I can't give any race specific advice (my doctor and the UK's most expert shoe/boot fitter* have banned me from running now) but if you want a quick tech boost:

- Fit your bike with Koolstop Salmon or Swiss Stop Green pads

- Fit a fork mounted canti hanger and hand cut straddle cable (google the Cross forum for advice)

Doing this will give much more power *and* better modulation. And it's very, very cheap.


*In a last attempt to get something that would let me run uphill without braking an ankle I went to the Altbergs factory which I highly recommend for the quality of boots and fitting, and the weird, weird ambiance - this is tiny place is notoriously where British military personnel, especially special forces, go for their footwear. I'd been thinking that a pair of their ultralight firearms teams boots with arch supports might do the trick, but they told me that to even work safely offroad I need a pair of heavy duty "Mallerstangs" - a boot designed for the approaches of Everest. Oh well - at least I've stopped spraining ankles.