Thank you Mike Downey for the review!
First off let me state this shoe, in its current model, is no longer in production but can still be found online and at NB outlet in Brighton, MA .
I have worn speedcross 3 , ice bug anima2 in races and they did great for short distances, but I have wide feet and a wide toe splay. With adding the darn tough socks it was just to tight of a fit in those shoes for the Beast. So I scrambled and got these.
New Balance is great for wider feet.They make shoes in D width ( normal width ) 2E ( wide) and 4 E ( EXTRA WIDE) . Many reviews stated that if going 2 or 4 e you may want to drop down a half-size because these may run a tad big. I didnt learn this till after but also they did not have what the drop down width and size would be for me. So I went normal sizing.
This shoe does not have an inner sole ( took me a bit of research to confirm that, I thought I was getting ripped off at the outlet till I found this out). This is a very good ocr shoe. Light weight, sheds water well, doesnt gain much weight once wet, didnt let in too much debris from water and mud walking.
It also comes with rock guard in the foot plate to help prevent penetration to the foot, low drop 4MM and a vibram sole.
I will say post race after wearing this shoe this was the best my feet have ever felt. They weren’t achy or sore like they normally have been in other shoes and clean up was a breeze. I just threw these suckers in the washing machine and brand new. From now on I plan to keep a pair of NB trail shoes in my crate o OCR junk.
Product info: http://www.newbalance.com/
Rating: 5 star (amazing)
I have the same shoes bit mine did not last through the end of the beast unscathed. Because of the way in which the bottom read is held onto the shoe, two large sections of the sole came off after less than 60 miles total. Fortunately NB will be replacing them free of charge, but if you're looking for durability you may not get them here. Otherwise a great review and a great shoe.