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Second-hand Teva trail runners fit the bill

Jeanne McGovern
Aspen Times Weekly
Aspen, CO Colorado
Jordan Curet The Aspen Times
ALL | The Aspen Times

I am not a runner. But there are times when I do run. So a pair of running shoes is something I usually have in my closet. But when the pair I’ve owned for several years fell victim to our new puppy, I had a choice to make: shell out the money for a new pair or go without.

It was actually a tough decision: Running shoes are not cheap, and I am not rich. So when my husband called in early spring from a thrift shop in Basalt to say he’d found a pair of Teva trail-running shoes in my size, I figured what the heck? Like I said, I’m not a dedicated runner, so I’m not necessarily picky when it comes to my running shoes. Plus, they were only $10. Yes, $10 ” a bargain by any standard.

Long story short, I love these shoes. The reason is simple, and something I wish I’d thought of years ago: they are multipurpose. I can jog in them and I can hike in them. My former running shoes were way too flimsy for hiking, and my current hiking boots are way to cumbersome to run in (and, for easy hikes, they’re just too much shoe). Plus, my mountain bike was stolen last year and the hand-me-down replacement I’m riding doesn’t have clipless pedals, so I’m biking in my running shoes. And they work just fine ” the extra tread is actually a boon for hike-a-bikes down steep, loose gravel trails.



I visited the Teva website to learn a little more about my shoes, but couldn’t find an exact match; I assume the ones I have are old ” although hardly worn. But the concept is the same. Teva’s current line of women’s trail running shoes is generally touted for being “quick-drying with the right blend of cushioning, flexibility and responsiveness.” Its “adventure” shoes are promoted as being stable and supportive, but lightweight. I think the shoe I now own is some kind of crossbreed. But what do I know?

I know that likely they’ll last a long time; I still have a pair of old-school Teva sandals, which have been hiked, dunked and dragged across the Colorado backcountry, the mountains of South America and the beaches of Hawaii. And I know I have a pair of shoes that fills the role of at least two pairs of shoes.




So for a quasi-runner who likes to hike and needs a pair of shoes for mountain biking, I’d say I scored. You serious road runners ” or if you run in, say, the desert ” might beg to differ. But I’m sold … especially for $10.