I've completed four marathons this summer (one a month since May) so I'm pretty serious about what I wear on my feet. Two of these marathons were on trails, and I tried two different pairs of shoes (Keen's Ochio, sp?) and this one -- this shoe is top notch. For me, the Keen was too soft and bendy, and I ended up with a foot bruise (again, probably just me, but it HURTS). The Hurricane Ridge Trail Runner answers the prayers of a sore foot while pushing on -- "oh please don't let this landing hurt too much ... ahh, that was good" I'm pretty tough, my trails are rugged, and I sometimes run in the wee hours of the am/pm so slopping around rocks and roots is inevitable, hence the worry about the landings ... I'd recommend this shoe to all my mates.