Saucony Mad River Tr

The Predecessors

Even though this is the Mad River TR version 1, the fit and function is not new to the Saucony Trail lineup. In 2015 I was stoked to receive the first of the Mad River’s lineage, the Nomad into our shop. The shoe offered a lower-profile offset at 4mm, ample yet responsive cushioning, a unique low-profile lug pattern, and, most critically, a wider midfoot and a more oblique toebox design than most. I think the shoes ran great but were hamstrung by a really polarized ugly design and aesthetic paired with a dearth of shops bringing them in, or knowing what to do with them in foot and fit. 

Right out of the box it again nailed, for my feet, the fit. The revamped gusseted tongue on the upper was soft against my instep and proved really functional in keeping debris from sliding down in. The Everrun sole topper provides a feeling of cush right out of the box, but’s been the PowerRun midsole material that has held up well over hundreds of miles that I now have in my pair. The material is soft and light, yet firm enough to feel more responsive than a full EverRun midsole could have offered. There’s no rockplate which may be a limiter for some, but, for me, I don’t think it needs one. I’d rather have a shoe that’s smooth in transition 99.9% of the time vs a rigid forefoot plated design for that 0.1% occasion where I’ll take a jab to the metatarsals.

Their PowerTrac outsole is designed with a multi-directional lug pattern, with medial and lateral rows of thermoplastic teeth. This combination allows the shoe to claw back on ascents, and flatten out and flow on descents. This, paired w/ the responsive midsole material, in the words of ever-wise running buddy Scott Ulrich, makes the shoe feel like it just wants to run. I’d agree.

The outsole stickiness I haven’t found to be that remarkable, and not as good as either Salomon’s compounds or Vibram. The trade off is that’s it’s a bit softer. The lug pattern is smooth and effective, the shoe grabs on loose conditions and sticks to grittier rock, but is pretty slick over wet bluestone or wood in our neck of the woods, reflected in the photo above when eating it on this creek crossing in testing the shoe.

One of the core marketable and functional features of the shoe, and reflected in the outsole design, is customization. It’s clear Saucony is aware and considering of what modifications some runners use in certain conditions. On the Mad River they have targets for either drilling in additional drainage holes, or screwing in Hex Head Sheet Metal Screws for additional traction, particularly in the winter. 

Looking at the upper, Saucony also designed for customization. There are two options for lacing, the centered cord lines, and the traditional outer vamp holes. Those with higher insteps may benefit from the center cords, and those with lower volume or who need may spread may go w/ the outer loops. I mentioned the gusseted tongue being effective, there’s laminated toe guard for more durability of the upper versus protection from kicking rocks, and a loop to pair with the outsole channel for attaching a gaiter. Tongue and heel counter loops for quick pulling on and off.  

With hundreds of miles on this pair, over the full spectrum of terrains, they’ve held up well. The midsole feels unbroken or compressed. There’s a few seem breaks or punctures to the materials in the upper, and one customer brought a pair back in with delamination of the toe guard. Both of those things unfortunately, in my experience haven’t been too uncommon for Wolverine Products. I shaved the outsole as I often do, and harder in working in road miles, but hereto, fairly par for the course. All in all I’ve loved the shoe.

I’m stoked that the Mad River is already more successful than it’s Nomad or Koa predecessors as the Mad River 2 will release in July 2020. They ditch the gusseted sock-like tongue in place of a more traditional design, and switch up the upper material to a bit softer fabric. From my vantage point I don’t think either of those changes are needed or necessarily positive. The midsole, outsole, and upper design otherwise stays the same. I’m going to be excited for V2 to drop this summer, but for those interested in the model, I’d say go in on a v1 as again, I think the tongue and materials on it are pretty slick.