at the soles. Certainly infinitely better than Merrell Trail Gloves. I think because the soles are much more flexible the soles conform more closely to the terrain. The RRR was fairly muddy, and I didn't slip so much as once.

The sizing is maybe a tiny bit on the small side - a 48 is comfortable on me, and I normally take a 47.

How hard wearing are they? Don't know yet, I've only done a few hundred miles in them. But after a few hundred miles there's visible wear under the ball of the foot but the rest of the sole and the uppers are undamaged. My previous connects (the old version) are about ready for the bin, almost, and I've had those at least 2 years (and run in them exclusively easter to october). I'd guess they've done well over a thousand miles. They're pretty knackered.

It's getting to the muddy, slippery time of year when they have to go on the shelf except for parkrun/flat speed training, and the Vivos are my primaries. If I didn't always run on such technical ground I'd use the Connect 2s over the winter as well. If you run trail rather than fell, and want barefoot shoes that will give adequate grip and maximum comfort I'd absolutely go for these.