My current off-road shoes (UK Gear's PT1000) have reached their thousandth mile and although I reckon they still have several hundred miles of life left, I thought I should get a replacement pair to be on the safe side. I have to say that I was so impressed by the PT1000s that I wanted to get another pair, but sadly the company does not appear to be making them any more. Cue a long and very confusing search for an alternative ending with the purchase of the Mizuno Wave Cabrakan 5. I have now given the Waves a full workout in three training runs (10k, 15k, 20k) over a mix of familiar terrain: road, shingle, stony tracks, muddy paths, forest trails soft sand and wet sand. The routes covered sections of steep ascent and descent on most of these terrains. They had much to live up to, and I must say that overall I am pleased with their performance. There is plenty of room in the 'toe box and the fit around the mid-foot is snug. The fit around the heel is good, but not as secure as I would have liked - I suspect I may end up losing a shoe in deep sucky mud! The back of the shoe is sufficiently low that there is no pressure or rubbing on the achilles tendon. The cushioning is good and welcome on the smoother harder surfaces. Ventilation is good too - even after the longest run my feet didn't feel hot and were not overly wet. For me the stability of the shoes over rough terrain (compacted, stony trails) and their poor traction over soft sand are their most noticeable weaknesses compared with the PT1000s - hence the four stars. I think that being slightly narrower they don't give as secure a feel on impact on rough surfaces (I found myself being more cautious than normal when running downhill on steep stony tracks) , and sink just that little bit further in soft (dry) sand - enough to make a hard run even harder! In conclusion, I think that the Waves will do me well and I look forward to see how many miles I can get out of them. The service from Alexandra Sports was excellent - worthy of five stars - the shoes were in stock and were delivered within two days of the order being placed, complete with instructions for their return in the event of my having changed my mind.