Hold the presses. I have been cheating. I have been cheating on my beloved Salomon FellCross. And I’ve never been happier.
Ladies, gentlemen, and the rest of the crowd, S-LAB Sense 3 Ultra SG is… THE SHIT. Yes, that’s the technical term.
CLAIM
“Take the aggressive tread of the SPEEDCROSS, apply it to the low, light, and fast S-LAB SENSE concept, and you’ve got an athlete requested, ultra-distance trail running weapon for soft ground.”
I can confirm that this is, indeed, a match made in heaven. Or, whatever, obstacle racer’s version of heaven is. Vermont, perhaps?
An ultra light racing shoe meets the ultimate grip of SpeedCross. Yes, please.
PROS
* This is the lightest shoe in Salomon line-up. Enough said. Find your inner Bolt.
* The grip. Oh, the grip. This is the next best thing to building cleats directly into your feet. Light. Light. Light. Grip. Grip. Grip. You will feel like SpiderMan, running up the slippery grassy hills. In fact, you should probably get two pairs, so you can wear them on your hands too.
* The upper provides a sock-like fit. In fact, some runners report wearing these shoes without socks at all. Hence, the shoe is really breathable. It drains water well, dries really quickly and washes like a dream.
* The Salomon’s Quicklace system that you know and love provides a thinner pocket, in line with the rest of the shoe. Yet the laces are still tucked away safely. Does anyone even do shoelaces any more?
CONS
* This is the lightest shoe in Salomon line-up. My ankles could definitely feel the workout after a 10k trail race. Make sure your feet are strong and supple, and can handle the work. I would not recommend this shoe for someone who is just starting out with trail running or obstacle racing. Check out SpeedCross or another shoe with a bit more support.
* This may not be appropriate for longer obstacle races. I would not wear this for extremely rugged terrain or a distance longer than 10-12k, unless you have very strong feet and have been running long distances in this shoe for a while.
* Color choices. As in… there are none. I am not convinced this is a con, as Salomon has created a recognizable brand of their racing red. However, if you want your racing shoes to match your bright green signature hairdo (sorry, Andy!), or your pink sports bra or whatever – you are out of luck. And yes, this is an amazing freaking shoe if I am resorting to colour choices as one of the few cons.
THIS IS A SHOE FOR YOU IF:
You mostly train on wet grassy trails, steep uphills and slippery downhills.
You are not brand new to obstacle racing or trail running.
You are mostly racing short to medium distance obstacle races, such as Spartan Sprint, Spartan Super, Badass Dash, MudHero, Prison Break or similar events.
And, of course, this is the song to listen to, while wearing these shoes:
NOTE: If Salomon S-LAB Sense 3 Ultra SG doesn’t quite sound like YOUR shoe, check out their daddy SpeedCross – ideal for beginners, or their mommy – FellCross – fantastic racing shoe with a bit more support.
YOUR TURN: What is YOUR dream shoe this obstacle racing season? What do you love about them? Hate about them?
Faster than Lightening, Solo