Coming to the forefoot, the shoe has a relatively low volume whilst widening out just enough to allow you a generous splay through foot planting, allowing a holistic and hybrid fit to the foot like a road trainer. We experienced no degradation of the support throughout our testing — the shoe felt firm and supportive even after weeks of use. Made for light trails and road-to-trail transitions, the Divide 3 fits like a road shoe with Trail-Tack traction and added protection.

The grooves help with the flexibility of the shoe, with one bifurcating lengthwise with an anatomical curve, one crossing under midfoot and another running across the forefoot. I do find the Divide 3 to be a bit more trail capable with superior security, traction and are just more fun to run. Mike shoe preferences lean towards firmer, dense cushioning, with plenty of forefoot space, and he strongly dislikes pointy toe boxes. The slightly longer fit was fine and fit perfectly on moderate to longer efforts where foot swelling became an issue. But I do want to emphasize that I really like the crash pad segmentation of the new Divide - I think it really does smooth out the ride and also makes for stable landings.From time to time carriers may deliver earlier or later, or on non working days however this is cannot be guaranteed nor should it be expected. If you are a beginner or looking for a durable, affordable trail running shoe, then this is the model for you.

TrailTack rubber traction underfoot provides a reliable feel so you can venture offroad with confidence, with high surface area lugs that helps you adapt to uneven terrain and a resilient non-skid rubber helps navigate inclines and descents with ease. Jeff V: The Divide 3 has dropped a few grams, has a more generous toe box, yet has a far superior and secure upper. Jeff V: The new air mesh upper is impressively modern looking, flexible, well ventilated and secure.The lacing is once and done secure, without any pressure points and provides a comfortably snug fit without have to wrestle with or over tighten. This shoe gives me the flexibility to travel to the closest trail route, whether that is Richmond Park or the Surrey Hills. Make a mark at your longest toe and then measure the distance from the mark to the edge of the paper.

Once you put this shoe on, you can feel the stiff, neutral platform that allows for confident running even if you suffer from issues related to stability.These shoes sound pretty great for door to trail, though they sound like they might be too wide for my narrow foot. The midsole has been reconfigured and instead of incorporating the cushioning present in its previous version, the Brooks Divide 2, it has a comfortable DNA LOFT cushioning that guarantees smoother transitions along with an unbeatable level of flexibility and protection.

But if you've been running in shoes from another brand, and want to try Brooks, it's helpful to know where to start. If, however, you find the Brooks Divide 3 too thick on the upper material check out the Adidas Terrex Agravic Ultra trial shoe which I find has a similar sole stability support but is slightly more neutral around the heel counter and a thinner upper with more ventilation. The shoe has cleats and a full TrailTrack rubber outsole that provides great traction on wet terrain. Again, Brooks provides 3 other models which all offer varying levels of increased protection, if you need it.Jeff V: The Divide 3 receives a complete makeover from the previous versions, with an all new outsole, Loft DNA v1 midsole and new upper.