Mount to Coast M1 Review: An Ultra Running Shoe for Milder Trails

The Mount to Coast M1 is a cushioned trail running shoe designed for ultra distances, combining a responsive JETCELL midsole with a Vibram Megagrip outsole and 4 mm lugs. After testing it across everything from flat rail trails to rocky, technical climbs, we found its sweet spot is long miles on smoother, more runnable terrain.
After taking the Mount to Coast M1 across everything from flat rail trails and buttery smooth rolling hills to rocky, technical climbs, its sweet spot became pretty clear. This is a shoe designed to go long, and the supportive cushioning feels best when you can settle into your stride on dirt roads, gravel, and smoother singletrack.

I expect we’ll start seeing the M1 at plenty of longer distance ultras, particularly those with more runnable terrain. But for steep, rocky, technical races where security and ground feel become more important, this wouldn’t be our first choice.

This shoe is a good fit for an ultra trail racing shoe on the right trails.

Mount to Coast M1 Overview

Mount to Coast might have the best shoe naming system out there – R1 for road, T1 for trail, and the new M1 for mountain. The M1 is a great ultra distance trail shoe, but maybe not for technical mountain trails.

Mount to Coast describes the M1 as an all mountain trail shoe, so naturally we wanted to see just how much mountain it could actually handle.
Mount to Coast shoes just kind of look different from other shoes, this Hong Kong-based brand has been making a statement over the last two years. Opening up the box, two things stand out: the mid-sole foam and the dual lacing system.

Picking the M1 up, the JETCELL foam immediately reminded me of styrofoam. But that super light foam is super durable and unimaginably light weight. I was hesitant at first, but I took this shoe out through some rough bushwhacking and the JETCELL foam came out in good shape on the other side.  

On dirt roads, gravel paths, rolling trails, and smoother singletrack, there’s a lot to like. The JETCELL foam has a supportive, slightly firm feel with enough response to keep the shoe from feeling sluggish as the miles add up. There’s plenty of room in the toe box, and the dual lacing system helps dial in the fit, all things we appreciate even more in a shoe designed with ultrarunning in mind.

But once I moved onto steeper, rockier, more technical trails, I started to find the M1’s limits. Interestingly, outright traction wasn’t necessarily the problem. The Vibram Megagrip outsole and 4 mm lugs can grab the trail, but I didn’t always feel as connected and secure inside the shoe when navigating uneven terrain. That lack of confidence matters when one bad step can mean a rolled ankle.

And that helped clarify what the M1 really is for me.

This isn’t the ultra shoe I’d choose for a highly technical mountain race, but for a 50K or longer race on dirt roads, buffed out singletrack, gravel, and rolling trails, the combination of cushion and support starts to make a lot of sense. 

The Mount to Coast M1 comes through with the full Vibram Megagrip rubber Litebase outsole adding to the super light feel of the shoe. 

I love when the outsole is full coverage, maybe it’s in my head, but I like knowing a rock’s not getting into the midsole.  The 4 mm lugs are a pretty standard depth and they do provide the great grip that you expect from Vibram.

Mount to Coast M1 Fit

The Mount to Coast M1 is a true to size shoe that runs on the wider side.

In addition to the durable foam, the upper is a TPEE-blended yarn and a reinforced toe. The upper TPEE is strong, the kind of strong that you know is not going to rip in those pinky toe spots after all the miles. It also dries quickly and is breathable.

The TUNEDFIT lacing system may take some getting used to. The lower half is the cinch cord system and the top half is a traditional lace.  Designed for customizing the tension in the forefoot and midfoot, the system works well.

I always do a high instep lace with my running shoes, but with the TUNEDFIT dual lace and cinch cord system I couldn’t change up the lacing which worried me. 

But I had absolutely no problems with pressure on the top of my foot with this lacing system and I think the fully padded tongue helped with that.

The laces are only the top half of the shoe and are really short, I was only able to do a heel lock lace, I couldn’t double knot my shoelaces. I have a narrow foot, so those with a wider foot might find the laces even shorter than I did.  

I’m not sure if it’s due to the dual lacing system, but the M1 did not hold my foot well.  On a steep downhill, I would slide until my toes hit the front of the shoe. 

I couldn’t tighten the laces down enough to keep this from happening.  I also found my foot sliding in the heel when I would corner on downhill switchbacks. 

The Vibram Megagrip sole would grab the trail like it should, but my heel wouldn’t be centered in the shoe any longer.  This might be due to the fact that this feels like a wider shoe even though it’s not a wide shoe. 

I really took caution on the downhills because I wasn’t being held tightly in the M1. 

Mount to Coast M1 Feel

The biggest stand out on the feel of the Mount to Coast M1 is how light it feels, yet still like a durable shoe. The best part is the M1 still feels like that at the end of the long miles. 

The JETCELL foam is a firmer foam, but with the high stack provides a good cushioning for the longer miles without collapsing under foot.   

There is a nice amount of rocker to the M1 making it feel great on the less technical rollers.  The construction of the outsole and midsole provide a great energy return in the longer miles.  

The TUNEDFIT lacing system really does let you dial it in unless you are on the narrower foot side.  I just couldn’t tighten the laces enough to get a good hold on my foot, especially in the heel. 

But I think a standard foot or a wider foot is going to love this lacing system and the adjustability.  

There is plenty of padding in the tongue and heel for long miles comfort.  And while not fully gussetted, the tongue is attached on both sides keeping it in place.   

With the fairly high stack and rigid foam I did feel less connected to the trail with that sensation becoming more noticeable the more technical the terrain became.

What to read next?

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• Best Cushioned Trail Running Shoes