And if you want a completely different opinion, I reckon that road shoes are fine. Last time I did the Hobble I wore road shoes because I'd had knee pain when doing it in fell shoes previously and wanted the extra cushioning. There's a lot of running on hard surfaces.
I'll probably wear road shoes again this year.
Mind you if I had AuntySocial's cushioned NB trail shoes I'd probably wear those. But then what would he wear?