Most runners either prefer trail or road — for a while I was a road runner. I felt it was easier and I had found a pair of road shoes I absolutely loved. I always felt trail running was harder and that I didn’t have the right gear for it.
This summer when I was working with my trainer, he recommended I mix in trail and road to keep things fresh for my body, I dealt with a foot fatigue injury in March and was hesitant to try something new, scared that my injury would return. We adjusted my plan and put more strength training exercises in my program to account for the new type of movement.
I decided to embrace the mud and bugs and dove into trail running. The Arc’teryx Norvan LD 3 became the perfect partner for my trail days. Being a HOKA girl through and through, I was hesitant to try the Norvan LD 3s. They aren’t as cushioned and seemed like an all-around opposite of my HOKAs. To my surprise — I fell in love!
The durable EVA/Polyolefin blend midsole provides shock absorption and propulsion without adding too much volume to the shoe, and combined with the InFuse midsole and Anti-Fatigue Insert, I felt like I could go longer than I have before.
It has been an insanely wet summer in New England, where I’ve been doing a lot of the trail testing, and the Norvan LD 3s have stood up to the test. The Vibram insole and outsole combined with the aggressive 4mm lug pattern locked me into my terrain in the best way. I was bouncing off mossy and damp rocks without slippage and tripping.
The high-abrasion mesh upper has been breathable and durable — no tears, rips or scuffs on the shoes! It has been easy to wipe away mud and keep the shoes relatively unchanged after lots of miles. I’ve been running on these shoes for about two months now and they don’t even have a toe crease; to say I’ve been impressed is an understatement.
I have a few trail runs planned for the White Mountains this summer and I can’t wait to see how the Norvan LD 3s perform on the unforgiving terrain of the Northeast. With the combination of the breathable yet durable construction of the shoe and the shock absorption, I have no doubt they will make it an enjoyable experience.
If you’d like to grab a pair of Norvan LD 3s yourself, you can purchase them here!
