Merrell MTL SpeedARC Peak | Doesn’t Feel Like a Road Shoe in Disguise

Merrell’s most advanced running shoe, the  MTL SpeedARC Peak is a shoe five years in the making. 

Most advanced and five years in the making comes with a lot of pressure. Already receiving high accolades, the ideas of podiums and PRs do actually seem to be achievable in these shoes.

Admittedly, my experience with Merrell has mainly been hiking boots, but I’ve taken those hiking boots everywhere from muddy forests to snowshoeing to glaciers and I have loved the feel and durability. 

So when a pair of Merrell trail running shoes showed up, I had high expectations. The MTL SpeedARC Peak has lived up to that expectation of a quality product up to this point.

Merrell touts the MTL SpeedARC Peak as designed with the sole purpose of enabling athletes to compete at the highest level with an elite trail racing shoe. 

For this middle of the pack runner, this feels like a bit of grandiose marketing.  But that is not to discount the fact that this is a great shoe that makes me feel fast.

This shoe is a perfect fit for a trail racing shoe. It’s not just a converted road shoe, it’s truly trail specific.

Merrell MTL SpeedARC Peak Overview

The color scheme of the Merrell MTL SpeedARC Peak will make your 80’s loving heart happy with the split neon yellow, teal, and pink.  This was intentional as a throwback to when the company was founded.

Designed as a carbon plated, racing trail shoe and not as a carbon plated road shoe converted to a trail shoe makes a difference.  The MTL SpeedARC Peak feels like a trail shoe first and foremost. 

This wasn’t just slapping some lugs on the bottom, the design and intention came through in these shoes.

Starting from the bottom up is the Vibram Megagrip Elite outsole with 4 mm lugs.  It’s not a full coverage outsole, but it does the job. 

So while there is some of the midsole exposed traction isn’t affected. Out of all the trail conditions I tested, the only time I slid was on the descent of a 21% graded scree field and I don’t know of any shoes that wouldn’t slip on that.

I think the stand out feature of the Merrell MTL SpeedARC Peak is the midsole though. 

The midsole is a dual-density foam with a forked Carbon Fiber FlexPlate sandwiched in the middle.That fork is an important change we’re seeing in other fast trail shoes as it allows the foot to better move over rocks compared to a traditional full length plate in road shoes.

The bottom layer of FloatPro foam is what you would expect in a trail shoe, durable, somewhat firm. 

But the top layer of FloatPro PEBA-based racing foam was a surprise. When I took these shoes out over some of my super rocky, technical Colorado trails I noticed the difference. 

I would purposely target rocks and it felt like this shoe would do this slight conforming to the rock, giving me confidence in my step but I was never able to feel a rock stabbing me in the foot. 

After several runs I also felt like the FloatPro PEBA-based foam started to mold to my foot, it was just like sliding into that well known shoe.    

The upper is made of Matryx, a combination of threads of Kevlar and a polyamide. You might have seen this upper in other brands like Hoka and Salomon. There’s a reason you are seeing it more and more, it’s lightweight, breathable, and abrasion resistant.

Merrell MTL SpeedARC Peak Fit

The Merrell MTL SpeedARC Peak is a true to size unisex shoe.

The tongue is not gusseted but is attached by an elastic strap on both sides preventing it from sliding to either side. 

This elastic also helps on those long runs when your foot might swell a little. It’s a little rigid but has detailed padding across the pressure points under the laces.

Also appreciate that it’s not a thick padded tonuge, which reduces weight and warmth. It reminds me of many Hoka tongues and sits well on the ankle.

The toebox isn’t wide, it is a similar fit to a Saucony Peregrine, which is to say more narrow. We’ve often found this in Merrell shoes, so beware that if you want a lot of toe space or midfoot room this won’t be the shoe.

The heel has a padded collar and holds your foot well.

Merrell MTL SpeedARC Peak Feel

The biggest stand out on the feel of the Merrell MTL SpeedARC Peak is the FloatPro PEBA-based foam. 

After a few runs it felt like the shoe was molding to my foot.While not a high stack, Merrell says this is a high cushion shoe.

I thought the combination of foam felt more squishy than soft, but I wasn’t bothered by this on long runs. Especially because the weight feels right for a shoe that you want to pick up the pace. I never felt held back by it being overly cushioned or too heavy.

The SpeedARC Peak isn’t the most flexible, but I find this to be the case with other carbon plated trail shoes as well.

The upper has ripstop at the toes for durability but doesn’t allow your toes to flex much if you need to wiggle them.

I’m sure if I had to wade through a river my socks would be soaking wet, but three or four strides crossing a creek and my feet were mostly dry and everything else dried quickly. The Matryx upper is breathable material.

What to read next?

• Our Favorite Running Gear Finds for Summer
• Best Cushioned Trail Running Shoes
• How to Start Trail Running