Disclaimer:  This is a sponsored post. I am a brand ambassador with Mizuno Canada and I received the shoes at no cost.

I spent the summer of 2014 running in Mizuno Wave Kazans at all my obstacle course races. As amazing as they were definitely heavier when I compared them to other trail shoes. Cue the start of training for the 2015 season and bam the amazing new Wave Hayate’s landed on my doorstep! I was beyond excited. They are pretty snazzy in terms of colour & design and definitely lighter than the Kazans. Kazans are 8 oz in weight and the Hayate’s are 7.2 ozs but feel considerably lighter on the feet.

I’ve taken them out three times since receiving them. Two hill training sessions at Riverdale park & one hill training session on snow at Earl Bales Park. I grabbed a spare tire I have and brought it along for extra awkward weight to carry up and down the hill a few times.

The shoes are absolutely amazing in dirt and mud but horrible on snow. I couldn’t run down the hill at Earl Bales without slipping everywhere. This wasn’t a big shocker. As much as the treads on them are great for dirt they really don’t have the spikes that are needed for snow running.

The treads however are great for what they are made for which is trail running and I can’t wait to rock them at my first 5 Peaks trail race of the season and all my OCRs this summer. The big test at OCRs will be if they have good draining capabilities for running through water & mud obstacles. I’ll keep you posted!