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PT-1000 - Sharon Gayter, International Ultra Distance Champion and author

>>20 July 2011

Dear UK Gear,

I hope you will be pleased to hear that the only pair of shoes I took to the Spanish Al Andalus Ultra Trail (AAUT) event were your PT-1000 running shoes!

I knew from training that the PT-1000's would be the best footwear to use for the full event but just worried slightly that the hot conditions would make my feet swell a little and that there may be some friction in the toe region. I can report that despite getting 2 blisters on the first day, my feet held up very well! Sharon Gayter, International Ultra Distance Champion

Usually in multi stage events, my feet fare well in the first few days and then get progressively worse as they take a battering. The 2 blisters on the first day were firstly caused by the area trimmed down around the heel of my shoe that I had made previously. The reason for this is because I have very low ankle bones and nearly every shoe I possess I have to trim down the side of the shoe to not press on the bone. Very few of my shoes get away with this treatment! I should have stuck a plaster on the shoes to stop the material from rubbing where the sponge section was exposed, so can only blame myself for this one.

The second blister was on my left foot, to the medial side of my big toe, again was not really a friction blister but an area I often get blisters when running. So neither were to do with my UK Gear shoes.

Day 2 of the AAUT was a long and testing day that involved much climbing and difficult terrain. My feet finished in perfect condition. On of my team mates' shoes almost disintegrated on this stage and ended up with holes in his uppers. By Day 5, my feet (and toes in particular) were all still in good shape. Usually the feet swell as the event progresses, and it's the toes that get squashed a bit and end up rather blistered. My little toes are usually the first to suffer but they came home intact!

At the finish I sat next to team mate once again, now in his second pair of shoes and believe it or not they now looked like his first pair - holes in the uppers yet again!

So my initial verdict on the PT-1000 shoes that have now run around 200 miles and been tested in an extremely hot, hilly and harsh environment is that they will easily stand up to the 1000 mile test, which I will definitely be putting them through. They fared very well in the AAUT; the rocky underfoot conditions that I think were the reason for my team mates' shoes disintegrating, gave most shoes a good battering - but the PT-1000's still look completely unscathed. There are little signs of wear on the soles and with a quick hand wash to clean them up, they still look as good as new.

Some things that I feel are good about the shoes - toughness, robustness, durability, toe box ideal size for me, felt structured and supportive.

Initial down sides – I had to cut sides of shoes down near ankle bone, didn't initially get that "spongy, soft" feeling when I put on new shoes (but cushioning did hold up well), didn't feel as flexible as some previous shoes, but when running in them, they felt as good as any other quality running shoe.

When I journey to India next month to take part in La Ultra – The High in the Himalayas, I think some of the roads and terrain will be similar to what was experienced in AAUT, so I will be taking my PT-1000's with me and certainly hope to do some training out there in them if not run the event in them.

Thanks UK Gear!

Sharon Gayter
International Ultra Distance Athlete

www.sharongayter.com

Photo: Antonio Arenas