Speedland GL:SVT Trail Running Shoes

Review by Erin Trail

Initial Impressions

The Speedland GL:SVT Trail Running Shoes are NOT subtle shoes – they stand out and attract attention.  These trail runners are packed with technology, from utilizing a BOA® Fit System for laces to having a removable carbon plate, offering a lot of customization in one shoe.

Detailed Review

When I first got the Speedland GL:SVT Trail Running Shoes, I really didn’t know what to think because they are so different from any other trail running shoes I’ve used.  It was actually overwhelming and I wasn’t sure I would end up liking them.  I was wrong. 

The BOA® Fit System might be what I like the most about these shoes.  My feet are finicky.  They like to swell mid-run and are prone to get pins-and-needles numbness randomly if the laces are too tight.  I’m also a triathlete, and do not like to tie my laces each time I put the shoes on.  The BOA® Fit System provides easy and fast fit customization, even while out on the trail.  There are two BOAs on each shoe: a lower covering the top of your foot and an upper, securing the ankle area (and helping the heel stay in place).  I can make the top BOA tighter so my heel doesn’t move while keeping the lower BOA loose, allowing for foot swelling as I run.  I also love that I can make mid-run adjustments with a simple pop and twist. The material that comprises the “laces” of the BOA® Fit System are thinner, lighter, and more flexible than the material BOA uses in cycling shoes and ski boots.  Because the system is so light and flexible, I didn’t notice any pressure points or tightness along the top of my feet.

The Speedland GL:SVT Trail Running Shoes upper fabric is durable but also breathable.  The bright design is attention getting.  The ankle cuff is slightly loose, but I haven’t noticed that any rocks or debris enter my shoe as I run.

The shoes are unisex.  I’m female and have a really skinny foot.  I ordered my usual running shoe size and I’ve found the fit to be good. I do suspect that the angle gaiter tightness is due to having thinner ankles than my male counterparts who wear a men’s size 7.5.

The removable Carbitex GearFlex plate is a really cool feature.  Without the plate, the shoe feels slightly cushy.  The plate is installed by removing the proprietary insole from the shoe, twisting the plate into place at the bottom of the insole, and then putting the insole + plate back inside the shoe. The plate doesn’t add any additional volume because the custom insole has a recessed space that it fits into.  I found the Carbitex GearFlex to stiffen up the shoe while adding a bit of pop to my stride.  The coolest thing about this feature is that you basically get a training shoe and a racing shoe all in one shoe. 

The Speedland GL:SVT Trail Running Shoes are made for super gnarly, technical trails.  I was given the shoes in December, and I’ve been able to use them on a gently rolling – but pretty rocky – trail, a snow packed paved trail, and a smooth dirt stair incline trail that has a sleep and moderately loose downward return trail. I found the traction of the Speedland GL:SVT Trail Running Shoes to be very stable and reliable. The Michelin Fiber Lite outsole has beefy 6.5mm lugs, which provides great traction on a variety of surfaces, including slippy packed snow.

I also loved how the Speedland GL:SVT Trail Running Shoes handled on steep, slightly loose and uneven descents. I am not a confident downhill runner, but I have a big race coming up with steep climbs and steep descents, so I’ve been working on being a better downhill runner.  I noticed that my foot position within the shoe while running downhill felt slightly forward, which gave me a feeling of stability and confidence. I was able to find bigger, regular strides because I felt so stable in the shoes. 

The only negative about these shoes is that the insole is custom designed and does not “officially” accommodate other insoles.  I have a torn plantar plate and I have to wear insoles with a met pad.  I tried to run without my special insoles on a test run and my foot was screaming in pain after 20 minutes. The Speedland GL:SVT Trail Running Shoes insole is more like what you would find as part of a shoe’s midsole.  It’s a thick and sturdy foam and does not at all resemble the typical thin, flexible running shoe insole.  The GL:SVT insole also provides the mechanism for attaching the removable Carbitex GearFlex plate.  So, this isn’t a part of the shoe that you can just remove and not use.  I ended up taking a chance and putting my met pad insoles on top of the GL:SVT insoles.  My hope was that the BOA® PerformFit™ Wrap would allow enough room in the shoe upper to accommodate this additional layer.  And I think I hoped correctly.  The shoes definitely fit on the tighter side (compared to similar trail running shoes with an ankle gaiter), but I was able to keep the BOA® Fit System loose enough so my feet haven’t gone numb.  While initial tests are good, I still need to try these out after a 2 hour bike ride or in the heat, when my feel tend to swell. I like the fit, feel and features of the shoes enough that I’m really crossing all of my crossables that they will work for me in all of my scenarios. 

Closing Thoughts

Speedland GL:SVT Trail Running Shoes are attention catching, not just because of their bright and bold colorway.  These shoes are really innovative, from using the BOA® Fit System, to offering a removable Carbitex GearFlex plate, basically giving runners a training and race shoe in one purchase.  The only drawback is that they don’t encourage use of additional insoles, so if you require orthotics or special insoles, these may not be the shoes for you. I’ve been really enjoying running on the Speedland GL:SVT Trail Running Shoes and really hope that they’ll continue to work for me in the summer months.

Erin Trail

Erin Trail’s hobby is collecting hobbies. She’s a 5th Generation Coloradan and grew up exploring the outdoors on family camping trips and hikes.  Her first backpacking trip was at eight years old to Grizzly Reservoir – she proudly carried all of her own gear those 3 miles from the main parking lot to the Reservoir.

Erin is an adult-onset athlete who started as a Masters Swimmer and then developed into a triathlete.  She completed 5 Ironman races and nearly 20 x 70.3 distance Ironman races, including the World Championship in Lahti, Finland, in 2023.  Somewhere along her triathlon journey, she picked up a deep love of cycling.

Cycling encouraged her to see landscapes in a new way, learn new skills and to develop self reliance; now she often goes and does Type 2 rides just to see if she can do it.  She’s got all the bikes: gravel, mountain, fat bike, time trial and road.

She is even known to combine her love of camping and cycling and go off on solo 24 hour overnight bikepacking trips in the mountains of Colorado. In addition to bikes, she teaches yoga, lifts weights, skis, SUPs and has recently purchased a campervan.

Erin is a former Montana park ranger with a degree in environmental engineering.  She loves getting into technical details while putting her gear (and herself) through the paces. She shares her home in Colorado with her husband, Will, and her 3 cats (Zipper, Brewtus, and Simcoe).

2025 brings some exciting things.  Erin has qualified to be on Team USA for USA Triathlon and will be competing in a World Championship off-road triathlon in Pontevedra, Spain in June. To prepare for this event, she’s got several mountain bike races and training weekends planned in the months leading up to the big day.  Additionally, she’s racing Ironman Boise 70.3 in July.  Once her race schedule closes out in July, she’ll be moving to more adventure based activities (bikepacking, vanlife, and mountain bike festivals).

When not adventuring, she can be found on a sunny patio somewhere, drinking beers with her husband.