Field Journal

Stories Behind the Gear: New Balance Fresh Foam X Hierro v9
Daniel Neilson // Photography courtesy of New Balance

New Balance’s Fresh Foam X Hierro v9 takes decades of learning and distils it into this exceptional trail running shoe.

Trail running shoes are all about confidence. Confidence to take that muddy corner, confidence to skip down a wet, rocky path, to climb scree, to jump logs. Trail running is the culmination of thousands of tiny adjustments, micro decisions. Some of it is intentional decision making: Where will my foot land? How do I avoid that big puddle I can’t see the bottom of? Will smaller steps get me up this hill more efficiently? While others are intuitive. Your little toes play a role in balancing your body, the swing of your arms, and the glance of your eyes at something in the woods. Trail running is all-consuming, and that’s why we love it. Whether through wet woodland, over chalk cliffs, bound up a rocky path to a mountain summit or along a vertiginous coastal path, much of the confidence is in what is on your feet.

Trail running shoes have many factors that need to come together to make you run better and run faster. On UK terrain, many trail shoes fall down. Many are not built for the incessant mud or the wet rock, the ice-smooth chalk or highland bog. There is a peculiar set of conditions across this wet northerly island, and the shoes need to stand up, as do you.

New Balance’s Fresh Foam X Hierro v9 is the latest iteration of its well-worn Hierro range. It’s certainly a good number of features that have changed in the v8.

There are a bewildering number of trail shoes on the market, and each is better for something slightly different. Is it racing the UTMB? Relaxed pre-work morning runs? Ultra marathons? The Fresh Foam X Hierro v9 is particularly suited to reasonably longer trails, where the sizable cushioning is particularly suited. In fact, the Fresh Foam X referred to in its name is the key component of the cushioning.

New Balance has been using Fresh Foam recently in all manner of sports shoes, describing it as a ‘revolutionary advancement’ that cushions the impact of foot strike, whether on the trail or tennis court.

In the first few steps in the Hierro v9, the plush sponginess of the Fresh Foam X is immediately apparent. We’ll be reviewing New Balance’s Fresh Foam X Hierro v9 in full soon, but suffice to say, this is a shoe for those who like the maximalist approach. The look of the shoe may over exaggerate the depth of the cushioning, but there’s no doubt it’s there. It’s similar to that used in New Balance Fresh Foam road shoes, but the density of the foam is softer. There’s still a 4mm drop.

What is remarkable about these shoes, however, especially given the stack of cushioning, is the stability the shoe offers. These are secure and steady. That’s also down to the other design features, too. A considerable improvement from the v8 is the lacing system. The lacing wraps through four fabric eyelets that hold the laces, and therefore your foot, in place. The gusseted tongue also adds a secure fit while keeping mud and stones out. There’s a good toe protector around the front of the shoe, too.

Underfoot is an aggressive Vibram Megagrip outsole with deep 4.5mm lugs and offers exceptional grip, particularly if you’re usually running on rocky terrain. And the breathable uppers move well with the foot without letting it roll about. One more key detail: they’re very light. Really light, at 293 grams per shoe for a men’s UK size 9, and 236 grams for female UK size 5.

The Hierro v9 offer confidence in abundance. Best of all, these are very versatile. If there’s a bit of road or hard track, the cushioning protects all the way, and the stability is exceptional.