ASICS FrontRunner, Linda Kinloch-Smith dominated the women's race in her FujiTrabuco Pro 7s at the recent 21km Legend Runner 2019 Obstacle Race in Paarl.
This is her race report:
This was my first obstacle race for 2019. As I've done this race before, I was prepared for the challenge. I decided to run in my new FujiTrabuco Pro 7 which would, however be a first for me.
As the race began we were hit with the first obstacle, the 'tyre challenge.' This was my first indication of how my shoes were going to handle the terrain. It had also rained the previous day leaving the tyres and the ground still very slippery.
Fortunately I managed to get over the first obstacle with no issue, (and without slipping) setting the tone for the rest of the race.
As we headed onto the main road I felt as if I was wearing road shoes as they were that comfortable even on tar.
The climb up to Paarl Rock was really tough and the competition for the King and Queen of Paarl Rock began. I managed to get up to Paarl Rock first which further gave me the confidence I needed to push as hard as I could.
The FujiTrabuco Pro were amazing on the fast descent down towards the Taal Monument as the ground was really muddy and slippery. You have to just commit and go on that descent and that's what I did. They were really light on my feet and almost felt as if I wasn’t wearing any shoes.
We then had to jump into a mud pit followed by swimming a cross a dam. I was a little worried about getting blisters and running in wet shoes for the remainder of the race but this was not the case. The water seemed to drain out very quickly and no mud was left inside my shoe.
A few obstacles later I was back on the tar for about 2km. I was still just as comfortable in my shoes as I was before the race began. The weight of the shoe was really amazing as I didn’t find them heavy at all even after being soaked in mud.
My climb through the 'rotten tomato pit' was quite funny and proved to be my highlight of the race as it was quite disgusting and a real challenge.
After jumping into the Paarl pool we headed towards the last obstacles in the stadium. My win was now a reality as I raced to the finish line. What an awesome feeling it was!
These trail shoes give you everything you need for challenging terrain, even something as diverse as obstacle course racing.
