What to Look for When Buying a Trail Shoe

If you are lucky enough to be able to run in a big park or somewhere off the road or pavement then you are going to need a shoe that will be able to protect your feet from foreign objects like sticks and rocks that you are bound to run into along your run.

A trail running shoe is different from conventional running shoes due to the fact that they are built to run off road. When buying trail shoes your foot type will actually be less of a consideration as they will focus on a range of more general features that will work for nearly everyone.

Off Road shoes should be supportive but not to the point where it has excessive pronation control like the Brooks Beast. This is to prevent you from going over on your ankle to easily if you tread somewhere particularly uneven. Trail shoes have a midsole that built up evenly on both sides and a solid heel counter to support your foot.

Most purpose built trail shoes will have an added layer of protection against stepping on sharp objects. This commonly takes shape in a plate located in the midsole that helps to distribute the pressure evenly across the foot. So in case you step on a rock or sharp stick you won’t feel a sharp pain and this also reduces the risk of puncturing your shoes. The New Balance trail shoes have such a feature called Rock Stop and is a good example of a trail shoe. Other brands will have something similar in terms of protecting your foot.

The shoes upper normally comes in a darker and more tear resistant fabric. Hence the shoes are popular amongst people who don’t like white running shoes and are looking for something to wear day to day which the dirt won’t show up on too easily.