Do I Need Trail Running Shoes? The Key Benefits Explained
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Blissful Spring conditions and summer on the horizon can only mean one thing – it’s trail running season. In Sydney, the Central Coast, and across Australia, we are spoilt with access to beautiful mountains, bush-land, and National Parks. When we get the sun and bright summer weather we are currently experiencing, it’s hard to beat a day out on the trails exploring and enjoying the surrounding beauty.
Whether you are training for this year’s Kosci 100 miler, next year’s UTA100, or you’re considering trail running for the first time, it can be hard to know what shoe is best for your training and if it is worth investing in a trail running shoe. While Australian trails are often incredibly well maintained, you still never know what type of terrain you will be running over, and what the surface will be like.
While some people might say you don’t need a trail specific running shoe, it is undeniable the benefits a good quality trail shoe will have when you are out in the mountains – particularly running downhill or over rocky and technical terrain. Today’s selection of trail shoes provides an excellent combination of grip, durability, and protection, with the light, agile responsiveness you expect from your road running shoe.
However, with a broad selection of great quality trail shoes, comes another difficult decision to be made – what trail running shoes should I choose? We get hundreds of trail runners into our stores every year, so we’ve decided to use the knowledge and expertise we’ve gathered over the years to help you make your decision. While we’re at it, we’ll also detail the genuine benefits of a trail running shoe.
Are Trail Running Shoes Really Necessary?
While today’s road running shoes continue to improve, providing lighter, bouncier, and more responsive rides – they are not designed for the trails. In their road running collections, brands are not prioritising grip or traction. And why would they, that’s not what we need when road running, and that’s not what runners are looking for in their shoes. So, if you do find yourself out on the trails in your everyday road running shoe, rolling down a nice descent, you might start to feel yourself slipping and wish you had a little more grip. That is where a trail running shoe comes in.
The Benefits of Trail Running Shoes
1. More Traction, Grip, and Durability
Trail running shoes have more rugged and durable outsoles with very intricate lugs, to provide more grip and traction when you need it most. Whether it’s a wet and stormy day in the Snowy Mountains or an extremely dry, hot day along the Larapinta Trail - you’ll be grateful to have that extra grip under your feet. These shoes are also made to last long. Ultra-trail legend Killian Jornet famously set the course record at UTMB 2022 wearing a pair of NNormal Kjerag shoes that he had already run 1000 kilometers in. That’s a pretty durable shoe.
2. More Protection
Another key benefit of using trail shoes is the added protection they provide in the upper materials, protecting your feet and toes from getting bashed by rocks, roots, and other uneven obstacles. Trail running shoes use more reinforced and durable materials, rather than the lightest mesh material often used in road running shoes. From someone who has experienced bruised toes from wearing a road shoe on trails, trust me when I say you’ll be happy to have that extra level of protection.
3. Race and Run with Confidence
Although we are starting to see some elite ultra trail athletes wearing carbon plated road running shoes for their biggest trail races, this is not the norm. If you go to any trail race around Australia, you will see 90% of people wearing a selection of the most popular trail shoes from HOKA, ASICS, Brooks, Saucony, Nike, and more.
Whether you’re looking to win, podium, or just cross the finish line, the extra grip and traction on your trail shoe will allow you to run with confidence, and truly push your limits. There is nothing worse than feeling like you’ve got more in your lungs and legs, but you can’t speed up because of the fear of falling. When you have your trail running shoes on, you can sprint down the biggest hills like Killian Jornet, Lucy Bartholomew, or Jim Walmsley, with the assurance you’re not about to end up on your backside.
Particularly late in the race, when your legs are tired and heavy, you’ll also be very happy to have extra protection in the toes. Trail running requires a significant level of focus to navigate the trails and run freely. But when you’re deep into a 12, 21, 50, or 100k trail race your mental focus will not be firing on all cylinders, and before you know it, you might be one toenail down. These shoes will go a long way to protect you when those inevitable mishaps happen, allowing you to finish strong, without too many bumps or bruises.
Can I Trail Run in Road Running Shoes?
Technically, yes. We would hate to put anyone off exploring the trails by saying that you need to have a trail running shoe to run on trails, because that is not always the case. Running on trails in your road running shoe is better than not running on trails at all. However, there is some factors you need to consider when making this decision.
Traditional road shoes are designed to run on smooth even surfaces, and therefore lack the grip and protection needed for the unpredictability of trails. If you are running on the trails in your local park, or some nearby dirt roads or fire trail, you’ll be just fine. But if you plan on running in the mountains, or on technical terrain, we definitely recommend the additional grip and traction that comes with a good trail shoe. Plus, do you really want to get your nice, bright, and beautiful road running shoes dirty? Trail shoes on the other hand, they are designed to get dirty.
How to Choose a Trail Running Shoe
Like when you’re choosing a daily trainer or race shoe, it can be hard to know where to begin when choosing your trail running shoe. Our number one tip is to try a few pairs on and see what feels good. Trail shoes feel different to road running shoes, so it is extremely beneficial to try out some different brands and see what feels good in terms of the level of cushioning, the drop or offset on the shoe, the upper materials, and the overall feeling underfoot.
1. Stack Height
One of the biggest factors to consider when buying a trail shoe is the stack height or amount of cushioning you have under foot. As with most things in running, this often comes down to personal preference. While some people like to have a max cushion shoe like the ASICS Trabuco Max to help them bounce along the trails deep into an ultra, others find this to be unsteady on technical terrain, and would much prefer a lower, more minimal stack that allows them to feel the trail more, and not feel as though they might trip over or roll an ankle.
2. Level of Grip and Traction
Another important consideration when choosing a trail shoe is the level of grip or traction underfoot. Each brand (and each shoe) will have slightly different outsoles, and therefore different levels of grip or traction.
The primary thing to think about is the type of trails you’ll be running, and what the surfaces will be like. From there, you can determine what type of shoe you need. A great example of this, and a common one we see in store, is people trying to choose between the HOKA Speedgoat 6 and the HOKA Challenger ATR 7 – two very popular trail shoes from HOKA. The Challenger ATR 7 is an all-terrain shoe, meaning you can wear it on the road or on trails. This shoe is perfect if you’re primarily a road runner, who likes to add in some trails in your local park, or occasional trips to the mountains, where the trails are well marked out.
However, if you are a dedicated trail runner, training up for a mountain or ultra-trail race, the HOKA Speedgoat 6 will provide you with more grip on the technical terrain coming your way. The longer your race or training runs are, the more varied the terrain will be. The Speedgoat 6 will provide you with the extra grip you need to run hard, run fast, and enjoy yourself.
3. Use Your Road Running Shoe as a Guide
We often see in our stores that people become quite brand loyal. They find a brand or a shoe that works for them, and they stick to it. While we love all the brands we stock, and love to try out new shoes for new experiences, we understand that finding a shoe that works for you can be tough, and therefore sticking with one that works can be a good idea.
When choosing your trail shoe, you can use this principle and select a trail shoe based on your road running shoe. A great place to start is taking the brand you use for road, and trying out their trail shoe that is most similar. For example, if you run in the ASICS Nimbus 26 for road running, it is very likely that you will enjoy the ASICS Trabuco Max 3. If you run in the Saucony Ride 17 as your daily trainer, you will love the Saucony Xodus Ultra 3. If you’re a big HOKA fan, and you use a Clifton 9 as your daily trainer –the Challenger ATR 7 would be a perfect trail shoe for you.
Can I Run on the Road in my Trail Running Shoes?
As well as being asked ‘can I run on trails in my road running shoes,’ we also often get asked the question ‘can I run on the road in my trail running shoes?’ The answer is similar. In short, yes you can run on the road in your trail shoes, but it is not optimal.
As we have explained, trail running shoes are designed with more grip and traction, to help you on more slippy and technical terrain. However, on the road a trail shoe will have the opposite effect of what you want in your shoe. You will find that your feet are gripping too much on the road, and it will feel quite unnatural. Instead of effortlessly popping off the ground, you will feel a drag under your feet.
Additionally, wearing your trail running shoes on the road will wear down the lugs on the outsole, and rip away all that grip and traction that you need on the trails. Therefore, we would recommend not wearing your trail shoes on the road, unless you’ve got an all-terrain shoe like that HOKA Challenger ATR 7 or Nike React Pegasus Trail 5 – which are both designed with this type of versatility in mind.
Do I Need a Trail Running Shoe?
If you’re training for a trail, mountain, or ultra race we absolutely recommend getting a trail running shoe. But even if you are more of a casual trail runner, who has plans to get out on the trails more over the summer, we still recommend getting yourself into a pair of trail shoes. Once you do get yourself a pair, you’ll never look back. The extra grip, traction, and durability, combined with the incredible light and responsive feel will give you even more motivation to get out and explore those beautiful mountains, national parks, and bushlands.
If you’re trying to decide on the best trail shoe for you, take a look at our full collection of trail running shoes below, and why not come into our Sydney or Central Coast stores to try them on for yourself, and get some extra tips from our friendly staff.
Enjoy the trails!
Nike:
Men’s ReactX Pegasus Trail 5 & Women’s ReactX Pegasus Trail 5
Men’s React Pegasus Trail 4 & Women’s React Pegasus Trail 4
Men’s ZoomX Zegama Trail 2 and Women’s ZoomX Zegama Trail 2
Men’s Air Zoom Terra Kiger 8 and Women’s Air Zoom Terra Kiger 8
Hoka:
Men’s Speedgoat 6 and Women’s Speedgoat 6
Men’s Speedgoat 5 and Women’s Speedgoat 5
Men’s Challenger ATR 7 and Women’s Challenger ATR 7
Men’s Torrent 3 and Women’s Torrent 3
Men’s Stinson ATR 7 and Women’s Stinson ATR 7
Saucony:
Men's Peregrine 14 and Women's Peregrine 14
Asics:
Men’s Trabuco Max 3 and Women’s Trabuco Max 3
Brooks:
Men’s Cascadia 18 and Women’s Cascadia 18
Men’s Cascadia 17 and Women’s Cascadia 17
NNormal: