Earlier this fall, the running industry converged in Austin, Texas, for its annual pilgrimage to The Running Event. This trade show gives journalists, retailers, influencers, and more a peek at the future of footwear — and gear!
It’s also a chance to speak directly with the designers, managers, and CEOs of the companies that continue to push the sport forward.
Could we have gathered the same information from 20 or 30 individual Zoom meetings with shoe company reps? Probably. But it’s hard to deny the kinetic energy that happens when a few thousand people converge around a single topic rooted in a shared passion: running!
Here’s a glimpse at both the next generation of footwear, and the trends the industry expects to see in running for 2025.
Looking for the best of the best? Check out our Best in Show roundup from The Running Event 2024.
Top Running Trends to Watch For in 2025
‘Road to Trail’ Is Now ‘Gravel’
As with many car commercials, alpine scenes in trail running marketing rarely have anything to do with reality. Very few of us live in places with access to mountains and trails near where we live.
Dirt roads and paths are more common, so a shoe’s outsole profile can be pared down and less aggressive. This led the industry to adopt the “road to trail” moniker as a way to market shoes to runners who may never step foot on the types of mountain runs seen in Kilian Jornet’s Instagram feed.
But in the last 10-15 years, the bike industry adopted “gravel” as vertical, and its success appears to have had an influence on running. Several brands at The Running Event described shoes as “gravel” or as a solution for that transitional terrain where the “road” ends. I heard the phrase, “This is the gravel bike of shoes,” multiple times.
Personally, I found this blatant mimicry of the bike industry’s success a little cringy, but I also understand the logic.
Clothing Companies Become Shoe Companies
I met with three brands — CEP, X-Bionic, and Tracksmith — which began as clothing brands but have now become footwear companies (in some cases with just a single shoe to offer).
There were others — Satisfy and rabbit — that I didn’t meet with but that are taking the same approach.
Establishing footwear is a difficult and expensive endeavor, especially when it isn’t a core competency. So I will be interested to see where this trend goes and, more importantly, whether the shoes perform.
‘Barefoot’ Barely Hangs On
The Cost of Speed Accelerates
Top Running Shoes Coming in 2025
Big Updates for Franchise Mainstays
Altra Lone Peak 9
- Launch date: January 2025
- Weight: 11.15 ounces (M10.5), 8.5 ounces (W8.5)
- Drop: 0 mm
- Price: $140
Hoka Bondi 9
- Launch date: January 2025
- Weight: 10.5 ounces (M10), 9.3 ounces (W8)
- Drop: 5 mm
- Price: $170
Trail Shoes: Prototype to Production
On Cloudultra Pro
- Launch date: June 19, 2025
- Weight: 9.7 ounces (M), 8.2 ounces (W)
- Drop: 6 mm
- Price: $260
The North Face Vectiv Pro 3
- Launch date: February 2025
- Weight: 10.3 ounces (M, W, unisex)
- Drop: 6 mm
- Price: $250
Norda 005
- Launch date: Spring 2025
- Weight: 7.4 ounces (M8.5), 6.24 ounces (W8)
- Stack height or drop: Unknown
- Price: $325
La Sportiva Prodigio Pro
- Launch date: Spring 2025
- Weight: 9 ounces (M10.5)
- Drop: 6 mm
- Price: $195
New Marathon Shoes
Craft Kype Pro
- Launch date: Spring 2025
- Weight: 6.9 ounces (M9)
- Drop: 8 mm
- Price: $300
Skechers Aero Tempo
- Launch date: May 1, 2025
- Weight: 8.5 ounces (M), 7.5 ounces (W)
- Drop: 4 mm
- Price: $160
CEP Omnispeed
- Launch date: March 2025
- Weight: 10.1 ounces (US9)
- Drop: 7 mm
- Price: $220