Outside • 8th January 2026

We Tested Salomon's New Aerodynamic Super Shoe to See If It Made Us Faster

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 policySalomon has long been synonymous with trail running. But since the launch of the Sonic line in 2016, the brand has expanded its focus to include the road. Salomon’s latest and most ambitious road project yet is an updated version of its carbon-fiber super shoe, the S/LAB Phantasm. Rather than chasing marginal gains th...

RUN | Powered by Outside • 2nd December 2025

I Usually Avoid Stability Shoes. Then I Tried the Nike Structure Plus.

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 policyWhen Nike introduced its new naming convention last year, it chose the Structure, its core stability model, to stand alongside the peppy Pegasus and plush Vomero. Each model now comes in three tiers: Icon (or base), Plus, and Premium, reflecting a progression in technology and materials. As you move up the tiers, Nike...

RUN | Powered by Outside • 18th November 2025

A Gravel Shoe That’s Actually Great—We Review the Mount to Coast H1

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 policyThe Mount to Coast H1 is the fourth model we’ve seen from the young brand, which debuted in the U.S. market in 2024. It’s the latest addition to the growing road-to-trail/”gravel shoe” category—and proves that this category does indeed deserve to exist.Road-to-trail shoes blend the smooth ride of a road trainer with a...

Outside Online • 25th October 2025

Outside - Those Crazy-Looking Puma Shoes? Turns Out They’re Pure Genius.

RUN | Powered by Outside • 11th September 2025

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...

RUN | Powered by Outside • 2nd September 2025

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...

RUN | Powered by Outside • 29th August 2025

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...

RUN | Powered by Outside • 25th August 2025

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...

RUN | Powered by Outside • 12th August 2025

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...

RUN | Powered by Outside • 31st July 2025

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-...

Outside Online • 18th July 2025

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! Subscribe today. 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...

RUN | Powered by Outside • 18th July 2025

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,...

RUN | Powered by Outside • 30th June 2025

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...

RUN | Powered by Outside • 23rd June 2025

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....

RUN | Powered by Outside • 5th June 2025

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...

Outside Online • 21st May 2025

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...

RUN | Powered by Outside • 14th May 2025

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...

Outside Online • 14th May 2025

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...

Runner's World • 14th May 2025

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...

RUN | Powered by Outside • 14th May 2025

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...