A bit late to this, since you have already purchased a pair of shoes.... All great trail shoes that you listed (I have them all), but they are all a bit too heavy for the Ascent in my opinion, especially the Xodus 5.0, which is nearly 13oz depending on your shoe size. There is hardly any pounding involved with the Ascent, so the cushion and protection that you would need is very minimal. There are a lot of great shoes out there that would meet this criteria that are in the 9oz range, that would offer you enough traction and protection that you would feel comfortable with and still be able to use beyond the race. I have found it advantageous to save weight for this race, regardless of time goals, every ounce adds up and it is also a great idea to have multiple pairs of shoes in the rotation for different applications and to minimize the risk of injury. Just my .02. Good luck!