So far my runs have always been either completely trail or mostly trail and as such I didn’t own any road specific trainers. With the Snowdonia Marathon looming and my birthday a few days before I took the opportunity to get some road trainers.

Having fallen in love with the Minimus range (on my 3rd pair of MT10, first pair of MT00 and second pair of MT110) I asked for the Minimus road zero drop shoes. Getting my hands on them today, these are my first impressions:

Immediately looking at them I notice that the material that they are made out of is more akin to the MT10 rather than the MT00, a thicker yet breathable upper with a bit more substance to it rather than the bare minimum of the MT00

When comparing the MR00 to the MT00 , although they are both zero drop shoes the MR has significantly more cushioning under foot, with a thicker sole giving a more protective feel. Trying them on I notice that my foot arch feels more supported, which given the repetitive foot strike on the road could be a good thing. The Vibram rubber feels tough, hopefully meaning that they will be hard wearing and able to put in the miles

My biggest gripe on the MT00 is the tongue, it’s a thin piece of material that has a habit of folding over on itself and causing tight spots on the foot and its a real pain to adjust, even a pain to simply get flat when putting the trainer on. This looks like it will not be a problem on the MR00 with a wrap around tongue which is part of the shoe on once side (as per photo). It is also thicker and retains its shape so I don’t foresee any movement at all when running.

So, first impressions are good. I am looking forward to giving these a good test on the Marathon (I know not the done thing really but I have faith in the shoe) I will give a full review of the shoe afterwards.