Mount to Coast R1R Review (130+ miles)

My size 12's came in weighing: Left 10.5 Ounces, Right 10.6 Ounces
Sample size weight: 9 Ounces
Heel Stack: 35MM
Drop: 8MM
Upper: Double-layered Jacquard, 40% recycled Polyester
Neutral shoe
R1R features a rubber outsole (R1 features a CPU outsole, weighs less but not as protective)
Price: $160 USD (first time buyers can get 10% on Mount to Coast site)

Unique to Mount to Coast Features:
TUNEDFIT dual lacing system
Dual zone ZeroSag midsole insert
LightCELL midsole base
GOFLOW midsole geometry

R1R model weighs a little more than the R1 model.  The R1R model is a small variation to the R1.  See Outsole section for variation.

*132 miles ran on shoes for review

Lacing:
Mount to Coast uses what they call a TUNEDFIT dual lacing system.  Towards the upper part of the foot it is a standard lacing system.  Towards the forefoot part of the foot, it is a quick lacing system (think Salomon).  The idea behind this is that if you are using this shoe for an ultra distance run, your foot could swell, and this system allows you to make quick adjustments to open room for your foot to expand.   

My experience with the lacing:  I have never really noted any foot swelling to this point in my running career, so I didn't get to a point to need (longest run 21.8 miles) to create more room, however I had no issues with the lacing during the run.  The quick laces did not interfere with the run (even though it is a bit odd to look at), the laces are nice and stayed tied.   

Tongue:
The tongue is gusseted and I love that design.  I love being able to put a shoe on and not worry about readjusting the tongue.

Heel:
The heel cup is supportive, nicely padded and not over bearing at all.   It is exactly the way I like it.

Upper material/fit:
The Double-layered Jacquard, 40% recycled Polyester is nicely breathable and comfortable.  The shoe has a very nice step in feel overall.  The toe box has plenty of room for toe splay to begin with, so the dual lacing system is a great combination with an already accommodating fit.

Design: totally subjective
Their design is a modern and streamlined design.  It also feels like a bit of a throwback design to me, I am a fan.

R1 model vs R1R Model:
The uppers are the exact same on these models.  Variation comes from the outsole. 

R1R vs R1 outsole:

R1 is a CPU (Cast Poly Urethane) material.  It is lighter weight and a softer experience underfoot.  Think of a shoe that has a rubberized foam (Hoka Mach series before version 6) and it is a similar feel to that.

R1R is a rubberized material.  While it weighs a bit more, it also provided a bit more protection, especially on varying road types and declines. 

Since I bought the R1R, I can only relay my experience on that.  It has held up well at over 132 miles, it does provide nice protection and underfoot feel, it is also a very quiet experience.  I feel good about the durability of this shoe, which lends itself well to the companies use case and mine.

For a nice review of both and a detailed explanation of their differences, I would refer you this review by Sagasu running who does a wonderful job explaining: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wH8EQMkQjw&t=669s

The Midsole has some unique technologies in it's design.

The foam: LightCELL midsole base
The foam starts as a peba hybrid material and is then Nitrogen infused through a supercritical foaming process.  Here is a link from Mount to Coast explaining it a bit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTF0w6TJ_MQ

Dual zone ZeroSag midsole insert
The shoe has 2 zones that has a what they call a "ZeroSag" element, which is essentially 2 uniquely shaped pieces of urethane within the midsole foam.  These are not stability elements and are not "plates".  Their purpose is shock absorption.  They are essentially there to generate some density in the airy foam and provide a more consistent ride over a longer haul.  In my understanding, the thought is this type of foam will deaden out over a long haul and this technology helps keep a balanced underfoot feel over long miles.  I will again refer you to Sagasu's video, which covers this better than I ever could. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wH8EQMkQjw&t=669s

GOFLOW midsole geometry

Here is a link to Mount to Coast's explanation of the geometry of the shoe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMxKazNrAik.  The shoe does have a slight rocker in it, but also has some geometry side to side.  It looks like a very traditional type of shoe geometry.  Underfoot, it has a very nice mechanical partnership with my running.

How does it feel?

My shortest run was 5 miles and I did 3 runs of 20 and 21.8 miles.  The rest of the runs were 9-11 miles in between the high/low distances.  The shoe disappears underfoot, which is exactly what I like for long training runs.  You don't get a "race foam" feel, but that is because they have tuned and engineered the shoe to be consistent over long mileage.  

So if you buy this shoe, buy it knowing your not getting that supershoe/super trainer bounce.  However, it is a very airy (to borrow Sagasu's description because it fits perfectly) underfoot feel.  What I found interesting is the 2 times I did get some nice "peba" feedback is when I turned up the speed and when I did intermittent walking.  The shoe is very nimble underfoot and I did not get any foot pain after any of my 20 mile runs.  

I enjoyed these shoes to the point that I was going to do my last long run in a 3 week peak training block in a higher stack shoe, but picked these up without even thinking about it. I put an additional 30 miles on the shoe from the original intended review miles. 

I have really enjoyed running in this shoe.  It does all distances well for me.  I can easily pick up the speed, shift down to a slower cadence and they are very nimble on the run.   They are quite nice to walk in as well. 

Using it for "race" day is an interesting question.  I would not use this for a normal road race distance up to marathon if going for a max effort time, I would choose something with a more responsive foam.  I would consider it for a run I was doing for fun at a steady pace. 

I have done numerous Ultra's, but not any of them are road Ultra's.  I have a hard time figuring if I would use this for a road Ultra.  While my feet did well up to 21.8 miles, I do think I would personally want something with a little more protection underfoot for 31 miles and above.  Now, if it were part of a rotation of shoes, I would consider it for that.  If the course was a mix of pavement and gravel/dirt/offroad and the surfaces stayed consistent for long miles, I could see mixing this shoe with a gravel type of trail shoe.  

Those who may have stronger feet, may be great with these shoes on road Ultra's.  I am only stating the above based on my own fitness and strength levels. 

I would easily recommend this shoe as a daily training option to anyone, which would include long runs as part of weekly use.  I really enjoyed having a nimble shoe that could handle longer miles.   I do think if a future version of the shoe and/or model adds a few more MM of foam and they can keep the weight where it is, they have potential super trainer imo.  

Mount to Coast currently has the 2 versions of their race model, a training model and a stability model.  They are releasing a trail model and a gravel model later this year.  I am looking forward to those!

I had a real interest in Mount to Coast shoes and I was a bit shocked that a city the size of Houston, had no stores that carried the shoe.  When I did my 100K that was somewhat close to Dallas I searched for a running store that carried the shoe in that area.  Enter https://bearcreekrunningco.com/.  The day after my 100K we diverted over to the store to check it out and I have the say, the store and staff were awesome.  They have a great selection of shoes and the staff was informative and helpful.   So kudos to that team!