Distance Spikes vs. XC Spikes

No you don't have to. XC spikes are to heavy most of the time. However the nike forevers are solid. As are the Kennedy XC's. You won't want to wear the LDS or Zoom Ventulus on an xc course unless it is all grass.

For grass/dirt courses, track spikes are preferable. They're just much lighter and better fitting than cross spikes in general. LDS1005 are great, Ventulus are very nice. Miler cross would be an exception as a cross spike that fits good and isn't too heavy.

Thanks for the input!I run in New England so we encounter a lot of crappy muddy courses. Would the LDS1005 or Ventulus hold out in such conditions?

I had the zoom forevers last season and most races ended up destroying my feet as the spikes transfered the pounding through the plate into my feet and had dark purple bruises for days. I'm really trying to pick a good pair as it's been hit and miss, but mostly miss.

College Runner wrote:

I had the zoom forevers last season and most races ended up destroying my feet as the spikes transfered the pounding through the plate into my feet and had dark purple bruises for days. I'm really trying to pick a good pair as it's been hit and miss, but mostly miss.

what is this crap, is the430miler back or something. if the forevers caused your feet to bruise you're out of luck. better get some sh*t saucony kilkenny or brooks mach 5 or something like that with a lot of cushioning because track spikes are not going to work for you

Depends where you are.

California probably not. Dry, grass, pussy's XC

New England perhaps. Muddy, Wet, better XC.

Scotland/England most defintley. Hard core XC. Still have the scars from being spiked, jumping barbed wire fences, and getting elbowed into a tree. Happy days...!

Although it's all about the 15mm spikes of doom. When you get spiked by one of those bad boys you know all about it.

It also depends on if you plan on using the LD's for the following track season. They'll be ruined. Fine if you are using an old pair from the previous season. But my XC spikes generally stink after one muddy race running through sheep and cow shit.

I wore the originial white, purple and black nike zoom shifts for 5k & 8k cross races, and they were fine. Those were middle distance spikes, too.

I wear the 1005's for all my cross including club cross last fall which was muddy as all hell. I think they work fine, the only thing a cross spike has going for it is that it has the full rubber outsole for rocks, but i would go track spike 100% of the time

The only time that a Distance spike won't work well on an XC course is when sections of the course are going to be paved or on some other hard surface where a rubber plate would have an advantage.

Otherwise a distance spike (or, depending on your preference, a mid-distance spike) will work just fine. I usually used Kennedy XCs on most courses, but Puma Harambees and Ventulus have worked very well on grassy/muddy XC courses for me.

I have never found XC spikes to be worth while. I have a pair of Milers and a pair of Track Kennedys which I use for 5 and 8k's and some Lannings for 10k's. On really bad courses (lots of concrete, gravel, or wood bridges) I put 1/8 indoor track studs into my Kennedys. It is survivable and you don't have to spend money on buying heavy, rubber soled spikes for a poor course. For me the best spike is the lighest possible spike which generally means mid-distance track spikes even for XC.

force recon wrote:

what is this crap, is the430miler back or something. if the forevers caused your feet to bruise you're out of luck. better get some sh*t saucony kilkenny or brooks mach 5 or something like that with a lot of cushioning because track spikes are not going to work for you

how did you find out that was me???!~

yes. im back. im never gone.

and i post under several differnt names too!