On a recent work trip I had a run shoe disaster. To cut a long story short, I was left with no run shoes.

Dropping in to the best run store I could find, I was rest assured with a great selection of trail shoes and gladly, they had options from which to choose. It would have been easy to purchase shoes I have already owned used and liked, and in all honesty, had they had a pair of Hoka Torrent I would have got them; a great all-rounder.

I needed a shoe with cushioning, protection, and a good outsole.

As it happens, I had three excellent choices and none of the shoes I had used before, a NNormal Tomir (23/31), a Hoka Speedgoat 5 (29/33) and a Merrell Agility Peak 5 (25/31), based on stack heights, three very comparable shoes. Interestingly the NNormal with 8mm drop, the Hoka with 4mm drop and the Merrell sitting in the sweet spot of 6mm.

I will be honest, I was instantly drawn to the NNormal, I had been waiting to test a pair for sometime and in my head, before trying any of them on, I had already made up my mind. I am getting the NNormal.

However, slipping them on, they just didn’t make me smile. The lacing was less than optimal, foothold was kinda ok but the overall feel was lifeless. The Hoka Speedboat 5 by contrast had life, had great foothold and was just solid. That’s it, I will get the Speedgoat…

But then the assistant said, you should really try on the Merrell, particularly if you like the Hoka.

So, I slipped the Agility Peak 5 on whoa, what a revelation. Foothold superb, heel comfort excellent, toe box space great and there was a bounce and life not present in the other two. The addition of Vibram Magagrip added to the package, to be fair, this was on the other two shoes too, but here on the Agility Peak 5 it was aggressive and with 5mm lugs.

I purchased the Merrell.

MERRELL

I had heard a great deal about Merrell shoes, nearly all of it positive, so, I don’t really know why it had taken me so long to eventually get a pair. Certainly trying on against the NNormal and Hoka only confirmed that my decision was coming too late, I had been missing out!

A great looking shoe that means business. The side profile, the outsole and 5mm lugs, a visible rock plate, it’s clear that this is shoe is for the rough stuff.

When a shoe is in version 5, I always get a little nervous. The plus side is this is a shoe that works and is loved, otherwise Merrell would not adapt, change and make a new version. But sometimes, the ‘need’ to make new version can sometimes spoil what was good about the previous ones. Having not tried an Agility Peak before, I was a blank canvas – a good thing!

THE SHOE

With reduced weight, increased rocker, increased heel grip and comfort, this shoe on paper was ticking all the boxes.

A breathable upper, excellent lace placement, gusseted tongue, a toe cap protection, EVA foot bed, FloatPro foam midsole, rock plate, a Vibram Megagrip outsole with 5mm traction lugs.

A D-ring gaiter attachment at the front and velcro attachment at the rear,

The Agility Peak 5 is a feature packed shoe. A 6mm drop with cushioning 25mm at the front and 31mm at the rear makes this a shoe ideal for long days out in gnarly terrain.

Slipping the shoe on I had an instant comfort factor that made me smile, I knew immediately I was going to like this shoe.

Lacing up, foot hold was superb without any nasty pressure on the navicular bone. Holding the rear of the shoe.

Lifting my foot, there was no slippage and the gusseted tongue just added to the cozy comfort factor.

The toe box is spacious, a 3, maybe a 4, on a scale of 1-5 with 5 being wide and spacious.

Standing up, there was a definite bounce and life as I moved backwards and forwards, up and down.

IN USE

I was committed and out-of-the-box I went straight in to a gnarly coastal run over very rocky and abrasive terrain, 37km and 1531m+. It was a great test! The Agility Peak 5 excelled.

The notable takeaways were all-day comfort and protection.

I never had to adjust the laces, my foot was held secure all day. The cushioning allowed for great ground feel but not at the compromise of comfort, especially with the rock plate protecting from all the sharp rocks and obstacles.

At 25/31mm in cushioning, I was concerned that maybe I would be a little too high from the ground, but this shoe has a wide footprint and this compensates for the additional stack height wonderfully. I had no rolling issues at all.

Notably, when walking and hiking, the bounce and comfort at the rear of the shoe was superb. When running, the flex behind the metatarsals was ideal giving a great propulsive phase. The toe box allowing enough space for toe splay but not at the compromise of precision. When climbing, my foot was secure, no movement, a combination of the new heel cup and the rear sling lock.

The outsole by Vibram is tried and tested, MegaGrip appears everywhere, but this is the first time I have used or seen the 5mm lug version and it is brilliant. The grip was superb. I have yet to try in the wet!

Was there a downside? In all honesty, no. It’s arguably the most complete shoe I have tried in a very long time and if I was to be picky, for a shoe that is so obviously designed for rough stuff, the toe bumper could maybe be a little more protective.

Despite the mean business looks, the Agility Peak 5 has plenty of life, speed and comfort for those wonderful single-track runs with little or no technicality. The rocker helping to propel you forward with excellent comfort.

Fitting true to size, this shoe is one of the best I have tried and tested.

CONCLUSION

Shoe technology gets better all the time and now there are sooooo many good shoes, it’s often difficult to pick a best one. Of course, this is a great position to be in. I have countless shoes that I would be happy to run in on any given day. But, some shoes have very specific uses. If I wanted guaranteed mountain grip in wet and dry, I would choose a VJ MAXx. I I wanted a fast shoe for single-track, I’d go for an Adidas Speed Ultra. If I wanted a just one shoe that could do all things and do them well, my choice has normally been a Hoka Torrent, that is until the Merrell Agility Peak 5 cam along.

This shoe has been a revelation. All day comfort, great grip, great foot hold, fast when you need them to be, secure when the terrain demands it and all wrapped up in an excellent good looking package.

The Agility Peak 5 is my shoe of 2024! A shoe that has balanced cushioned comfort with speed and versatility for all running, be that on trail or mountain terrain.

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