Trail running shoes

I was a little confused when I first had to write terrain running shoes, because I didn’t know whether to write them together or separately. But when I wrote it separately, it didn’t even occur to me to write it as trail running shoes, but as trail running shoes. Trail running shoes doesn’t make sense, or it does, because they are the shoes of a trail runner, but if you want to say running shoes that are also suitable for running on terrain, and you choose to write them separately, then you should write them as trail running shoes, because they are also suitable for running on terrain.

Cross-country running shoes may also be used, because it derives from the word cross-country running, or, that a runner who runs cross-country is a cross-country runner.

Language aside, it’s a huge pleasure to write about all running shoes, but there’s something extra exciting about terrain running shoes. But what makes terrain running shoes a running shoe? Mostly because they’re fun to run in on soft and not-so-soft surfaces. The terrain is not terrain because it has a lot of ups and downs, but mostly because it is not asphalt or recorticane. It’s also better to run in trail running shoes for better traction when running in coastal sand or for boring through snow.

Beyond the fact that a trail running shoe should be able to grip better on less hard and uneven ground are the following extra things compared to a street running shoe:

• Skirt protection: the toe is harder and gets an extra layer
• better foot support: a trail running shoe should grip the foot better
• protection against debris: while running on the trail, bits of soil can easily get into a normal shoe, trail running shoes should be able to prevent this

You can add more pluses to a trail running shoe but you need to have these four (listing + traction).

These are things that many shoes can do nowadays, thankfully, and we try to write about as many terrain running shoes as possible, because most have their own character, what they’re recommended for and who they’re recommended for.

When choosing a pair of trail running shoes, you should also consider how long you will mostly use them for long runs, what pace you will run. If you don’t have strong ankles, you should buy stable or more stable trail running shoes, because the ankle is more exposed to stress and is more easily injured during cross-country running.

Trail running shoes typically have a thinner midfoot thickness, so if you have different needs, pay attention to this when choosing your shoes.

The drop of terrain running shoes is also typically smaller, which shouldn’t be a problem, but if you’re running on asphalt in a running shoe with a higher drop (10-12 mm), a smaller drop (e.g. 4 mm) may be unusual at first.

You can filter for these on this page (on mobile you need to press the filter button to see the filter, on desktop it’s on the left).

Trail running shoes have a slightly more important role than asphalt running shoes, as they need to provide protection as well as support to help you achieve better results. It’s not simply a matter of protecting the foot from rocks, debris and branches while running, but also of protecting it from injury. The foot and ankle fatigue much more quickly in the field, and most injuries usually occur at the end of a run in the field, when the runner is less able to discipline his stride. A good pair of terrain running shoes will also help to prevent this from happening, depending on your level of training.

The development of cross-country running shoes was mainly driven by the increasing number of prestigious long-distance cross-country races that started to be organised in the 1970s and 80s. At the end of these races, it was no longer possible to run safely in a normal running shoe, they were falling apart and were also inadequate to protect the runners’ feet. It’s not just that you couldn’t get good results in them, but that it took weeks to recover after a run.

Until the 2000s, cross-country running was a layer sport, and cross-country running shoes made up a very small proportion of the running shoe supply. This was partly because typically the more serious cross-country races were ultra-distance. As shorter distance races became more common, the demand for cross-country running shoes picked up, and running shoe brands noticed.

A new generation of running shoes has been launched, with most running shoe manufacturers taking their street running shoes as a starting point and trying to adapt them to take on off-road conditions. Compared to the terrain running shoes of the past, they were now comfortable, tear-resistant, soft and dynamic. The recipe was to develop outsoles with better traction, add a rock protection plate in the midsole and reinforce the fabric of the upper, adding new layers that were more protective and also more durable. The two standout terrain running shoes that led the way in this new line were the La Sportiva Slingshot and the Brooks Cascadia.

Then came another twist not only in terrain running shoes, but also in asphalt shoes. Chris McDougal’s book Born to Run was published, which very briefly talked about how barefoot running is the most natural thing to do, and how there are so many indigenous tribes still alive today whose members run extremely well barefoot. This was reinforced by a study by Harvard professor Daniel E. Lieberman, which we wrote about in running shoes, which also talked about the benefits of barefoot running. Running shoe manufacturers have therefore shifted to minimalist, thin midfoot running shoes that give a natural running experience, including terrain running shoes. This turn of events did not favour the development of technology. Several elite athletes achieved good results in these minimalist shoes, but the trend did not favour mass sports so much, and as quickly as it came, it disappeared in the early 10s. They’re still around, you can still get these running shoes, but they’re not the type.

From the ’10s onwards, technological advances continued and the trend for trail running shoes that focused on 3 basic features, cushioning, protection and traction, gained strength. Hoka, and most running shoe brands after it, brought highly cushioned comfortable running shoes to the cross-country running shoe world, and today we basically see two co-existing trends in hobby cross-country running shoes, the lower, more dynamic higher ground feel cross-country running shoes, and the highly cushioned comfortable cross-country running shoes. Professional terrain running shoes have also seen the emergence of carbon plate and supercritical foams, which are increasingly durable thanks to advancements and research.