Top Running Shoes I’m Wearing in 2026: Road, Trail, and Performance Picks

Happy New Year!

In 2025, I ran in a wide variety of shoes across an equally wide range of terrain. Here, I’ll share my top three favorite shoes that I’ll be taking into 2026.

What I Look for in a Running Shoe

Durability

I am really rough on shoes. I tend to gravitate toward technical, steep terrain, and I often take road shoes onto trails. Because of this, durability is something I prioritize when purchasing both road and trail trainers. I’ve had bad luck with soft-foam shoes wearing out far too quickly. Sometime last year, I switched to shoes with a firmer underfoot feel (foam density being the key factor). Firmer foams are generally more durable than softer ones, and I’ve actually noticed fewer aches and pains since making the switch.

Performance

There is nothing worse than feeling like you’ve strapped bricks to your feet and gone for a jog. Responsiveness and weight are what I look for most when it comes to performance. This is probably partly mental, but it’s a requirement for any shoe I buy.

Comfort

I need to be able to spend several hours at a time in every shoe I purchase, so comfort is a priority. What feels comfortable for one person won’t necessarily feel comfortable for another. For me, a comfortable shoe is lightweight, supportive without restricting natural foot movement, supple but not mushy, and stable.

My Physio, for reference

Your physiology, running form, and average paces will all influence which shoes work best for you. For reference, I have narrow, low-volume feet with high arches, and I typically wear a women’s size 6.5 or 7 depending on the model. I’m a midfoot striker with a long stride and run in neutral shoes. I primarily train for marathons, with most of my running falling in the ~5:55–8:30 per mile range, across a mix of road and technical mountain terrain.

All Around Trail: La Sportiva Prodigio Pro

Specs

• My Size: Women’s 7 (these run small, 1/2 up is probably sufficient)

• Stack height: 34 mm heel / 28 mm forefoot

• Drop: 6 mm

• Weight: 225g or 7.9 oz

• Terrain: Technical trails, mixed surfaces

This shoe is incredible. Life changing, even. And I am not being dramatic. I am generally skeptical of expensive running shoes, with the possible exception of race shoes, and for good reason. As running has become increasingly popular, many brands seem to be capitalizing by making shoes more expensive and less durable in the name of performance and comfort.

Not La Sportiva, though.

I do sometimes wonder if these might be better classified as a race shoe. I am not entirely sure and I will continue to train in them regardless because they have effectively ruined every other trail shoe for me. I won a free pair of La Sportivas at the Austin Rattler 50k and went to the Boulder showroom with no expectations. At the time, I was fully sold on any discounted pair of New Balance Hierro v9s I could find on Amazon. The second I put the Prodigio Pros on, I knew I had found peak trail shoe.

I have run every trail run since in these and they have completely resolved the calcaneofibular ligament pain I used to experience while trail running.

The toe box on the Pros is roomy but not too roomy. They are nowhere near an Altra or Topo, thankfully in my opinion, but there is enough space to reduce the likelihood of toenail issues and general foot discomfort. If you are like me and have narrow feet, do not be dissuaded by the toe box. The laces run nearly the full length of the foot, allowing for precise lockdown. They strike a near perfect balance between comfort and snugness.

I was not sure about the sock liner when I first saw it, but it is actually wonderful. It provides additional ankle support, contributes to the shoe’s dialed in fit, and most importantly keeps debris out. I ran 20 miles on sandy trails with absolutely no issues with sand or grit getting in.

The rocker on the Pros is noticeably more pronounced than on many other trail shoes. It feels great and enhances the overall performance without compromising stability. It really helps you get the most out of each stride.

I hate a mushy feeling shoe, which is often a concern with higher stack heights. That is not an issue here. The foam feels responsive and springy and I would argue it is firmer than many comparable shoes. It provides support in all the right ways while still feeling grounded, something I find lacking in shoes like the New Balance Hierro v9.

I have used these on every kind of trail imaginable, including gravel, highly technical, steep, and sandy terrain, and in all conditions such as dry weather, rain, and snow. The traction and grip are as good as, if not better than, any other shoe I have worn, especially considering the amount of surface area underfoot.

Between the drop, foam, and rocker, the Pros work exceptionally well as both race day shoes and everyday trainers. Without question, they will be my Leadville 100 shoes. I am looking forward to putting many, many more miles into them. I just wish there were a true road equivalent.

Road Race: Hoka Rocket X 3

Specs

• My Size: Women’s 6.5/Men's 5.5 (true to size)

• Stack height: 39.6 mm heel / 33 mm forefoot

• Drop: 7 mm

• Weight: 7.4 oz

Race shoes are an ongoing battle for me. Almost every pair I have tried has caused severe, debilitating blisters, including the Rocket X 2s. The Rocket X 3s are my safe shoe. I trust them, which honestly matters more to me than chasing marginal gains for the time being. Are they the best shoe for pure performance? Probably not. But they get me to the finish line in one piece, and right now, that is enough.

They work well for my narrow, low volume feet and feel secure without creating hot spots or pressure in weird places. The platform feels stable at faster paces, which is especially important for marathon racing when form starts to fall apart late in the race. They are controlled and predictable rather than overly aggressive, and that is exactly what I want on race day.

These shoes are stable and give a noticeable performance boost. I have PR’d in both the 5k (18:24) and the marathon (3:03) in them, and I will run my sub-2:55 attempt in February in these. I will happily keep racing in them until they wear out.

Road Trainer: Mount to Coast R1

Specs

• Size: Women’s 6.5 (runs slightly large)

• Stack height: 35 mm heel / 27 mm forefoot

• Drop: 8 mm

• Weight: 8.5 oz (women’s)

The shoes are new to me but I really like them so sI wanted to include them on this list. As I mentioned earlier, I am really hard on shoes. I feel These shoes are new to me, but I really like them, so I wanted to include them on this list. As I mentioned earlier, I am really hard on shoes. I feel like I am constantly buying new ones, which is what brought me to the R1s. These shoes are refreshing. They are firm underfoot and feel almost like a racing flat, which I actually like.

It took a few runs for my feet to adjust to the firmer shoe, but now I reach for these over my other trainers, except on days when I have any ligament aches or pains or when a more supple shoe feels nice. You might notice some foot soreness at first, no pain, but in my case it went away within a day or two of consistently running in the R1s.

The idea behind these shoes is that the further you go, the better they feel. This has been true in my experience. At the beginning of my runs, I am almost distracted by how foreign they feel. As the miles go on, though, I completely forget about them. I feel completely unrestricted in these shoes during long runs, and I never have issues with foot pain, which was not uncommon in shoes like the New Balance 1080s. The workload feels dispersed around my foot, not concentrated in one area like it used to.

One bone I have to pick is the dual lacing system. There is a shortened lace and then a drawstring for the midfoot section. I struggle to get both shoes to feel exactly the same, which might just be perfectionism. They also make a bit of a clicking sound on each stride as they hit the ground. This does not bother me, but I could see how it might annoy others.

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