Choice of footwear is one of the most important aspects of the race.  Many competitors fail because of blisters of gargantuan proportions and while the mind is willing, parts of the body are not.  There are many schools of thought about footwear; much of the terrain is hard and flat and normal road running shoes are preferable, however, over sand and hilly rocky terrain these are not ideal.  Sand getting inside the shoe excludes "mesh" type shoes, and the hard surface on some legs of the race mean that pure cross country shoes are also inappropriate.  With some sound practical advice from Alexandra sports I plumped for some Inov-8 Roclite 305 fell shoes.  They are a kind of half-way compromise; some cushioning, plenty of grip and the main thing - very comfortable over long distances. 

 I started using them on roads and the local beach but their first true test was the "GRIM" challenge, an 8 mile cross country race through a lot of mud and water.  Even when wet, the shoe felt comfortable and no blisters or hot spots formed.  The grip was tremendous and while competitors in road shoes "skied" down the muddy slopes I was able to pick my way through the crowds.  First test passed with flying colours.  Clocking up around 40 miles a week they were still holding out well as I pout them through their next test in Snowdonia.  The Marathon des Sables covers some pretty impressive climbs and to train i needed to move away from Portsmouth.  The weather was bright but there was plenty of snow around and on the top it was knee deep.  With a pack full of emergency supplies in case something went wrong I started from the base of the mountain up the famous Pyg Track.  At about the half way stage the snow was thick on the ground; running was impossible but the shoes still worked superbly.  Even on ice covered rocks I felt a reasonable amount of security.  Just below the summit I turned around due to bad visibility and made my way down the Miners Path, which meant falling into deep snow drifts at times.  Once through that the final 2 miles were along ice covered tarmac tracks.  Total time to get to just below the summit and back – just under 2.5 hours including stops to take the odd photo and take on some fluids.  Total distance 7 miles.  Not bad in the conditions 

The main focus of all this training is the Marathon des Sables in the Sahara and with this in mind I decided to head off to the Sinai Desert for some training.  Covering up to 20 miles a day across rock, sand, gravel and the odd bit of sea shore mud, in 30 degrees, and carrying 10kg on my back, the Roklite 305s met all of my expectations.  With velcro now glued to the sides in order that I could attach sand gaiters they proved to be just as good in the heat as they did in the mud and snow.  I could feel my feet swell towards the end of the day, but having gone one size up (without any slipping) this was not a problem I have had the 305s for several months now and they have been up to the job in a range or pretty harsh conditions.  Would I recommend them as a good all round cross trainer - absolutely."