Originally Posted by
RichT
You definitely want to be wearing fell shoes with a very thin midsole like Walsh PBs or Inov8 Mudclaw 270s or X Talons. Don't try to run rough fell terrain in trainers that are sold as trail shoes or off road shoes. Fine on disused railway tracks but no use for fell running. Don't be confused by the fact that you might see the top fell runners or some old experienced gnarly ones running in the fells or even racing in trainers with quite a lot of cushioning. They've already got very strong ankles so can get away with it.
I've never used supports or strapping as my old mate Mike Rose told me it would weaken my ankles when I first started fell running. I've had 3 bad sprains (one from missing a step while shopping, one from playing with the dog and one from racing in poor fitting fell shoes) and I've recovered to full strength and stability quite quickly using strengthening excercises. I know people who habitually strap their ankles and they seem to have chronically weak ankles.