Product Review: YakTrax Run

 I was very excited back at the end of November when the folks at Yaktrax contacted me about testing some of their products. I was also was concerned. Living in Central North Carolina, we are not known for our harsh winters. We rarely get any significant snowfall here, which is a good thing because a quarter inch of snow can shut down Raleigh, the capital of our fine state.

 Early in December the package arrived from Yaktrax. It was 70 degrees that day.

  So I waited. There were several chances in the month of December for snow, none of which came to fruition. I even thought about a road trip to the mountains of NC to seek out some snow and ice!

Finally, today, January 26th 2013, my patience was rewarded. We had a winter "Weather event". Now my friends to the North and out West would laugh at this measly amount of frozen precipitation, but I was very excited to wake up and find a 3/4 inch sheet of ice covering the road we live on!

I quickly found the Yaktrax box and tore it open like a kid on Christmas morning. I grabbed my Altra Torin and strapped on the YakTrax. They were a little tight and initially hard to get on, but I pass this off on being excited and trying to hurry out the door. I grabbed the dog, bolted out the door, and off we went!

My dog Culliver has not yet mastered the art of running in a straight line, and is prone to changing direction quicker than an NFL running back. He would be the ultimate test of the YakTrax stability on ice We crunched our way down the driveway and onto the road. It was very quiet and there was not a car to be seen.

The Test Course

I was immediately impressed with the grip the Yaktrax provided. very stable footing, even with the dog zig zagging and occasionally tugging me along. I was also surprised how comfortable they were on my feet. Virtually unnoticeable! We cruised past the final subdivision entrance and headed downhill towards the small airport at the end of the road. Even running fairly hard on the downhill, the grip was excellent, and they fear of slipping and landing on my butt soon vanished.

 

The "Run" version of Yaktrax have removable carbide steel spikes, which are located on the forefoot area, and Abrasion-resistant steel coils on the heel area. 

The spikes

Spikes and Coils!

We ran on, enjoying the eerie quiet of the carless morning, with Culliver making the occasional stop to sniff some deer tracks. We got down to the abandoned private  airport and turned around to head back towards the house. We had a nice little hill to climb on the way back, and I zipped right up. I was running on the forefoot uphill and the spikes really dug in nicely! They may looks small, but they provide excellent traction.

Going back up the hill towards home!

I would highly recommend Yaktrax for winter training and running on ice or snow. They are lightweight, comfortable and provide outstanding 360 degree traction.

For more information, check out www.yaktrax.com

I would also like to thank my training buddy Culliver for keeping me company on the test run!

Here is a brief video clip of our run! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkj_coQUrKQ