Hey Reader!
Last week's newsletter had a lot of engagement—thank you all for this! I love coming back and seeing what links have been clicked on—interestingly, the Petzl Bindi headtorch and Naked Running Belt were a big hit—and when they reached new subscribers, if that's you, welcome!
Running is running. We will all have preferences and may not even like another style of running, but from an adventure, community, and performance element, a lot can be taken from the trails for the roads, the roads for the trails, and the track or cross-country for both.
A big piece of running news this week is Grand Slam Track. "Grand Slam Track is an elite track event series featuring the sport's biggest stars in head-to-head competition". Click here for more.
The first "slam" of the series kicked off in Kingston, Jamaica, and it saw multiple athletes taking home US$100,000 for winning their categories. This marks a fascinating and significant turning point for athletics, as prize pools of this size haven't been seen before, forcing other competitions like the Diamond League to catch up. It's excellent for athletes struggling to compete full-time, but I am curious whether this will only widen the gap further between the top-tier elites and the lower-tier elites/sub-elites.
It also reinforces that we are in the ear of athletes as content creators, which I can get behind, given the influencer-style content that we tend to be subjected to. Matt Trape wrote a great piece on this topic last year. Check it out on Substack.
From a broader sporting perspective, typically, more money coming into the competitors is positive as it attracts more attention, generates additional sponsorship dollars, enhances broadcasting opportunities, and increases brand interest, eventually benefiting the general population. This is why events seek elite runners: more attention equals more money, resulting in growth and experience opportunities for the entire field.
Anyway, back to trails. As I teased last week, we are about to dive deep into trail running shoes. Like the strength series, this is going to form the base of a trail running shoe guide that I will bring out over the coming months. Any advice on what you would like to see on this topic is greatly appreciated! Also, the strength guide is in the final draft phase and will be out soon!
Trail Running Shoes
You can run on trails in road shoes. However, unless the event is very smooth and doesn't involve steep sections, please don't—for the sake of your ankles!
Trail shoes are great for grip, stability, protection, durability, and security when running on trails. Trail running is multi-dimensional, meaning cambered, rocky, rooty, dry, wet, muddy, steep, and scrambly. The shoe is your main contact point and so you want to make sure that you have a shoe that both fits properly and is suited for the task at hand.
Fortunately, trail running has boomed massively over the last 5 years. Back in 2024, a research report came out saying, "In the year 2023, the market attained a volume of 72,698.7 thousand units, experiencing a growth of 21.3% (2020-2023)." 21.3% growth!! They also added this trail shoe market graphic:
This means that money is flowing in, and a design race is underway, resulting in rapid advancements and innovative thinkers in the field. Speedland, a relatively new company in this area, was founded with the tagline: "We are a company that refuses to cut corners." They developed a shoe without considering the projected retail price and then priced it at US$299.
At the time, no shoe was near it. Currently, many carbon-plated trail shoes fall within this range, and Speedland has enhanced its economies of scale to reduce the recommended retail price. This isn't brands raising their prices just because they can, though I wouldn't be surprised if there is an element of this, at least in some brands. It is more that there has been a significant investment in research and development, using new materials.
Other brands, like Nnormal, have taken an approach where sustainability and performance meet; a brand created by Killian Jornet. More recently, Norda have released their 005 which bucks the trend of more, and is the first truly lightweight performance trail shoe, designed to be fast and durable: "The lightest, fastest, most stable super shoe ever crafted for trail runners. Engineered for race day(s)."
Essentially, there is a lot going on in the trail running shoe world and, as such, I think it's time to break that all down!
Outsole - Lugs
Arguably, the most important part of a shoe is the outsole. This component grips surfaces and provides traction; the former refers to how the shoe's surface interacts with the ground, while the latter concerns how well the shoe digs in.
The lug is the grippy bit sticking out from the bottom of a shoe. For flatter, faster, and mixed paved/unpaved terrain races where you need minimal extra grip, having a low lug depth of <3mm and lugs that are positioned closer together will feel faster, smoother, and more flexible on different surface types, such as paved sections.
For variable terrain, where you will be running on a mix of flat, steep, technical, and smooth trails—essentially the do-it-all shoe—a lug between 3.5mm and 5mm will cover you for basically everything. This is where most trail running shoes position themselves, as if you wanted to buy just one pair of trail shoes, then this is what you would buy from a lug depth perspective.
Lastly, for extremely muddy terrain, you'll want deep lugs >5mm spaced far apart to prevent mud from becoming trapped between them. This is a very specific type of shoe, most commonly used in the UK fell running scene—similar to Mountain Running but off-trail. I would not recommend purchasing one of these unless you have a specific race where deep, consistent mud will be a problem.
When it comes to technical terrain, lug depth isn't a big factor, though something in the 3mm-5mm range is typical. Other features, like the actual grip from the rubber compound, along with lug design and overall flexibility, are what matter.
Lug Shape
One feature that I feel often gets ignored is the shape of the lug. As you can see from the photos above, there are many different ways to design the lugs, which will impact the grip, traction, wear, and overall underfoot experience.
Vibram have created a solution called Traction Lugs, commonly seen on Hoka's trail running shoes. These micro features protruding from the lug to enhance surface area and thus grip and traction. Saucony employs chevron-style lugs that dig into the dirt, which is particularly effective for downhill traction and on mud.
Conversely, the road-to-trail market - or gravel models - have smoother, more box-like lugs, which improve dirt grip over a traditional road shoe lug without being uncomfortable on paved surfaces.
Brands like Saucony and ASICS release TR models of their popular road shoes, which provide a bit more support around the foot and feature small lugs to enhance grip on dirt roads. Then companies like Salomon and Craft are fully leaning into this market, creating complete shoe lineups: Salmon with their GRVL line and Craft with their XPLOR Line.
The takeaway for lug shape is that be deliberate with what you are buying the shoe for. Most often a more traditional style lug design, like that seen on the Hoka Speedgoat, will tick the box. However, if you are somewhere muddy or on gravel roads, the lug design does matter.
Outsole - (Rubber) Compound
Most brands have their own in-house compounds; some are excellent, like Puma, Salomon, and La Sportiva, while others are quite ineffective, especially in wet conditions, such as Nike and Saucony.
Alternatively, brands collaborate with rubber manufacturers. Vibram is a dominant player in the industry. Renowned for its balance of durability, grip, lightweight design, and underfoot experience, Vibram has advanced the trail outsole market more than any other brand, at least to my knowledge.
However, there are other outsole-only brands (commonly those that create tyres).
When considering the compound, harder rubbers are less tacky and provide reduced grip on surfaces like dry rock, but they offer greater durability. You can feel this when you touch different outsoles. Softer rubbers provide more grip, but the trade-off is that they wear down quickly. The challenge for brands is finding this sweet spot, which is influenced by lug design and geometry, to achieve a tacky rubber that is long-lasting.
The main consideration, though, is the wet-weather grip, especially on roots and rocks. Vibram is the market leader in this realm, especially when adding in the durability perspective.
Yes, using these top-tier compounds raises the price, but compared to many in-house options, this price is a fraction of the increased quality these outsoles bring to the table. If you know the event is likely to be wet and have rocks and roots, choose a shoe with Vibram, and you won't go wrong from a grip perspective.
Midsole
Similar to road shoes, the midsole (foam section) is essential in trail running, although it's not just about being bouncy, lightweight, and having a high stack. Depending on the event and terrain, you will need different compounds and stack heights for various conditions.
Stack Height
Stack height refers to the amount of foam in the shoe, often including the outsole and insole. This can be tricky with trail shoes because lug depth varies, which, depending on the brand, impacts the stack height. For this discussion, I will focus solely on the midsole.
In technical sky running events, you will want a relatively minimal amount of stack height, often less than 20mm. This is because shoes with lower stack heights are inherently more stable and enhance the degree of ground feel, allowing you to navigate the terrain more accurately and safely. They will also contort to the terrain, allowing your foot to flow with the terrain instead of fight it.
For Ultras, where you will be out for 15 or 20+ hours, having a shoe with a higher stack height will reduce the amount of fatigue in your foot and help with comfort across the duration. Even though you can often change shoes, ensuring there is a good amount of foam, >30mm for most people, will reduce the risk of injury.
However, be cautious. There is an increasing number of shoes on the market with stack heights greater than 40mm- some even reach 45mm. While these may work for some people on the trails, please don't assume that more is better. This increase will raise your centre of mass and reduce the stability of your lower leg - it's a bit like a boat rocking in rough waters and how much they tip side-to-side. Now I feel seasick!
For everything else, this is where matters can become a bit more complex, and it is more subjective regarding what you feel comfortable with. As a general guideline:
- Higher stack = less stable but more comfortable
- More foam doesn't mean a better ride or more performance
- More foam doesn't mean it will last longer; if anything, it can be the opposite
- Most people will do best between 25mm and 35mm
When recommending shoes to new trail runners or those unsure of their needs, I ensure the stack height is under 40mm and more moderate. Examples that normally work well are the Hoka Speedgoat, Salomon Genesis, La Sportiva Prodigio Pro, and ASICS Fuji Lite.
Keep in mind that trails can be uneven. The higher you are off the ground, the higher your centre of mass, which results in decreased feel - therefore, proprioception - at that height.
Compound
The density and resiliency (energy return) of foam are important here as well. A denser foam will provide a better feel over technical terrain, so dense doesn't always indicate poor quality. Additionally, when navigating muddy and boggy terrain, having denser foam can be advantageous.
If you are on smoother, faster terrain, particularly surfaces similar to paved roads, consider using a more compliant foam with greater resiliency for a bouncy and energetic feel. This is especially relevant for events on light to moderately technical terrain and some paved surfaces, such as most trail races.
Speaking of the Buffalo Stampede, the winner of the men's 100km, Michael Dunstan, ran the race in the La Sportiva Prodigio Pro. This non-plated trail shoe features super foam, which provides a high level of energy return in a lightweight package. The Norda 005, as mentioned earlier, is another shoe in the "super" category, albeit without a plate. For most semi-technical trails, if you want the best ride and performance, I would recommend these two for now.
Drop
The drop refers to the difference in height, or the offset, between the stack height at the heel of the shoe and the forefoot of the shoe:
- Technical terrain tends to favour lower drops, under 5mm, for better stability and feel.
- Ultras can accommodate slightly higher drops, from 6mm to 10mm, which reduces pressure on the calves and aids in rolling you forward from heel to toe.
- For mountain and trail running, I find that a drop of 4mm to 6mm is ideal. This is perhaps slightly lower than with road shoes, which typically fall between 5mm and 8mm due to the technical and uneven nature of the terrain. Higher drops can pitch you forward and generally reduce the shoe's stability.
The drop is specific to each individual. If you prefer zero drop, then stick with that; if you favour higher drop road shoes, then choose moderate to high, but remain mindful of stability.
Plates
Carbon Plates
If you are an avid fan of trail running, you will have noticed a shift towards carbon-plated trail shoes over the last two to three years. Following what began on the roads in 2017, the hype surrounding carbon-trail shoes is nearly as strong. Being at the Buffalo Stampede a couple of weeks ago, I witnessed firsthand how many people have made the transition.
An interesting side note here is how many ASICS Meta-Fuji Trail there were. ASICS has seen a significant increase in popularity over the last 12 months, largely due to the partnership with SingleTrack Events, the events team behind Buffalo Stampede.
More broadly, the Hoka Texton X 3 is probably the most common version, though the Adidas Agravic Speed Ultra and The North Face Summit Vectiv Pro 3 are also popular options.
Unlike the plates in road shoes, the carbon plates in trails are often constructed such that they are not one solid piece. Hoka has an X-like design, The North Face uses wings for stability, and most shoes have some form of forking at the front to all your toes to work independently and improve the torsional stability of the shoe.
Honestly, my issue with all of these is that, on the variable, multi-directional terrain of trail running, I haven't yet experienced a carbon-plated shoe where the performance benefits on level ground or flat trails outweigh the performance loss and injury risk on technical trails.
I had a phone call with one of my trail athletes as they prepare for their first 100-mile, where we weighed the pros and cons of the Tecton X 3. Though they like it on the flatter trails, as someone who is not the best technical runner, the reduced stability due to the high stack height and increased bending stiffness from the plate meant they were running timidly across technical sections. Essential, what's the point of risking it?
More recently, the Puma Deviate Nitro Elite Trail has been released. Though I have not tried this shoe yet, the relatively lower stack height (36mm / 30mm), 6mm drop, and lighter package suggest it could be a better option, especially compared to some of the ankle deathtraps that exist.
Plastic Plates
Another propulsive plate option is the plastic plate. These come in different chemical compositions, and I am including Pebax here. Essentially, they have lower bending stiffness and propulsion, but enhanced stability since they allow the foot and terrain to interact more naturally.
Salomon have used this with their Pulsar Trail Pro. To quote Salomon, the "Energy Blade built into the springy midsole activates propulsion and drive". To me, this makes more sense. I like the idea of some propulsion but without compromising stability in a detrimental way. However, not too many brands are doing this? Perhaps this is something to watch out for in the coming years.
Rock Plates
A rock plate is designed to protect your foot from rocks, not to provide propulsion like the other two types mentioned.
Especially in non-plated, lower stack trail shoes, a rock plate can be crucial for protecting your feet during rocky runs. Although they seem to be gradually phased out, possibly due to improvements in outsole and midsole compounds and the introduction of propulsive plates into trail shoes, if you experience sore feet from impact with the ground, a shoe with a rock plate could be very beneficial.
Upper
The material, design, and breathability of a trail shoe's upper are significantly more important than those of road shoes.
Yes, the shape of the shoe is important, just like that of a road shoe. Consider how long you will be running, as your foot swells during runs. The material, overlays (which provide structure), tongue design, and breathability of the shoe are also key factors.
Trail running shoes often tend to add more: more overlays, more thickness, and more padding. This frequently results in a heavy, hot, and poorly draining shoe design that is unnecessary. Cheaper trail shoes typically fall into this category, as lightness often comes at a higher price - just think of sports cars.
What to look for:
Tongue Gusset
This refers to how the tongue is attached to the rest of the upper. A gusset means the tongue has material on either side that wraps around the foot, securing it in place and helping to prevent debris from entering. Some trail shoes now use a booty-like construction where the tongue is integrated into the upper, making it fully secured.
Toe Bumper
This is the piece of firmer material that encompasses the front of the shoe and protects your toes when you kick rocks or sticks that try to poke through. Depending on the technical requirements of the race, you will need a different degree of toe bumper, but I suggest ensuring there is a firmer piece of material that wraps around all your toes to be safe.
Overlays
Overlays refer to firmer pieces of material, often plastic composites, that are woven into specific parts of the upper to provide additional support and rigidity to the shoe, helping to keep you in place. These are commonly found along the medial (inside) and lateral (outside) aspects of the shoe. For a technical race or long distance, you'll want more support, while short and fast races need less.
Material
Much like the overlays, the upper fabric itself will determine the level of support your foot receives. It will also influence how hot the shoe runs and how well it drains. Some materials can "blow out" quickly, meaning they rip at high-pressure areas - I've experienced this frequently with the Saucony Peregrine shoe - and tear easily when struck by objects like sticks. Again, mostly, price does reflect quality here, with Matryx being a market leader, much like Vibram is for outsoles.
Additional aspects, such as heel collar and forefoot volume, will be relevant on an event and individual basis. However, this stems from road shoe construction, which you can refer to in the guide—email me if you don't have volume 2!
Closing Thoughts
Woah, that was big!
As you can see, there are many considerations when trying to determine which trail shoe is right for you. As we've mentioned, ensure that the fit is comfortable and secure, particularly around the mid-foot and heel. Next, consider the upper construction and quality; specifically, is it breathable, and does it feel overbuilt? Finally, think about the terrain and distance you need the shoe to cover.
Feel free to reach out with any questions. Hopefully, you can see that I have invested a lot of time in understanding running shoes, both road and trail, because they are where you interact with the ground: they matter. This means I should be able to help!
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Have a fantastic day!
James
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