La Sportiva

Helios III Trail Running Shoe - Women's

Switched back to bushido

Familiarity:

I've used it several times

Size Bought:

40.5

Height:

5' 7"

Weight:

122

I have been wearing the bushido for a long time and on some advice of another runner gave these a try. I wore them for just a few runs and had instant knee pain. As soon as I switched back to my “hard” bushidos the knee pain went away and my runs have been great since. I think for me the tread was just a little too high and that changed my gait. Still a massive fan of their trail shoes as I have narrow feet and this brand has been the best!

Great for hiking

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

Size Bought:

8.5

Height:

5' 7"

Weight:

135

Absolutely love these shoes. I have both this style and the previous style. They provide excellent traction and comfort. I have a narrow foot and I it is difficult to find proper fitting shoes and these "fit" the bill. I also have their hiking boots and they are great. With both the running shoe and hiking boot, I have had to go up in size. I normally wear 7.5-8 and I ordered 8.5 for both.

Toe Box didn’t make the cut

Love the cushion. Nice shoes. Fits the perfect amount of narrow in the arch, but the toe box is like a mm too tight. Got a blood blister on a 15 mile run. Hope they update this model with a few tweaks!

Bring back the Helio II design

Please, please, please bring back the features of the helio II. They are the only trail shoe I have been able to run in for 4 years... I was hopeful for the III but the changes are not good for me. The back of the shoe has way less padding on the Achilles area and I have gotten awful pain from them on all of my runs trying to work them into my rotation. Also the tongue of the shoe is much thinner at the top and almost sharp, even with tall socks it cuts into the front of the ankel. The quick lace system is also gone on this new model... something I loved about the IIs. The shoe is also much narrower than the previous ones and runs big as well compared to the last model. I do not mean to bash the new design, but I hope it saves some people from being so disappointed after loving the previous model so much. I have been scouring the internet and stores trying to find the previous model bow because I do not see me being able to race and distance in these new shoes. I love your products and just hope that enough feedback comes in to go back to the previous design!!!

Prefer the earlier models

I’ve been running in the Helios for about ten years and was dismayed when they briefly disappeared from the sportiva lineup. This model has a more rigid/stiff heal. I preferred the previous style that generally felt softer. I also preferred the quick lace system on the older model. Other than that, still an excellent shoe- great for most trails and pavement.

Great lightweight running shoes!

I've worn these twice this week on routes where I ran a mix of pavement and dirt trail. One of the things I first noticed was how incredibly lightweight these shoes are-the lightest pair of trail shoes I own. My foot is not wide, and these are super comfortable. I like the color (Clay/Hibiscus) and they have great traction. Because I'm prone to spraining my ankle, I wouldn't wear these on highly technical rocky trails (I wear the LaSpo Ultra Raptor), but I do love them for less technical runs. I think they'd make great race shoes as they are so lightweight.