Trail running is an enjoyable alternative to road running and there are many places to engage in the sport both within city limits and outside the Beltway within a two-hour drive. The Potomac Appalachian Trail, C & O Canal, Rock Creek Park, and Shenandoah National Park offer dirt and grass for romping or sedate hikes. What one requires for the sport, besides a sense of adventure, is a good pair of shoes. Montrail, a company based in Seattle, WA, has been a leader in providing comfortable, lightweight shoes for runners seeking to break away from the road or asphalt onto territory favored by walkers.

Montrail encourages runners to take a run on the wild side by sponsoring events, including a series in Charlottesville: the Great Eastern Endurance Run 100K/50K and Trail Run Series (Masai 5K, Kinabalu 10K, and Hardrock 15K). They also support a team of top ultrarunners, including Ian Torrence and Francesco Conte. The company is heavily invested in growing the sport it serves.

A pair of Kinabalu shoes was road and trail tested for several months, which produced a delightful proof of quality. The shoes weigh about 12 ounces, the same as a pair of running shoes designed for use on paved roads, and the Kinabalu have the same comfortable, light feel of a road shoe. But they offer the punch of a hiking boot, with a "Terraflex AR" sole platform that protects the bottom of one's feet against rocks and tree branches and provides a surface for gripping uneven terrain-- ridges on the sole platform adhere on rock like spikes on an all- weather track. The shoes also work well on pavement, as proven by daily two-hour runs to work on the road. Flexibility is a feature of trail shoes that is absent in hiking boots; there is freedom to flex from toes to heel. The toes are protected above ground by a hardened box that allows one to run near big rocks without worry of a painful toe stubbing. This trail shoe is like an all-terrain vehicle for the feet.

The shoe upper is breathable with mesh and synthetic leather full of small holes; the material resists water and dries quickly. Runs on dew-covered grass early in the morning resulted in very little water penetration onto the socks, enabling more mileage with comfortably dry feet. The shoes are designed for use in creeks with quick drainage of water; they don't get soggy like a sponge.

The shoe was named after 13,500' Mount Kinabalu on the island of Borneo. Everything about Montrail's Kinabalu shoe encourages a runner to try new means of experiencing fun outside! Montrail offers several other shoe models for a variety of trail uses.

Montrail shoes are available locally at Hudson Trail Outfitters and R.E.I., online from listings available at Montrail, or by phone at (800) 647-0224.