What’s the difference between Trail Running Shoes & Road running shoes?

All your friends have gotten into this trail running thing, telling you about this awesome mountain they ran up and then raced back down, the wildlife they saw and how they almost had to do a number 2. You’ve tried to go for a run with them before but felt you were slipping left, right and centre. “This is no fun” you think, until you’re back running on the road, breathing in the exhaust of another truck and realise, maybe your friends are onto something.

Sound familiar? You’re not alone. But the good thing is, it’s not you. It’s your shoes.

While they may look similar, trail runners and road runners are quite different breeds. Road runners are mostly flat on the outsole giving you a lot of traction on flat surfaces but not much grip for anything else. Trail shoes on the other hand are designed for varied terrain. They usually have bigger lugs (knobbly tread) and different rubber compounds on the outsole which allow you to stick to whatever the trail throws at you. The uppers are usually tougher than their road runner counterparts using durable rip stop materials and rubber toe caps to protect your feet from pesky sticks, that sometimes look worryingly like snakes.

Mont stocks an extensive range of trail running shoes catering from beginner to trail athlete. If you’re sick of slipping around on the trails, get in touch with Mont's expert shoe staff about a new pair of trail running shoes.

By Mont footwear expert Alex