His Work
Stories by Cory
Cory Smith is a Santa Barbara, CA, and Philadelphia, PA-based athlete, online running coach, and freelance writer specializing in running, climbing, and fitness-related content and gear review. He draws from over 30 years as an elite runner and rock climber for ideas, inspiration, and expertise.
His work has been featured in Outside Magazine, Runner's World, Gear Patrol, Muscle & Fitness, Gear Junkie, Footwear News, TripSavvy, Trail Runner and Gear Institute. He loves working with new outlets and can be reached at cory@runyourpersonalbest.com. If you're interested in getting coached by Cory visit www.runyourpersonalbest.com
Has Nike Gone Too Tall? We Review the Vomero Premium
If you buy through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission. This supports our mission to get more people active and outside.Learn about Outside Online's affiliate link policyIf you feel like you heard about Nike releasing a new Vomero multiple times over the past year, you’re not imagining things. Nike rebranded its everyday running shoe lineup into three silos (support, max cushioning, and responsive cushioning), each with three variations of the same model. So, the Vomero line has seen...
The Fastest Trail Shoes at the 2025 UTMB Mont-Blanc
If you buy through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission. This supports our mission to get more people active and outside.Learn about Outside Online's affiliate link policyIn typical fashion, the 2025 UTMB did not disappoint. With nearly a whole week of racing, culminating in the 176-kilometer main event, runners not only had to contend with the grueling course but also with adverse weather conditions to such an extent that the OCC, TDS, and UTMB courses were modified for safety reasons...
Hoka Rocket X Trail Review: Fast, Fun, Groomed-Trail Racer
If you buy through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission. This supports our mission to get more people active and outside.Learn about Outside Online's affiliate link policyHoka is known for teasing new models during high-profile races. In late June this year, Fuzhao Xiang finished second at the Western States 100 in an unreleased ultra-cushioned model. We now know what Xiang was wearing: The Hoka Rocket X Trail, a dirt-ready version of Hoka’s road super shoe. We got our hands on a pair...
The 5 Best Cross Country Spikes of 2025
If you buy through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission. This supports our mission to get more people active and outside.Learn about Outside Online's affiliate link policy
The start of a new school year and the shift from summer’s relentless heat to fall’s crisp, cool air signal that cross country is right around the corner. Like a pack of migrant birds flying south for the winter, cross-country runners instinctively feel the change. A fresh season awaits, full of possibility. And wha...
Asics Megablast Review: A New Leader in Lightweight Luxury Performance
If you buy through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission. This supports our mission to get more people active and outside.Learn about Outside Online's affiliate link policyLast spring, Outside testers and editors named the Asics Novablast 5 as the best all-around road running shoe for 2025, noting that it works well for a wide range of runners, paces, and distances. That kind of versatility, however, usually means the model must sacrifice a bit of speed, and the Novablast 5 is no except...
7 Top Trail Running Super Shoes of 2025, Reviewed
Road-racing super shoes—boasting a thick stack of soft, hyper-responsive foam paired with an embedded, curved, rigid plate—have burst onto the running scene, delivering some of the most efficient rides in running shoe history. It makes sense, then, that trail runners have been eager to gain the same performance edge from trail running super shoes. But it’s not as simple as plug-and-play: The same materials and designs that create the trampoline-like bounce of super shoes can turn against an off-...
We Put Thousands of Miles on 119 Running Shoes to Find the 14 Best for Your Training and Racing
New perk: Easily find new routes and hidden gems, upcoming running events, and more near you. Your weekly Local Running Newsletter has everything you need to lace up!
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Finding the right pair of road running shoes can invigorate—or reinvigorate—anyone’s relationship with running. Shoe technology is constantly evolving. With lighter weight, springier midsole foams, comfort-enhancing upper materials, novel shapes that add stability, and embedded plates for increased effic...
The New Foam That Could Propel You to a Marathon PR
We are arguably living through the most pivotal period in the history of running shoes. Never before has picking a race-day shoe had as significant an impact on performance as it does today. A growing body of research confirms this: Studies show that modern super shoes can improve running economy by up to 4 percent, or more, translating to significant time savings in races.
Over the past nine years, shoe technology has evolved at a lightning pace. High-rebound foams, new gas-infusing processes,...
Fastest Shoes From the 2025 Western States 100
The 2025 Western States 100 was everything we expected: fierce competition, scorching heat, and a spotlight on cutting-edge trail running shoes. On the men’s side, Caleb Olson, wore the yet-to-be-released Nike Ultrafly 2, while Abby Hall, won the women’s event in the now-available Adidas Terrex Agravic Speed Ultra.
As one of Outside’s lead trail shoe testers, I can’t think of a better proving ground than 100 miles of altitude, searing temperatures, and punishing descents with a mixture of more t...
Plus = Plush: Nike Vomero Plus First Run Review
Nike is in the middle of a major overhaul of its training shoe lineup. For several years, the brand has been pouring much of its innovation into carbon fiber racing shoes like the Alphafly 3 and Vaporfly 4, and competitors like Hoka, Asics, New Balance, and Brooks have surged ahead in the daily trainer category.
Recognizing the growing demand for max-cushioned trainers, Nike has overhauled its everyday cushioned-shoe lineup and is creating three distinct versions of the classic, trusted Vomero....
The Best Running Shoes For Beginners (2025)
So you’ve decided to start running. Congrats! Whether your goal is to get fit, clear your mind, or train for your first race, lacing up a pair of running shoes is the first step toward success. But with hundreds of options on the market, buying running shoes can be as daunting as braving your first miles on your neighborhood streets. Running shoe jargon like midsole, rocker, and stability gets tossed around a lot, but odds are you’re not exactly sure what those terms mean, or which ones matter f...
The 9 Best Men's Running Shorts to Keep You Cool and Comfortable All Summer
New perk: Easily find new routes and hidden gems, upcoming running events, and more near you. Your weekly Local Running Newsletter has everything you need to lace up!
Subscribe today.
Summer running is difficult enough with the challenges of heat and humidity. The last thing you need is to be held back by running shorts that bunch, cling, chafe, or restrict your movement. The perfect running shorts should be so comfortable that you hardly notice them, while looking so good that others...
Do Plates Really Matter In Trail Running Shoes?
If you’ve been following the evolution of road running shoes over the past eight years, you’ve heard of super shoes. These highly cushioned racing shoes combine advanced foam with a carbon-fiber plate embedded in the midsole. The genre was born in 2017 with the launch of Nike’s Vaporfly 4%, a shoe that disrupted the sport with bold claims of improved running economy.
A 2018 study proved the claim true, showing that 18 highly trained runners all experienced an average 4% reduction in the energy c...
These Field and Lab Tested Men's Running Shirts Will Keep You Cool, Dry, and Comfortable All Summer
New perk: Easily find new routes and hidden gems, upcoming running events, and more near you. Your weekly Local Running Newsletter has everything you need to lace up!
Subscribe today.
Running during the summer can be exhilarating (all that daylight!) and daunting (all that sweat!) at the same time. Whether you embrace the heat and humidity of summer running or long for a return to cold, dark winter days, the right running top can keep you cooler and drier while making you feel fast an...
Trying to Shave Seconds Off Your PR? These Carbon-Plated Running Shoes Help You Push Past Your Limit
Put a spring in your step and shave seconds off your PR with these cutting-edge racing shoes.3Most VersatileNew Balance FuelCell Supercomp Elite 4$250 at Amazon$250 at Dick's Sporting Goods$250 at New BalanceProsIncredible underfoot comfort Form-fitting upper Very stable for a plated shoeConsThin laces can be annoying Relatively heavy From the moment you slip on the New Balance FuelCell Supercomp Elite 4, there’s a welcoming, soft underfoot feel that feels just as good at mile one as it does at...
Do Plates Really Matter In Trail Running Shoes?
If you’ve been following the evolution of road running shoes over the past eight years, you’ve heard of super shoes. These highly cushioned racing shoes combine advanced foam with a carbon-fiber plate embedded in the midsole. The genre was born in 2017 with the launch of Nike’s Vaporfly 4%, a shoe that disrupted the sport with bold claims of improved running economy.
A 2018 study proved the claim true, showing that 18 highly trained runners all experienced an average 4% reduction in the energy c...
Nimble, Durable, Comfortable Trail Tackler: Mount to Coast T1 First Run Review
Boutique running shoe brands are having a moment. Thanks to advancements in materials (particularly foams) and a flurry of innovative shoe design, smaller companies are now producing footwear that rivals—and in some cases, surpasses—the offerings of traditional big brands.
One emerging brand quickly gaining recognition as a serious contender is Mount to Coast. Founded in April 2024, the Hong Kong-based company’s mission is to design a shoe capable of withstanding the rigors of ultra-distance run...
The Lightest Super Shoe Ever Made: Asics Metaspeed Ray Review
While runners work to optimize lungs, legs, and heart (physical and metaphysical) to leave it all on the race course, shoe companies are locked in their own race, battling each other to build the ultimate race-day super shoe. Looking back, there have been two major turning points in the evolution of racing shoes. The first came in 2017 when Nike unleashed the Vaporfly 4%, the shoe that changed everything by enhancing running economy.
The second was in 2023 when Adidas introduced the Adizero Adio...
The Lightest Super Shoe Ever Made: Asics Metaspeed Ray Review
While runners work to optimize lungs, legs, and heart (physical and metaphysical) to leave it all on the race course, shoe companies are locked in their own race, battling each other to build the ultimate race-day super shoe. Looking back, there have been two major turning points in the evolution of racing shoes. The first came in 2017 when Nike unleashed the Vaporfly 4%, the shoe that changed everything by enhancing running economy.
The second was in 2023 when Adidas introduced the Adizero Adio...
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