If you’re tackling a lot of off-road running, your regular roadies aren’t going to cut it. We recruited pro run-tester Kieran Alger to put the latest selection of trail shoes through their paces — here are his favourites
Whether you’re chasing a PB on a mixed terrain parkrun course, charging down a technical Alpine trail or cruising along forest paths, regular road shoes just won’t give you the grip, stability or agility to cope with the technical demands of off-road running. To help take your running further off the beaten track, we’ve put a selection of the latest trail running shoes through their paces.
Trail vs road
Trail shoes are built to handle rougher runs when you step off the more consistent surface of the road. These rugged trainers have more aggressive rubber outsoles with deeper lugs to provide better grip and traction on slippery surfaces. Lug depth and patterns vary, with deeper lugs and aggressive patterns offering stickier grip. If you’re running from road to trail or on firmer ground, shallower lugs provide grip without holding you back.
Some trail shoes also have reinforced uppers with toe-guard overlays around the toe box to protect your pinkies from accidental encounters with rocks and roots. They can also feature rock plates to prevent the lumps and bumps coming up through the midsole to batter your feet. This all tends to make them heavier than road shoes.
Speaking of battered feet, heading off road onto uneven ground creates a bigger challenge for your feet and ankles. That requires more support and stability. So trail shoes tend to have features to help, including a more robust build with increased structure in the heel, side walls and different midsole technology to ensure you have a reliable platform for picking your way along the paths.
There’s also a new trend for trail shoes to offer protection against water. Breathable GORE-Tex coatings are now common, in a bid to keep feet dry. Nothing’s going to prevent soggy socks if you go ankle deep into a big puddle, mind.
Some road-shoe DNA is now being transferred to trail shoes, too. That includes livelier, lightweight responsive foams, carbon plates and more aggressive superlight racy designs.
When to wear them
Trail running covers a very wide variety of terrain, including steep grassy fells, rocky mountain climbs and uneven coastal paths. Then there’s flat gravel paths that run alongside rivers, through forests or in parks. They can be clear, wide and groomed; steep, wild and muddy; and even sandy or slippery. Basically any time you venture off the flat road onto uneven, unpredictable terrain, you’ll want to consider lacing up a trail shoe. Though in drier, flatter, more groomed conditions, sometimes road shoes can still get the job done. We’re now seeing a big trend for do-it-all road-to-trail shoes that offer good versatility across a wide
