ultralight

I've had much the opposite experience. I don't hike in full height oldschool full grain leather hiking boots, but I do hike in either low top hiking shoes (Moabs), or mid tops. (Except in the snow, where I have some full height Thinsulate boots that fit nicely into my show shoes.) I tried trail runners when the hype around them was first exploding, several times, and every time went back to a traditional hiking shoe or boot.

I found the notion that a ventilated hiking shoe will "dry out" when it gets wet whereas a hiking shoe or boot to be a total myth. Trail runners won't dry out while you're wearing them. I've tried it, it simply doesn't happen. Your socks and feet stay wet all day, either way. What the trail runner does offer is zero protection against rock kicks, stick pokes, and thorns; they won't keep out moisture from walking through wet grass or undergrowth or mud, so your feet get wet instantly as opposed to eventually; and you can watch them disintegrate as you walk along. For me, they simply don't last long enough to be worth it. The only marginal benefit is slightly reduced weight over a considerably more durable low top hiking shoe, with tons of drawbacks.

I can get a "good" pair of trail runners for the price of an "okay" pair of hiking shoes or boots that will last me several seasons, whereas the pair of trail runners won't even make it through one. Even taking everything else into account I find that to be a silly proposition.

If you can make trail runners work for you and your conditions, great. Do it. But please don't go around recommending them as a panacea for everyone, because they aren't.