TNF Prophecy Trail Runners (Women’s)

[Heather Pisani-Kristl]

Disclaimer: Despite the moniker "trail runners," I haven't done a bit of running in these, just walking & hiking.

Pros: Dry very quickly, lightweight, aggressive tread.

Cons: Deceptively thin sole on forefoot permits telegraphing of every bump on the trail, stitching around top of shoe puts pressure on tender areas, toe rand started to separate from left shoe after 35-mile rocky hike.

These were $75 on sale and weigh in at 22 oz./pair (women's size 6). While I was initially excited by the light weight and ventilation, I soon found – even walking on paved roads in the 'burbs – that I could feel pebbles and sticks quite easily against the ball of my foot. After putting a pair of Dr. Scholl's foam insoles inside, I decided that they were good enough for a 3 1/2 day, 35-mile hike through NH's White Mountains. They were 75% dry after being soaked through by driving rain and left under the tent vestibule on a cold night, and dried off by lunchtime the next day, which I appreciated. However, on day 2, I noticed that the toe rand on one shoe was separating from the synthetic leather. On day 4, I felt pain along the inside top of my right foot and determined that the stitching was placing pressure on the ligaments/tendons. Loosening the laces resulted in a less-stable shoe for downhill travel, leaving me in a bit of a bind. I was very glad to take them off when I reached the trailhead. It's 1.5 weeks after the trip and I still feel some pain on top of that foot, but it is much better since I bought a new pair of Merrells. I think TNF went more for fashion than function in making these shoes.

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