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Note: I would gladly pay full price for these shoes and probably buy a second pair.
I chose to test out the new Mount to Coast H1 on the gravel paths of Jardin du Luxembourg next to my apartment in Paris. We moved there about a year ago on something of a whim and its going to be near impossible to drag us away. Only an expired visa will get us out of here.
Running the Jardins of Paris
I am a trail runner, even when I road run along the Seine River or gravel run the jardins even though I can count on one hand the number of true trails I’ve been on since we left Salt Lake City after 22 years of life and 12 years of running the Wasatch.
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My climbing legs are gone though I climb no less than 300 steps a day coming and going from my apartment.
I’m not power hiking up any hills.
There aren’t really an hills around here unless I can get out to the forest or up to Montmartre, and I never have time for that.
I gladly run my path-of-least-resistance-daily-runs knowing that someday I’ll long to be back here running the river or past the Senat.
Today I’m doing both routes in the Mount to Coast H1 putting their claim that these shoes “don’t force you to choose between road and trail”.
To be honest, as an old dirtbag, for many years my road shoes were simply retired trail shoes. I rarely ran on road before moving to Paris where I’ve come to love dedicated road shoes and kinda hate myself for not having a pair all these years.
Do I Like Running in the Mount to Coast H1?
Simply put, yes.
And that’s 80% of the equation for me. The reminaing 20% asks whether or not I can also walk the city in them comfortably. I walk 6 to 8 miles a day in Paris and don’t want to the stress of too many shoes. So my running shoes have to double as walking shoes.
This means they need to look good and feel good in every context of my day.
It looks incredible and feels equally as good on my feet. My 12 year old son who wears the same size shoe as my wore them to school without my permission because they look good.
Social Impact of Running Brands
Candidly, I don’t put public pressure on brands to have positive social impact. I do care whether or not they have negative impact. I’m more of Goldie Locks consumer.
I believe markets solve for irresponsibilty through through traditional market dynamics. Do-goodery in product materials is a marketing tactic that works for a large segment of the trail running demographic so I understand that they do it and even think the CircleCELL execution of these values is well played.
But my question is never Is the sustainable?
It’s always Do I like it?
Some thing can be sustainable that’s awful or amazing and unsustainable. If I don’t like to run in it, sustainability doesn’t matter. If I love to run in it then I become curious about the brand as a whole and their practices to a limited extent.
CircleCELL
On the sustainable yet highperformance CircleCELL technology it’s “the first highperformance CircleCELL midsole material made entirely from renewable feedstock, including recycled organic waste, to deliver elite energy return and incredible durability, while minimizing environmental impact. This is more than a material breakthrough; it’s a decisive step toward circular design and uncompromised sustainability.”
If the it felt or looked horrible none of this would matter. So congratulations to them that this roadtotrail running shoe featuring CircleCELL checks all the boxes for its target demo.
On the Feet
- True to size
- A bit wide
The Lacing Structure
I’m not a gear head. I do not geek out tech for the sake of tech. I just want everything to work when I need it to work.
Gear is practical to me.
I haven’t put the Mount to Coast lacing structure to use yet.
I haven’t seen the need.
My friend Inky Steve took the laces out immediately and replaced them with normal laces. Perhaps these are practical but I believe the true test will be whether or not we see copycats. As of now, this has been on the market since the release of the R1 in 2023 and I don’t think its terribly contagious.
Conclusion
The Mount to Coast H1s seem to be a hit. When I posted about them on Instagram, I had a lot of engagement that was all entirely positive. I’ve loved them around the city and in the parks. I hope to turn them on at an ultra distance some time.
