TNF Single Track Hayasa Review

I was pretty excited to receive my TNF Single Track Hayasas in the mail. I had been coveting these shoes at my local outdoor store and in the pages of my favorite running magazines for a couple of months. Now they were sitting in my living room just begging to go play.

I like the appearance of the Hayasas, the bright blue or red color makes them stand out even when covered in mud! These shoes are ultralight, weighing in at 8.3 ounces, more than 3 ounces lighter than the previous Single Track model. North Face has also managed to drop the heel to forefoot profile to 10 millimeters, again bettering last year’s Single Track model by 2 millimeters. This low profile allows you to have a good sense of the trail beneath your foot, thus providing a “close to trail ride”.  

 I have used these shoes for most of my runs for 5 weeks and I have had no problems, no pinching or blister problems. I have punished them through intervals, hill workouts, and long runs as well as differing conditions; snow, rain and sun. The fit is snug and my foot feels secure and balanced. The laces have some grab to them, so even when not double knotted, they manage to stay tied.

However, I do have some concerns with the shoe. I have covered roughly 200 kilometers, 30 percent on road and 70 percent on trail and the 3 front nubs on the forefoot of both shoes have worn down considerably. This is not a concern with my other TNF shoes (Single Tracks and Double Tracks) and I have more kilometers on those shoes. With these grips worn down, traction on the trail can be compromised, especially in snowy or muddy conditions. Also, the toe cap on my right shoe has begun to peel off the upper. There does not seem to be any performance hindrance; however it is worrisome that these shoes would break down so quickly.

I am still sold on the lightness and comfort of these shoes; however there are a few kinks left to iron out.