XA Pro II

Salomon XA Pro II
Salomon XA Pro II's ($90, www.salomonsports.com) promise to keep you lighter afoot than Mercury, this being a pair of runners built for speed. The lightweight chassis, placed between the outsole and midsole, provides motion control and shock absorption. The asymmetrical Quickfit lacing system guarantees a customized fit with one easy tug at the laces, so you're not only faster on the trail, you're faster getting out the door to the trail. Other fine attributes of these 12-ounce winged flyers include the breathable air-mesh upper and dual-density EVA midsole (EVA, or expanded vinyl acetate, is the stuff that gives a shoe its cushioning). The proprietary Contagrip on the outer is a combination of three types of rubber that maximizes traction and ensures speed from road to trail to field and back. Three cheers for that, then.

All Hail the XA Pro:

Hardrock

Montrail Hardrock
Named after the Hardrock 100 endurance run in southwestern Colorado, this trail runner does as it purports: perseveres. Thanks to the IntegraFit sculpting—a design for shoe lasts derived from a database of 800,000 pairs of digitally scanned feet—the 13-ounce Hardrock ($90, www.montrail.com) offers comfort right from the get-go. OK, you might not be feeling the love at the 75-mile marker in the San Juan Mountains, but on more sane excursions, it scores big. Gel in the forefoot gives that extra cushioning, and the midsole base is wider than usual with a molded protection plate for maximum flex. The Hardrock is the frontrunner in Montrail's Velocity line when it comes to stability and traction. An external heel cap and lugged outsole maintain the cushioning support, and multiple webbing and synthetic overlays in the upper give your ankles the extreme stability that keeps you in the race.

Take Plus

Pearl Izumi Take Plus
Pearl Izumi's Take Plus ($85, www.pearlizumi.com) offers great cushioning support in its springy EVA midsole, and an aggressive outsole for traction that will carry you softly from pavement to peat. They'll even manage several miles over ice and snow without any major spills. Beyond comfort, the Take allows flexibility and breathability thanks to its seamless textile upper, so you won't be left with damp feet at the end of a long run; Pearl Izumi's Fusion technology uses a construction method that bonds the shoe's materials without stitch lines, minimizing squelchy leakage. The 13.5-ounce shoes offer high mileage with medium arch support, and shock absorption at the heel and forefoot.

All Hail the Take Plus:

Vasque Velocity

Vasque Velocity
Vasque's Velocity ($85, www.vasque.com) had its fair share of disbelievers upon its out-of-the-box debut, the company being more of a player in the heavy-duty boot category. However, this shoe has turned skeptics into converts. The Velocity has grip that might challenge a talon and the upper offers more height than other trail runners and thus more stability. The Mako rubber outsole not only provides great grip, it also sheds mud as you run. Like the outsole, the Phylon midsole provides a dual function: fantastic cushioning and serious shock absorption. Although not nearly as clunky as it looks, the shoe is still heavier (one pound nine ounces) than many of its counterparts. This does, however, provide more versatility as they can play the part of a day hiker with equal aplomb.

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