Brand Intro: Mount to Coast
For the Runners Who Go Longest
At some point past mile 60, most running shoes start to fall apart. The midsole flattens. The upper stops holding the foot properly. The outsole gives up. It's an accepted part of ultra running: bring spare shoes to the aid station, size up, cut the upper, hope for the best.
Mount to Coast has spent the past few years building shoes that don't need any of those workarounds. The brand is now available at Achilles Heel, starting with the T1, a nimble, lightweight trail shoe built for technical terrain.
How it All Started
Mount to Coast started with a simple observation. Ultrarunners ask a lot of their shoes. They demand comfort, support, and consistent performance over hundreds of miles, in every kind of weather. What they want, above all, is a shoe that can keep going as far as their imagination will carry them.
Extensive research kept turning up the same problems. Runners were preparing multiple pairs of shoes for a single event because midsoles were degrading part way through. Runners were sizing up or even cutting into their uppers to make room for foot swell over the course of an ultra. Outsoles were wearing out after just a couple of weeks of regular training. The mainstream running industry, for all its innovation, wasn't really building for what happens to a shoe at mile 80, or mile 180, or mile 800.
The founding question was straightforward: where were the shoes that specifically addressed these problems?
The answer came together over 18 months. A team of footwear designers, materials specialists, and craftspeople with decades of experience between them at some of the biggest names in running set about designing from scratch, not adapting from existing race shoes. They worked directly with ultrarunners throughout, refining the prototypes against the specific problems runners were describing.
Two of the technologies that came out of that work became foundational to the brand. ZeroSag, a cushioning material drawn from the suspension systems of race cars, engineered to keep its properties over hundreds of miles rather than going flat. And TUNEDFIT, a dual lacing system that lets runners tighten the forefoot and midfoot independently, giving them a way to adjust the shoe as their foot changes shape during a long effort.
The prototype won the ISPO Award in November 2023. A few months later, ultrarunner Justin Montague completed the 854-mile MTC JOGLE in a single pair of Mount to Coast R1s, breaking every daily record along the way and finishing the whole route nearly 40 hours ahead of the previous best time. The brand launched publicly in April 2024, and has been building steadily ever since.
The First Shoe at Achilles Heel: The Mount to Coast T1
The T1 is Mount to Coast's technical trail shoe, built to feel nimble and lightweight on demanding ground. It's a good place to start with the brand, because it showcases most of the technology that makes Mount to Coast what it is.
LightCELL™ supercritical foam midsole. Mount to Coast's proprietary midsole material, made using nitrogen-based supercritical foaming. It weighs 50% less than standard EVA and delivers 45% more energy return. Tested by hundreds of ultrarunners to make sure it holds its character over the kind of accumulated mileage that flattens lesser foams.
TUNEDFIT™ Dual Lacing System. Two independent cinch cords per shoe, letting you adjust the forefoot and midfoot separately. On technical terrain, that means you can dial in midfoot lockdown for security on descents without over-tightening the forefoot. Small detail, big difference underfoot.
Wide toe box. Space for your toes to splay and flex naturally, which helps with foot placement and control on uneven ground.
Vibram® Megagrip with Litebase and Traction Lug. Three Vibram innovations working together. Megagrip rubber for traction across wet and dry surfaces. Litebase construction that shaves 30% off outsole weight. Traction Lug micro-features that add up to 25% more grip on technical terrain.
Aramid fibre reinforced woven upper. The upper is reinforced with aramid fibres that are five times stronger than steel, built to handle the abrasion of technical trails without breaking down. An anti-siphon knit tongue repels water for fast-drying performance in stream crossings and sustained wet weather.
The T1 also carries the APMA Seal of Acceptance, which recognises footwear that supports foot health across high-mileage training.
Who It's For
The T1 is built for trail runners who want a nimble, lightweight shoe that handles technical terrain with precision. Rocky descents, root-strewn singletrack, wet and varied ground, the kind of terrain where every step needs a shoe that responds quickly and grips confidently. If you spend your weekends on technical trails, whether that's a fast half day out or a longer effort, this is the shoe designed around exactly that.
It's also worth a look for runners who want a wide toe box and precise fit on trail, whether or not you're clocking ultra distances every weekend. The dual lacing and wider platform suit runners whose feet have been fighting with narrower trail shoes for years.
Available Now at Achilles Heel
The Mount to Coast T1 is available now, in-store on Great Western Road and online. It's the first shoe from the brand we're stocking, and it likely won't be the last.
If you're new to Mount to Coast, come and have a chat. Our team can walk you through the T1 and help you work out whether it's the right shoe for your running.
