I've wore these for some solid training runs and when my feet were destroyed for the last 20 miles of the McNaughton 100. When my feet were wet and mushy from 20+ hours of running in the muck and crossing streams these shoes locked my foot in place and kept the friction way down.

These things are crazy stable for as light as they are. The fit is really secure. I have a narrow heel and a wide forefoot and after messing with the lacing a little I was able to lock my heel in and still let my toes wiggle. They drain well except for at the toe where there is some extra protective material on the sides or the very protective toe cap. It's not a deal breaker, but it does hold a little more water than I would like. The bottoms are light, but protective against roots and rocks. The traction is also way better than it looks. I thought they gripped very well in mud as well as on the packed down dirt single track and grassy areas. Lastly, the medial posting (which you can’t see in the pictures) is a plus for a runner that is not neutral, like me.

If you are trying to compare this shoe to another... I would say its like a combo of the Montrail Highlander and the Continental Divide

Purchased a pair in June '09 after 5 years of running on Velocitys through the trails of the Marin Headlands and Mt. Tam. Velocitys were not as comfortable, but I could count on them for at least a few hundred trail pounding miles. I tend to run down hill aggressively which combined with the rocky terrain, tends to chew up tread pretty quickly. Even so, I was surprised by how non-masochistically these shoes performed. In a 4-month period the tread is almostly completely gone, with entire sections ripped away and others simply worn down. On top of that, the cushion has compressed faster than what I would have expected.Great/comfortable shoe if you aren't going to be pounding on it, but I will be opting for an alternative.

I have been running in Montrails for over 14 years now. I have tried others but I always come back to Montrail. Every so often they change the line and I get real nervous about which shoe is going to be right for me. This year I went with the new Mountain Masochist, and I must say it is the best shoe yet. Extremely light (maybe even lighter than my road shoes), but protective enough for the rockiest terrain. The fit is fantastic. They cinch down nicely without binding, and have great ventilation. Nice addition of a tiny bit of traction right on the bottom of the arch for when you catch a root or rock right in the middle. The sole has great traction with none of the hard slick spots that can cause problems. This is truly my favorite trail shoe ever.

Big Fan of this Shoe. This was my first trail shoe and I am happy with my choice. I haven't done any runs over 12 miles in them, but have raced hard through various trail types and always felt great at the end. My feet had plenty more miles in them. Right amount of cushion and traction and gave me solid footing on uneven trails.

My Montrail Vitesse's were my go to ultra shoe before Montrail was bought out by Columbia. Then the whole shoe line went downhill with sizing problems and durability problems. I tried other brands but could not find a perfect shoe. So it was with some uneasiness that I ordered the Mountain Masochist. I only ran in them once before a 50k race this spring, The Promised Land (8k climb, 8k descent.) All I can say is wow! What a great shoe. The size is right on. Big toe box. Drains well. Feels light. Good grip on mud, wet rocks. Lux ride on hard pack. I had no blisters or hot spots. Love the shoe. I'll be using them at Leadville 100 later this summer. Note to Montrail, don't change the shoe this time!

These are great trail shoes. They are very light and more comfortable than the Streak's. They have a moderate amount of toe box protection. I have used these on runs of up to 10 miles and found them very comfortable. I plan to train in them up to 20 miles, but will stick with the beefier Hard Rocks for runs over 20 miles.

I would recommend these shoes for any trail runner with good ankle strength (they don't have as much support as heavier trail shoes).

I really like these shoes. I do not work for the company or get them free. I'm telling you, these are great shoes if you like a form fitting no-slop shoe. The push for wider toe boxes has always proved nonsense to me. I've been running for twenty-five years and many of the running shoes these days, trail or road, are far too wide and sloppy. A fat-footed fad I hate. The Masochists are spot on. I don't care who purchased Montrail, they've developed a great shoe and I really enjoy the glove fit. My form is far more stable, quick, and sure footed than my Brooks Cascadia's I ran my last ultra in. Cascadia's are okay, but the really thin tongue and awkward high center sloppy fit killed my ankles after fifty miles. Good to note I'm a big guy, 6'3" and 195 pounds and run 4-5 ultras per summer. The cushioning is spot on. Don't mean to be over-the-top here, but Montrail did the old schoolers who enjoy a glove fit right. I say you should at mininum try these on before any other trail shoe is purchased.

These are great trail shoes. They are very light and more comfortable than the Streak's. They have a moderate amount of toe box protection. I have used these on runs of up to 10 miles and found them very comfortable. I plan to train in them up to 20 miles, but will stick with the beefier Hard Rocks for runs over 20 miles.

I would recommend these shoes for any trail runner with good ankle strength (they don't have as much support as heavier trail shoes).

First time Montrail buyer! Montrail nailed it with their Montrail Mountain Masochist trail shoe. I would highly recommend these shoes, they have done extremely well on hard packed non technical trails as well as on technical mountainous trails. I only put approx.10 miles on them before wearing them for the August Pikes Peak Ascent and Sept. Imogene Pass race. The Masochists felt extremely light, provided excellent traction on both courses, provided ample protection on some of the treacherous parts of each course with no issues to report. They felt light but still provided a good amount of cushion. I'm 6'2 and just under 200 lbs, with a normal arch and generally look for a "stability or stability plus" type of shoe. The Montrail Mountain Masochist provided a great ride, felt stable and fit true to form ( I normally go with a 11.5, there was no need to size up a full size). Bottom line, highly recommend these shoes, will be picking up a second pair and saving for early 2010 ultra's.

I wore these shoes on a 42 mile self supported run through the Great Smokey Mountain National Park on the AT. The trail was very technical with over 13K feet of gain. The MMM's held up very well with the exception of the heels. I experienced some significant heel rub that left me with some blisters. This is the first time that Montrails have done this to me. Other than that, the shoe was great. The lacing system allows for a custom fit that really cradles your foot and keeps you feeling secure during long climbs or hairball decents. Never worried about sliding off a log or slipping on anything. Rocksolid on stability and secure fit. Just that little issue with the heels...which is nothing a little tape can't fix.

always liked the Leona Divide then they were discontinued,tried a bunch of other brands and other Monotrails, then these they fit great.

I think this is probably best running trail shoes I had. It has great grip; it is very light and reasonably water repellent. I am not really sure why it is named Masochist.

This is the most comfortable, lightweight, secure shoe I have ever worn on the trail hands down!! As I get further into the run the shoe feels like a second layer of skin... I 'm going to buy another pair as a backup....