The North Face Cutback – Trail-Running Shoes

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ONE SWEET RIDEForget the South Beach Diet: The cushioning here will convince you that you’ve lost ten pounds. Credit trademarked midsole components (they boil down to strategically tuned EVA and a bit of foam rubber), which render each foot strike a pleasure instead of a pain. A thickly padded, noncreeping tongue keeps the top of your foot as cushioned as the bottom.
Bonus: Even the removable sock liner has its own shock-absorbing inserts.
Bummer: All that cush turns marshmallowy on steep traverses.