Top 3 Cushioned Trail Running Shoes
Sportitude’s in-house running shoe expert Josh and trail guru Ethan review the top 3 cushioned trail running shoes to kick-off 2023 based on their subjective opinions.
Drawing from their experiences including Ethan trail blazing through 2022 to complete his first ultra marathon, the team discuss the New Balance Fresh Foam Hierro v7, Altra Olympus 5 and Hoka Speedgoat 5 – what they love about them, their engineering components, and their real-world performance.
Topping the cushioned trail running shoe podium in factors such as durability, protection and traction to conquer rugged terrain, these trail running shoes are shoes you can trust, putting them on the radar for beginner trail runners to seasoned ultrarunners.
When we’re talking about cushioned trail running shoes, we’re talking about that sweet spot of cushioning – providing shock-absorbing comfort without going so far as to be max cushioned and overly dampening your connection with the world beneath your feet.
Josh and Ethan also dive into trail running shoes that deserve a special mention, falling just short of the top 3 cushioned trail shoes, and give you a sneak peek of new releases to look forward to down the track in 2023.
Ready for adventure? Check out the review with full transcript below.
Josh: Hey guys, Josh here from Sportitude Running and I'm joined by Ethan.
We are going to be doing a review on the top 3 cushioned shoes for trail running to kick-off 2023 and we’re going to flag a couple of shoes that you need to consider for the year ahead.
Before we jump into the preview, we're going to talk to Ethan. Ethan is our in-house trail guru, there's no other way to explain it to the community out there. Ethan, what it is about trail running that you love?
Ethan: I just love getting out in nature, seeing the sights and enjoying the beautiful scenery we have here in Adelaide. I love to get out off the beaten path where there's less people around. I love seeing the kangaroos and the wildlife and that gives me someone to talk to when I'm out there for a long time by myself. I love there's probably less pressure to go quick, you can walk up a hill and nobody's going to see you, it's a lot of fun.
I also love having a snack on my run, so when I'm out there for long days by myself I can take a Clif Bar and sit down and just enjoy it.
Josh: Awesome! Now 2022, what was great about that year for you trail wise?
Ethan: I ran my first ultra marathon which was a big tick that I wanted to get done this year. It was not so much about the completion of the event, but I was really proud of how I trained for it. I stacked really big weeks together, some really considerable mileage and didn't get injured. I really enjoyed it and still love running now, so I think the accumulation of that was probably my highlight of the year.
Josh: Awesome, we're not going to talk about the shoe you used because I've got a sneaking suspicion that one's going to come up in our top 3, but with all that in mind let's jump into our top 3 shoes in that cushioned trail category.
Before we jump into that, I want to tell you at home how we workshop these top 3 and what and we do downstairs here at Sportitude Running. We have collaborated with all of our shoe fitters, we've received some feedback from our customers and we've dialled it down from about 6 pairs of shoes down to 3 absolute best in this category with a couple of special mentions. Without further ado, let's get stuck in.
New Balance Fresh Foam Hierro v7
Josh: The first shoe in our category today kicking things off in our top 3 is the New Balance Fresh Foam Hierro v7. It’s a great shoe.
A couple of key statistics on this shoe - it is an 8mm offset, with 28mm in the heel and 20mm in the forefoot. It’s around 301 grams for a men’s size 9 and around 235 grams for a women’s size 7.5.
Ethan, you have a bit of a love affair with this shoe.
Ethan: I do. It’s the shoe I ran my first ultra marathon in. I really, really enjoyed running in it. It’s very comfortable and a very cushioned for me.
Josh: Fantastic. Fitting it downstairs, what do you find is the best feature of this shoe? What works for you?
Ethan: I love that it has a bit of a wider toe box. I absolutely adore the New Balance Fresh Foam 1080, so going from a New Balance 1080 into this shoe I find it fits my foot as a wider foot really well and gives me some room to splay my toes.
It fits a lot of foot types really well. If you have more of a narrow foot you might find you have a little bit of room, but for me I really love the fit.
Josh: Awesome. Now to talk all things outsole, because a good trail running shoe has a great outsole. We've got Vibram technology on play here. In terms of wet or dry conditions is there any pros or cons about the outsole?
Ethan: It’s something you can trust 100% which is great. I’ve being doing a lot of trail runs through Sturt Gorge and Belair National Park. There's some sections through there that can get pretty muddy and pretty wet.
Chucking this shoe on, I knew that I could bomb down some hills, climb up hills and know that I'd have traction anywhere so it’s fantastic. Vibram is a great outsole sitting underneath that Fresh Foam X midsole. It’s a really great combo.
Josh: Is coming from your New Balance 1080 as a road shoe to this shoe a pretty seamless transition?
Ethan: Absolutely. I chucked it on and it felt great. Obviously, because I was doing an ultra marathon with it, I went up half a size to give myself a little bit of room just for feet swelling and all that fun stuff. In terms of fit it’s very similar to a New Balance 1080.
Josh: Fantastic, so it's Ethan approved that it should be in the top 3 cushioned trail running shoes?
Ethan: Absolutely, it's a big tick for me.
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New Balance Fresh Foam Hierro v7 - Womens Trail Running Shoes -
sold out
New Balance Fresh Foam Hierro v7 - Womens Trail Running Shoes
FEATURES
- Support: Neutral
- Upper: Mesh
- Midsole: New Balance Fresh Foam X
- Outsole: Vibram MegaGrip
- Heel Height: 28mm
- Forefoot Height: 20mm
- Offset / Drop: 8mm
- Sustainability: Recycled materials
Men
- Weight: 301g / 10.6oz (US 9)
- Width: D (standard)
Women
- Weight: 235g / 8.3oz (US 7.5)
- Width: B (standard)
Altra Olympus 5
Josh: Number 2 in our list is the Altra Olympus 5. This shoe has been on my foot over the last 12 months. I absolutely adore what this shoe does for me on the trails. It’s a unique make-up with regards to its overall engineering.
Altra are known for their foot shape technology. Ethan already alluded to this with his love for the New Balance Fresh Foam Hierro v7, but this shoe has a nice broad toe box for those trail runners who like to experience a splay through the front half of your foot. The Altra Olympus 5 does exactly that.
It is on a zero drop. Some people get a bit nervous when you start talking about zero drops, thinking that they won't be able to tolerate it, but when you're running trails, what Ethan and I have discussed before is the foot placement. There's so many variables that come into play.
Ethan: Absolutely, jumping over roots, rocks and all that kind of stuff. You're already putting a lot of load through your body.
Josh: For sure. Whether it's a 4mm or zero drop, more often than not it's about discussing comfort. With Altra and that splayed forefoot, you can actually take a little bit of load off your plantar fascia and your lower Achilles by purely utilising the full surface area of your foot.
In terms of the overall specs of this shoe, it's a little bit heavier and it can be debated this shoe probably falls into that max cushion category. However, I feel in terms of the overall stack height and where this shoe sits, it still sits in that cushion category quite comfortably.
Regarding the overall stack height, we have a 33mm heel and 33mm forefoot, obviously with an offset of zero. The weight is around 350 grams in a men's size 9 and about 295g in a women’s size 7.5.
It's not light, it's a little bit heavier, but once you're running in it your foot feels really relaxed in the shoe due to the foot shape. I love what this trail running shoe does.
I love the Achilles flare. The previous version, the Altra Olympus 4 had a lower heel collar and didn't have that Achilles flare and I'm a big fan of the Achilles flare in the Altra Olympus 5.
All the little add-ons like the gator straps are obviously for those trail runners out there that like extra protection and stopping those rocks, sticks, twigs and bits and pieces getting inside your shoes.
The New Balance Hierro v7 had Vibram in the outsole, and we see it again in the Altra Olympus 5.
Ethan: Absolutely, another big tick. It’s very trustworthy on the trails.
Josh: No surprises, Vibram partner with brands from time to time and Altra jumped on board with the Altra Olympus 5.
For the runners that like a nice, relaxed fit in your in your trail running shoes and want to experience that forefoot splay, the Altra Olympus 5 is certainly one you should consider and Ethan approved it for the top 3 cushioned trail running shoes.
FEATURES
- Support: Neutral
- Upper: Mesh
- Midsole: Altra EVA
- Outsole: Vibram MegaGrip
- Heel Height: 33mm
- Forefoot Height: 33mm
- Offset / Drop: 0mm
Men
- Weight: 350g / 12.3oz (US 9)
- Width: D (standard)
Women
- Weight: 295g / 10.4oz (US 7.5)
- Width: B (standard)
Hoka One One Speedgoat 5
Rounding off our top 3 cushioned trail running shoes, number 1 on the podium is the Hoka One One Speedgoat 5. This trail running shoe is very comfortable. I'm not going to deny that. It’s very popular with a great amount of cushioning. The statistics of this trail running shoe are it’s on a 4mm offset. We have 38mm in the heel and 34mm in the forefoot.
Regarding weights, it’s 285 grams in a men's size 9 and around 240 grams in a women’s size 7.5. That is all I'm going to talk about that shoe because Ethan, no surprises, this is the number 1 trail running shoe for you isn't it?
Ethan: Absolutely, this is a shoe that I absolutely adore. I picked it up after my New Balance Fresh Foam Hierro v7 had a good life but I put them out to pasture and I got my foot into one of these and I've absolutely loved every second of it since.
Just starting from the top, I again love the flared heel counter and the lacing system is really good. In the Hoka Speedgoat 4 I understand it was a little bit abrasive through the upper. They fixed that and it's a more relaxed fit. It’s really comfortable the first time you put your foot in it.
Going through to the midsole, it's a little bit firmer which is great because it gives you more stability and I can trust every step I take. It’s another Vibram outsole which we absolutely love. It's the most trust I've ever had in a shoe, just bombing downhills, switchbacks or anything like that.
It’s really something I can trust to jump into a corner and know I'm going to stay on my feet which is nice.
I absolutely love this shoe for me with a wider foot. I've gone in the 2E width which is another really great option. It does fit a little bit narrower than maybe the New Balance Fresh Foam Hierro v7 and definitely than the Altra Olympus 5, but coming in widths makes it more accessible for everyone which is a big tick in my book.
Josh: Fantastic, so just talking about the upper because you did mention the Hoka Speedgoat 4. For those of you out there that have used the Hoka Speegoat 4, you know what we're talking about. It was a little bit abrasive across that toe box so for those getting your foot into that flexion point to toe-off, it did cut across a lot of that forefoot. They made it a more relaxed fit which is great.
I’ve personally done a couple of runs in my Hoka Speedgoat 5 and I like them, but I have nowhere near the amount of kilometres Ethan has done in his. But what I find great about this shoe is that saddle through this arch area. It’s really important for trail running because we know that your foot is going to be in all sorts of crazy positions when you're either coming down or going up a hill, and also switchbacks Ethan mentioned with those sharp corners. You want your foot to stay on top of that platform, right?
Ethan: Absolutely, it just locks it in there so well. It really keeps you secure on the platform which means you can trust your feet and you can think about all the other stuff you do when you’re trail running, looking at the views and eating snacks.
Josh: 100%, brilliant! There you have it, the number one in our top 3 cushioned trail running shoes is the Hoka Speedgoat 5 and Ethan approved.
Ethan: Big tick!
FEATURES
- Support: Neutral
- Upper: Mesh
- Midsole: Hoka One One CMEVA
- Outsole: Vibram MegaGrip
- Offset / Drop: 4mm
- Heel Height: 38mm
- Forefoot Height: 34mm
Men
- Weight: 285g / 10.05oz (US 9)
- Width: D (standard), 2E (wide)
Women
- Weight: 240g / 8.5oz (US 7.5)
- Width: B (standard), D (wide)
Special Mentions: Nike Pegasus Trail & Saucony Endorphin Trail
Josh: Moving through our top 3 cushioned trail running shoes, the New Balance Fresh Foam Hierro v7, the Altra Olympus 5 and Hoka One One Speedgoat 5 have made it to the podium, but there was a couple of shoes that just missed out.
For me the Nike Pegasus Trail was one that didn't quite make it. I think that trail running shoe is fantastic. It's had some hits and misses over the last few years but I really like what Nike are doing in this space. The shoe has had a little bit of an update with its outsole which is fantastic.
It kind of falls into that all-terrain category to be fair, a bit like the Hoka Challenger where you can use it on bitumen, pavement and also trails. The reason it didn't make this cushioned trail top 3 was probably because of that factor.
It's still all-terrain and probably not quite as cushioned as the other three we talked about, but certainly it's a shoe that I would comfortably bring out for someone who's getting into trail for the first time and trying to find their way in in this sport. It's really comfortable and obviously offers quite a lot of great features. What about you Ethan?
Ethan: My special mention, the one that just missed out is the Saucony Endorphin Trail (above). It has a bit more of an aggressive outsole which is really something that I like. It’s a little bit narrow for my foot and unfortunately when they first released this shoe they had to recall it.
However, the good news from Saucony is that they recalled it and then brought it back out in a new version. They've done the right thing by us, we got to see it, they took them back but we've got it again. That's probably why it's just missed out for me.
Josh: Cool, and for those of who at home wondering why did they recall the shoe or some of you may know why, the midsole and the glue was actually not stuck to the strobel board of the shoe.
There was around six weeks we had the Saucony Endorphin Trail version 1 on our wall down at Sportitude Running, and this is a global recall, it wasn't just in Australia. The whole midsole was peeling away from the upper and it was an issue with their glue.
Like Ethan said, when a brand makes... let's call it a pretty catastrophic error with overall manufacturing... to be able to then fix the problem straight away and then relaunch the shoe is absolutely fantastic. It's very popular and very comfortable. As you said, that outsole is fantastic.
Ethan: It has really good traction on that outsole and I have a lot of trust in it.
Josh: There you go guys, our top 3 cushioned trail shoes and our special mentions.
Trail Running Shoes To Look Forward To In 2023
Josh: 2023 is going to be another big year for trail running. We've seen growth in this sport over the last decade all over the globe and it's fantastic. With that growing sport, obviously you the trail running community out there is expecting big things from the brands in regards to producing fantastic shoes that cover all the trail market.
We already touched on today the top 3 in the cushioned trail category to kick-off 2023 and a couple of special mentions. Now to dive into running shoes that you should keep an eye on, watch this space or however you'd like to phrase it.
For me there's a trail running shoe coming in the mid part of 2023 from Asics. It’s the Asics Gel Trabuco 11. The Asics Trabuco franchise has been around for a number of years. It's a little bit firmer than most trail running shoes, however they've injected new technology into that midsole to make it marginally softer and I think it's going to be a lot more runnable for a lot of runners.
They've kind of been a little bit slow with progressing in that space. The Asics Trubuco Max obviously talked to that max cushion category but the Asics Gel Trabuco 9 and Asics Gel Trabuco 10 were just a little bit firm for me.
However, the Asics Gel Trabuco 11 is going to be nice and soft. What about you Ethan, what are you looking forward to in 2023?
Ethan: As a lover of the New Balance Fresh Foam Hierro v7, I'm really looking forward to the update that's coming in 2023. We're looking at maybe a softer midsole and a little bit more durability which would be really great because I put mine through hell. I would have liked maybe a little bit more life out of them so I’m really excited to get my foot into that in 2023.
The Wrap Up
Josh: For you the trail running community out there, we just want to say well done for what you did in 2022.
Keep chasing those PBs, keep pushing yourselves and the great thing about trail running which Ethan touched on in his intro, is it's such an inclusive sport. It's the best running sport for you to grab a mate and introduce him to running, getting out seeing nature, relaxing and just enjoying what running can do for you.
If you have any questions about our top 3 shoes in the cushion trail category, please contact our Sportitude shoe experts. If you agree with Ethan or myself let us know.
If you disagree that is absolutely fine, this is a totally subjective review but we obviously love to hear from you the trail running community all over the world.
Until next time guys, stay safe, happy running, be kind to one another and we'll see you at the road. Thanks Ethan for your time and thank you, take care.
For an in-depth shoe fitting experience, you can book a free 15 minute video chat in a Live Fit session or make an appointment to discover your RunDNA at Sportitude Running@Hindmarsh.
Happy trail running!
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