A few weeks ago I convinced my non-runner husband to run the Six03Endurance Great Pumpkin 10K Relay with me. And on Saturday we toed the line together for the first time as team, "It Was Her Idea."

The trail race was held at a local winery, Flag Hill Winery in Lee, NH. The relay was comprised of four, 1.5 mile loops. Mark started off and took the first loop and then handed off the mini- pumpkin to me. We repeated the mini-pumpkin hand-off two more times to finish in 47:45. The whole atmosphere of the race was fun, runners dressed in all kinds of costumes and it was more about just having fun than running fast. The course took us across the field and in and out of the woods. The terrain was varied and included some steep downhills and some steep uphills; perfect for testing out my new New Balance Fresh Foam Trail shoe. New Balance sent me a pair of their Fresh Foam Trail to try out and I've had a chance to take them on a hike, a couple trail runs and now this trail race; I've probably logged about 20 miles in them.

Description: The Fresh Foam 980 Trail is New Balances trail version of their Fresh Foam 980. According to New Balance the Fresh Foam 980 trail is "soft yet stable…even on tough terrain." It features the new Fresh Foam technology: a single piece of foam and a full ground-contact sole.

Stats: The Fresh Foam 980 Trail features a 4mm heel-toe offset and weighs in at 8.1 0z. (for Women's 8), my Women's size 10 weighed in at 9.25oz. Fit: I initially really liked the fit. The upper wrapped my foot nicely (which is unlike my experience in the Fresh Foam 980 which I'll share soon). My size 10 felt true to size and fit my foot well, with the exception of the fact that there was a bit of rubbing on the top of my big toenail. This seems to be a theme with shoes I've tried recently like the NB 1400. I'm certain it is not a size issue, because there is plenty of room in the toe area, it's just when my foot dorsiflex (especially on downhills) I notice a rubbing on the toenails. Upper: The upper features no-sew overlays, the mesh fabric was very breathable. I liked the fact that the construction of the tongue and the heel was not too padded (the Fresh Foam 980 is very padded in the tongue). The minimal padding helps to make the shoe feel lighter and makes the fit seem more snug, which I prefer. Minimal debris got into my shoes during my runs, according to New Balance the shoe features a gusseted tongue which may attribute to this fact.

Sole: The sole is a solid piece of rubber and features a very grippy design. The rubber is sculpted into teeth like structures on the bottom of the sole. They proved to be very stable on some steep uphills during the trail relay and also seemed to provide grip while hiking down bear rock on a recent hike. I'd imagine that the sole would be grippy in snow and ice too, a possibly strong winter shoe option. Trail Feel: These shoes are very comfortable on the trail, they don't feel overly bulky or heavy. The snug upper fit meant my foot felt stable during the run. And the sole had a nice grippy-ness to it. On steep downhills my foot slid forward a bit in the shoe, but it wasn't painful or uncomfortable. Pros: I liked the overall feel of the trail shoes. I don't have a lot to compare it too since the only other trail shoes I've run in are an old Asics pair and one run in the Kinvara Trail. I liked the snug feel of the upper and the whole shoe felt very stable, which on the varied terrain is good. And as traditional trail shoes go, it seemed nicely cushioned. Cons: The only con to this shoe is one I've encountered with a few new shoes (I say "new" because I've been running in Saucony for the past three years. Recently I've tried New Balance and Altras) that I've tried recently: rubbing on the top of the toenail when my foot dorsiflex Overall: At $109.00 the New Balance Fresh Foam Trail is priced similarly to most other trail shoes. If you're looking for a grippy trail shoe this is a great one to reach for. The snugness of the upper gives a nice stable feel.

The Great Pumpkin Relay and New Balance Fresh Foam Trail Review

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