Topo Athletic Pursuit 3 Review

I do try to get trail shoes into wet weather, which is not always easy in Houston, Texas.  However, in this case, I was able to get some nice we conditions with some cold temperatures mixed into my runs for my review miles. 

I ran on a little bit of black top, open dirt areas that are not established trails, established trails in dry and muddy conditions, ran in warm dry, warm wet and cold wet conditions.  I did some hiking in warm and wet conditions.  

I looked at this zero drop trail shoe as a shoe that I might use for hiking or trail running, so I tried to mix that usage into all conditions I tested in.  

I won't lie, I had some fun in these shoes.  I did a 6 mile run/hike through some areas that are just dirt as part of areas that Flood Control is doing work on opening up bayous in the area to reduce the risk of flooding.  This took me back to my younger years walking through the mountains of Pennsylvania behind my Grandparents house.  It was just exploring for the fun of it.  It is a great shoe to take on this type of adventure due to it's versatility.  

The upper is a tightly woven mesh to protect against debris getting into the shoe during runs and also to aid in providing a good lock down for runs.
Laces: The laces are a nice ribbed style of lace. 
Tongue: It is not gusseted, but they have lace loops on the top of the tongue that keeps the tongue securely in place during runs and it performed great on all runs.  I had no lace bite, no movement and the tongue did the job it is meant to do, including a nice midfoot lockdown.  Topo uppers continue to treat my feet right.
Upper material: The upper is a tightly woven mesh that is comfortable on foot, breathable to a point and drains water well. 
Heel: The heel is nicely structured to keep the heel in place while not being to beefy or cumbersome.  I had zero issues with heel slippage, rubbing etc.  It has a set up for a universal gaiter attachment, which is a nice feature.
*I saw some reviews of the Pursuit 2 noting heel slip, it appears they fixed this issue.  At least, I had non issues with fit myself on any surface. 
Collar: The collar area is moderately padded, but not "beefy". It is about exactly what I would want for a more technical shoe that I was enjoying running through wet and muddy conditions in.
Toe Room: I have not had any issue with toe rubbing or a tight fit in my close to 40 miles. I get along very well with Topo's ToeBox design

The midsole is normally the part of the shoe that gets us all excited, but I will say on this shoe that the outsole had me pretty excited as well.  There is just something about this outsole that made me want to go out and have some fun in the dirt!

In dry conditions, this shoe is a pure champ.  I never felt like I was on a surface that it couldn't handle.  In the mud, it also performed very well and it gave me confidence to run without being too worried that the shoe would let me down. 

The one scenario that gave the outsole trouble, was wet red clay.  I hit a patch in one area of my mud run and it did lose that battle.  It is one that has beat every trail shoe I have been in though, to be fair.  

One thing that really impressed me was how the outsole shed the mud.  I went through some sticky mud and I would occasionally check the bottom of the shoes to see if it was packing up with the mud, it wasn't.  That played a part in my confidence on the mud run as I knew I wasn't sticking mud into mud, but rather the shoe design was having the lugs penetrate the surface and stick.  

The one potential drawback to the outsole size and design, is it feels like cleats on pavement.  It is to be expected, but wanted to note this in case anyone is considering this shoe for road to trail usage.  The midsole does provide a nice balance on pavement, but you still feel "cleaty" on it. 

This is not a high or max stack trail shoe.  It is a medium stack zero drop shoe.  I believe the actual foam stack is 17 MM before adding insole and outsole.  Topo has done a good job continuing to improve their Zipfoam compound where it provides protection, absorption and rebound on the run.  It is very much geared for a good experience on trails. 

Now, when you include the insole, this midsole becomes a very capable partnership for a nice feel underfoot.  The insole is one of the better trail insoles I have experienced and to be honest, it may end up in a road shoe I am testing to see if it makes an improvement in the underfoot feel in that.  This provides a very nice step in feel.

The design of the FKT beaded insole is intended to help shed/drain water if you encounter this on the trails.  On my mud run, I went through water and it was also periodically raining and the whole shoe performed very well for me.  It did not seem to carry any water after the run.

*Insoles can be purchased separately from Topo matching their shoe/toebox design.  See website for details

Topo has been on a good trend with the shoes I have run in with their midsoles. 

Zero drop highlight:  If you have been running in higher drop shoes or just never ran/hiked in zero drop shoes, I strongly recommend you doing research into how to properly transition into those type of shoes.  I find them to be very beneficial, I like to vary the drop of shoes I use to vary the areas of my lower body that are affected by my running.
Here is 1 recommended video by "Doctors of Running" who do a great job and are medical professionals as well.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQ3cvODENB8&t=7s

I targeted my review for this shoe as a trail shoe that could be used for Trail Runs and Hikes, with usage on normal to technical trails.   My target distance was short to medium length runs.   It is from that perspective that I give it a 5 rating, because this shoe hit on all points within the parameters of usage I saw fitting this shoe. 

Does this mean it can't do long distance?  Not necessarily.   I know people who have used this shoe in it's previous versions for ultra distances.  If this shoe was good in previous versions, then it will continue to support you in this version with an improved lock down and underfoot feel. 

I would not personally use it for long distance running, but that is based on my own mechanics and preferences.  I do think if they added 2-3mm more stack, it could leap into longer runs for myself........but it may have a negative effect on the overall shoe dynamics.   I would use this shoe for long mileage hiking.  Why the difference?   When I run, I tend to put a lot of force into a shoe, so a little more protection for long runs works a bit better for me.  

If I am just going out exploring, this is a shoe I will gravitate to.  It can handle different conditions very well, is comfortable and protective, but also nimble enough to just go have fun!