Men's Saucony Xodus Ultra

I bought these in part because my previous trail shoes were beginning to show some age but also because those shoes - while I did and do love them - just weren't suited for ultra-distance running and I had a 100k race coming up. My only experience with Saucony to this point was a single, mid-distance road run in some borrowed Endorphin Speeds. They seemed to work fine on my feet, so when I researched trail shoes with some cushion and came across the Xodus Ultra, I felt safe giving them a try. I'm only 78 miles into these (the 100k being my first real run in them - dumb, I know), but so far I'm a fan. They are notably more cushioned than my Lone Peaks or even my worn out road trainers. The still offer the same level of grip I'd come to love in my Lone Peaks. And, thankfully, they didn't cause any blisters or other issues. More generally, to be a fairly cushioned shoe, it still felt light on my feet. The upper is breathable and seems sturdy (time will tell). The outsole had superb grip in all the conditions I've encountered so far: loose dirt, wet pavement, goopy clay mud, leaf-covered hard-pack, loose gravel, and bare but wet clay hard-pack - which is typically slick-as-snot. Zero noticeable wear at this point. The only downside I've seen so far with the materials used is that red clay definitely stains the once bright neon green upper mesh (it came off the PBRun foam just fine though). Definitely not a complaint as that was totally expected. That stuff stains everything. And finally with regard to fit, I have a very narrow foot with a medium to high arch and prefer a shoe that gives ample room in the forefoot for my toes to splay some as I run. Despite not being a "foot-shaped" shoe like Altras or Topos, my foot had the room it needed in this area. The size (length) seemed on par with almost all my other running shoes. And as mentioned above, I haven't experienced any areas where the shoes rub or cause any irritation issues. The only fitment issue I can speak to is the fact that I've had a bit more difficulty getting a "locked-in" feeling around my ankle and heal. It's not bad - and again, I have a narrow foot, esp my heal - but even with different lacing patterns it doesn't feel quite as locked-in and therefore shifts side-to-side as I round sharper turns or traverse sections of trail that are off camber. Overall, I am very pleased with my purchase and would recommend these shoes to any trail runner looking to do more than a dozen or so miles at a time.