Here is my current favorite list from the past couple of months, along with some info on all of them. Let me know if there’s anything specific you’d like to know about any of the gear below!

Watch - Suunto Vertical 2

Shoutout to Zach Levy! I got sent the latest adventure watch from Suunto, and I’ve been in love. I’ve historically been a Coros guy, but this watch has me switching sides with no worries left behind. It has an amazing, clear display, significantly upgraded maps, awesome alerts on climbs and descents, music, and my favorite feature—a built-in LED flashlight with a variety of lighting modes.

This thing is packed with features. One thing I’ve been loving about the Suunto is the build quality. This watch feels exceptionally crafted and so durable. The battery life is also outstanding, lasting about the same as my Coros Apex 4.

Overall, I’ve been greatly impressed with the new Suunto Vertical 2, and it’s been joining me on all of my adventures lately. If you’re looking to make a switch, check this one out. It’s been a gear favorite over the past month!

Shop Vertical 2 Watch

Shoes - HOKA Tecton X 4

Hands down, the best Tecton ever created. I won’t go in-depth here, but I’m going to be 100% honest with you: I loved the Tecton 3, but I didn’t really get hyped for the 4 coming this year. Well, my mis-hype was misguided because I was lucky enough to get sent a testing pair, and this shoe has climbed its way to becoming my favorite shoe of the year.

I wrote a full review on our 9 to 5 Runners site if you want to know all the ins and outs. With added heel padding, better upper construction, decreased weight, and adjusted, more-responsive, just-touch-softer foam, this thing is a powerhouse. Such a fan of this shoe right now.

Shop Tecton!

Socks - Tracksmith Trackhouse Crew Sock

This is an everyday sock, but I fully believe in the ability to have free will to do whatever the heck I want with products. Any good product carries versatility with it, and I’ve found that in these Tracksmith socks. They are amazing whether I’m chilling at home, working at the office, or out for a trail run. I’ve done everything from coffee runs to travel days to office days to 15 miles on the trail. Really enjoying the comfort of this sock right now. It’s built very well—as to be expected from Tracksmith!

Shop These Socks!

Shorts - Brooks Cascadia 5” 2-in-1 Short

I love pockets and good storage. That’s exactly what’s great about these extremely comfortable shorts from Brooks. They have great waistband storage, a 5” inseam, and a built-in compression liner for the thunder thighs like mine. They even have a phone pocket built into the thigh area. Loving these for all my long runs!

Shop The Shorts!

Tee - Nike ACG Dri-FIT T-Shirt

The comfiest T-shirt I’ve run in. I’m not sure what it is, but the more I run, the less I’m into tech tees. I do have some favorites, but classic cotton vibes are what I’ve been feeling lately. This tee from Nike is the perfect combination of soft texture, durability, and comfort for long days on the trail. I also absolutely love the Tattoo colorway of this one. Shoutout to Jeremy Johnson, who turned me on to this tee!

Shop the ACG Tee

Nutrition - Open Fuel Gel Mix

Goodbye, gel wrappers - yeah, that’s right: F you, plastic! Man, Open Fuel is hands down my favorite nutrition brand right now. I use the drink mix for every single run when I need liquid carbs and some sodium. Earlier this year, they introduced their Gel Mix, which is solid. Hot tip: customize your flavor with a scoop of your favorite drink mix powder. You can scoop and shake your flask to get going, or, better yet, you can use the boil method to get the best gel consistency. Instructions for both are on the back of the bag.

Shop Gel Mix

*If you’re reading this and want to try the gel mix, message/comment me and I’ll send you a 30% off code to use!

Favorite Music for My Runs

No Pressure - NP Style

High-energy California pop-punk angst! The cadence of this music is so fun. I find myself finger-pointing and yelling the lyrics to the squirrels when I’m on the trail. The entire record is a 10/10 - no skips.

Noah Kahan - The Great Divide

I don’t even need to say anything. Eclectic and soulful, like it was meant to be played while out in the wild.

Turnstile - NEVER ENOUGH: VERSIONS

Turnstile is easily the most popular hardcore band in the modern music scene. Their NEVER ENOUGH record is absolutely phenomenal, so they released a new version with some insane collaborations. Loving this one with Elton John, as well as the song “CEILINGS” with Hayley Williams from Paramore.

Surfaces - All the Space Between

I started listening to Surfaces when I got into surfing, so it gives me beach vibes. Really positive, joyful, and energetic vibes to run to. I’ve been jamming to this record, and it sets my mood just right. Play it if you want a more upbeat and calm demeanor on the run.

El Fin

And that’s a wrap, folks. I’ll try to get more of these informal gear favorites out - just a brief look, by no means a full review, into some of my favorite things.

Let me know in the comments what different things you’re enjoying, especially if you have any music recs for me!

Thanks for checking this one out, and I’ll catch ya on the next one!

Until next time!

—Ryan from Into the Wild

Throughout the past few years, I have tried every single model of norda shoes, so I have a really solid background and understanding of the Canadian brand’s identity and offerings.

Today, we are here to chat about the norda 005 and the brand-new all-mountain 055 trail running shoes. With the newest release of the 055, I know a lot of people are looking to understand where this one fits into their quiver. Additionally, because it shares certain characteristics with the 005, understanding how it compares is important. With about 50 miles of wear in the 055 and over 200 in the 005, I’m going to break it down.

$325 is a lot of moolah… so is it worth investing that in this new shoe? Let’s see!

Specs?

Drop / Stack

• 055: 6mm / Heel: 36mm, Forefoot: 30mm (31mm/25mm midsole + 5mm insole)

• 005: 7.0mm approx. foot position / Heel: 28.5mm, Forefoot: 21.5mm

Weight

• 055: 286g / 10.1 oz (US M 8.5) | 260g / 9.8 oz (US W 8)

• 005: 214g / 7.5 oz (US M 8.5) | 177g / 6.2 oz (US W 8)

Lugs

• 055: Megagrip Elite and Litebase - 5mm

• 005: Megagrip Elite - 4mm

Midsole

• 055: Arnitel® Midsole TPEE

• 005: Arnitel TPEE

Upper

• 055: Open Mesh Bio-Dyneema®

• 005: Open Mesh Bio-Dyneema®

Shop 055

On foot differences and similarities

Fit & width. One thing I adore about the 005 is its width. The 005 is very wide-foot-friendly with a very generous toe box. However, I am still able to get such a good lockdown in this shoe. With the 055, you still get this, but it’s definitely a tad narrower. Please note that I used the term “narrower” and not “narrow.” The 055 is still very much wide-foot-friendly; I just noticed that the toe box tapers a tad more. If you’re familiar with the 001, 001a, and 002 from norda, the toe box is very similar to these models. The midfoot and heel width feel very similar to me, or at least I can’t tell a huge difference. The ability to get a good lockdown is even better on the 055. It feels extremely secure in a non-claustrophobic way.

The heel. When norda comes to mind, I don’t think it should be a surprise that many have struggled with their heel construction over the years. Read any Reddit post or Instagram comments, and you will see at least a handful of commenters asking them to fix their heel. In the beginning, I struggled with the 005. It rubbed my Achilles raw…but then it didn’t. I started wearing a thicker sock, and the issue went away. I even tested wearing less-padded socks, and I no longer had heel-rubbing issues. So much so that I’ve worn the 005 for two ultras and had zero issues with rubbing. Speaking about the 055, one of the standout updates you’ll notice when holding the shoe is the padding on the heel. It’s certainly more traditional. However, I still managed to have rubbing. I don’t know how…but it has rubbed my Achilles again. However, 50 miles in, I think it might be turning a corner. My last three runs haven’t had any heel rubbing at all. I’m wondering if these norda heels just need a little break-in time. Right now, we are all good!

The Midsole. After 200 miles of use in the 005, I can truthfully say that the Arnitel TPEE midsole foam is hands-down my favorite midsole to have ever been created. Fact. I am completely obsessed with it. The balance of durability and responsiveness, but also softness coupled with stability, is very innovative. So…when the 055 was announced, I was beside myself when I heard we were getting Arnitel TPEE…but more of it. The 055 is obviously a max-stack shoe, so it takes the beloved TPEE foam and adds a few more mm of it. The one thing I want to call out here is that you shouldn’t expect it to feel identical to the 005. It’s similar, but it’s slightly denser. However, I have noticed it feels even bouncier, and over time, it’s like it builds a resilient springboard. It’s a weird comparison, but I get ASICS Superblast 3 vibes from the midsole, especially on flatter, more buffed-out service roads and such. This is all to say: the midsole is a little different, but it’s still a standout all-star feature on the 055. If you liked the 005 midsole, you’ll be sure to love this just as much.

Weight. One of the most obvious differences here is that with the 055, you’re getting a heck of a lot more shoe: a sturdier upper, more foam, a knitted collar to keep debris out (which is very comfortable on the skin, by the way), and 1 mm more lug depth. So it’s natural that norda wasn’t able to bypass basic scientific principles when crafting the 055. In a nutshell, yeah, it’s noticeably heavier. However—and a very, very important “however” - the weight has never bothered me or made me notice it. On the run, I have never once felt like the 055 was bottom-heavy or weighing me down. Even after long efforts, in fact, I find that my legs feel more refreshed compared to some of my other shoes (including the 005) after long days on the trail. It’s quite the feat to bring in a significantly heavier shoe but somehow eliminate the weight fatigue from the product. I’m not sure if it’s because of the lockdown, the responsiveness and softness you get from the foam, or what, but it just works.

Stability. The 005 is hands-down much more stable…and as it should be. It’s factually lower to the ground. The 055 only felt sketchy when sending it down some rockier downhill sections. This is where I felt like I should take it easier, having almost rolled my ankle twice on a run up to Otter Creek Falls. I had no issues when running uphill on these rooted and rocky sections, and had fantastic grip and stability when climbing over some boulders and doing a little scrambling.

What do you use for what?

This is such a hard question to answer in my mind. Essentially, whatever you want to use it for. I say this because the 005 is marketed as a “race-day” trail shoe. However, I use it for daily training and race day. I love the feel of that midsole, and the fit just works so well with my foot that I use it for everything.

I think the same goes for the 055. Use it for whatever you are comfortable with. Where it shines? Mild to moderate terrain. But don’t let the “all-mountain” marketing get you caught up. This midsole also shines on buffed-out trails and even on the road! Yes, road. I put a bunch of miles in this model on road-to-trail runs, and it shines. The midsole feels incredible, and it feels like you could cruise forever. So whether you’re ascending a rooted and rocky section or running through your neighborhood to get to a flat gravel road, the 055 is your weapon of choice and is really versatile. I would say it’s more versatile than the 005 because, with the higher stack and denser midsole, you can take this baby on super, super-long runs. Look at Rachel Entrekin—the Cocodona 250 champ - who completed it all in the 055. This shoe will work great for you if you’re power hiking, cruising, or slowly trudging through some rocky and technical sections. My one hesitation is taking it fast down anything technical - I find that this is where the stability gets a little sketchy.

Final vibes

Ultimately, my criteria are simple when wear-testing shoes. Does the gear impede or enhance my time spent outside? Does it get me to the places I want to go? With a resounding yes, norda has continually done this time and time again. Like I said in the beginning, I have a warm history with both the products and the people of this amazing Canadian brand. They have continued to innovate throughout a completely oversaturated market.

I hope that this helped paint some similarities and differences between the norda 005 and the norda 055. With a couple hundred miles in, I feel like I’m able to offer a super-average-dude’s take on the performance of both of these shoes. You’ll notice I didn’t really spend a lot of time talking about the $325 price tag of both shoes…that’s because the pricing exercise from norda, in my mind, has been exhausted. The brand has proved its ability to successfully charge a premium but give you SO many more miles than a standard brand. I can sit here and show you the math, but I’ve done that in the past. I think you should look at this price tag as being at the same level as a HOKA, a Nike, or an Adidas. You’ll more than double the mileage of these brands before the midsole decides it’s ready for the grave.

Let me know in the comments if you have this shoe, what you think, and anything else you’ve got. I’d love to engage!

Shop 055

Ok, singing is over. I promise. If you could hear my voice through this screen, you would likely unsubscribe immediately... so it’s a good thing this is just written content and you have to visualize my voice for yourself. Songs aside, we’re here to chat about gaiters today.

2026, with a strong 2025 lead-in, is the year of the built-in gaiter. It seems like every brand is launching its own version of a built-in-gaiter trail running shoe. It reminds me of the 2-in-1 multi short, built with a compression liner. Same idea: it adds a knitted collar around the sock liner that hugs your ankle, and sometimes even extends above your ankle, to keep debris from entering your shoes and ruining your day.

Today I want to showcase all of the shoes featuring this built-in gaiter, and which ones are nailing it. So with that...

But I’m hood rich, la-da-di-da da-da-da-da

Dammit, sorry. I swear I’m done singing now.

The gaiter shoes

I’m going to give a quick look at all of the recent shoes I can think of (roast me in the comments if I forgot any) with this built-in gaiter feature.

Hoka Tecton X 3 & 4

Shop Tecton

norda 055

Shop norda 055

Nike ACG Zegama

Shop ACG Zegama

Mount to Coast BITR H1

Shop BITR H1

La Sportiva Prodigio Pro

Shop Prodigio Pro

ASICS Metafuji Trail v2

Pre-Order Metafuji 2

Salomon GRVL Concept

Shop GRVL

Salomon S/Lab Ultra Glide 2 and Dust

Shop Ultra Glide

The North Face Offtrail Ultra

Shop Offtrail Ultra

Brooks Cascadia Elite

Shop Cascadia Elite

KIPRUN KIPSUMMIT RACE

Shop KIPSUMMIT RACE

Altra Olympus 275 HiLo

Shop 275 HiLo

Speedland GL:SVT

Shop Speedland

Salomon S/Lab Genesis 2

Shop Genesis 2

Gimmick or great?

The answer is great when done right. I have experienced numerous iterations where the fabric was tougher on the skin and caused irritation (Mount to Coast, Prodigio Pro, Zegama 2). I have also seen versions where the gaiter didn’t hug the ankle tightly enough, so debris still entered. I think the moral of the story is that it’s a delicate, even intricate, balance. It has to be perfect: soft, yet structured and tight, with the right amount of coverage.

I have already seen some prototypes coming from Adidas, Brooks, and Hoka in 2027, and we are going to see more gaiters. The year of the gaiter is only getting started and continues to expand.

Is it considered copying?

One thing that started to cross my mind was seeing late adopters come to market with similar designs like this. Now, I can’t sit here and tell you who was the first to do it. Probably a hiking brand years back, but I can give you the shoe that comes to mind when I really noticed this firsthand. The HOKA Tecton X 3 (technically the 2.5) was the shoe I noticed on Jim Walmsley years ago where I thought, “What the hell is that?”

When the Tecton X 3 was previewed at TRE, it was my personal first introduction to the built-in gaiter function and the possibility of this actually being a thing. It gave me old-school basketball shoe vibes. I like the idea: pack as much function into a product as you can.

Now, the Tecton X 2.5 was first seen on feet in August 2022... fast forward four years later, and every brand is releasing a model with the gaiter built in. The question became: is this copying? Trends generally come from influence and ultimately result in an individual brand’s take on the trend. I’m not here to state my opinions on the matter, because we’ve seen things like MothTech, Nike, and Radical Airflow, and now all brands are doing their take on cooling gear. I think it’s the perpetual cycle of product design and coming to market with what’s going to work. At the end of the day, it’s just business. I just find it fascinating that we find ourselves in the era of the gaiter-shoe.

To close this one, I have to say that I personally love the built-in gaiter in my trail running shoes... when done right. I gave you a look at all of the current models out there with this tech, but I want to give you my top list of shoe models that do it right. These are shoes where I’ve seen the gaiter provide rather than take away. Not rubbing, no debris, soft and comfortable.

• HOKA Tecton X 3 and 4

• norda 055

• Salomon GRVL Concept

• The North Face Offtrail Ultra

And that’s a wrap, folks. Thanks for checking out the gaiter boots and Gucci suit.

Until the next one,

—Ryan from Into the Wild

Western States is my favorite event of the year, hands down. From stories of unsung heroes, to first-time 100-miler debut performances, watching epic river crossings, Foresthill Aid Station Central being lit AF, and of course, seeing all of the gear.

In the words of Jim Walmsley and Dylan Bowman, it certainly was a unicorn year. I managed to round up a bunch of prototypes that I spotted throughout the day. I’m sure I’m missing some, so let me know in the comments what I missed!

The North Face VECTIV Pro 4

Zach Miller wore a pair of the unreleased, likely coming in January 2027, The North Face VECTIV Pro 4s. This shoe is looking extremely sleek, and I know many of us are hoping those winglets aren’t going to mess up our feet like the previous three models have.

HOKA Dyneema Shoe

Yes, HOKA is giving the Norda treatment to something new. I know what this shoe is, but my pea brain forgot the name of it. I literally can’t remember it for the life of me. I know that the upper will be made of Dyneema, and you can even spot the logo on the right interior of the shoe. Not a lot of other details on this one. Jim Walmsley sported this shoe until he unfortunately DNFed.

Below is also the same pair from a training run by Lotti Brinks, another stellar HOKA athlete who had an amazing 5th-place finish. This shoe gives off Rocket Trail vibes, but I’m not sure if this is it. It might be something new entirely.

HOKA Tecton X RT

So, the shoe that we saw the amazing Vincent Bouillard win Western States in is a new shoe coming next spring/summer from HOKA. This is the Tecton X RT. And yes, it also is made with a Dyneema upper, just like the prototype above.

There are some more known details on this shoe from a few Instagram comments. The RT will feature an ATPU midsole, a split carbon plate, 3.5mm HOKA proprietary rubber, a 43mm/35mm stack, and be pretty lightweight (9.5 oz). It also has the built-in knitted gaiter that we’ve seen on the Tecton 3 and soon-to-be-released Tecton 4, but it’s a bit shorter in length. Lotti Brinks also wore this shoe on race day.

This one might be the shoe I’m most excited for from the day!

Nike Kigerfly

Last year was the year of the Ultrafly, as we saw Caleb Olson finish in 1st place in the unreleased (at the time) Nike ACG Ultrafly (otherwise known as the Ultrafly 2). Now, this year we did see 1st-place female Jenn Lichter run in the same shoe, but we also got a glimpse at something unreleased.

This is the Nike ACG Kigerfly that Riley Brady wore on race day. It looks to have a built-in gaiter that pretty much everyone is doing these days, with a moderate stack height—at least lower than the Ultrafly. I’ll be interested to see more of this one!

Adidas TERREX Agravic Something

Holy stack height, Batman. This shoe looks massive. It reminds me of the Adidas road shoe, the Adios Pro Evo 3 (second image below). It’s as if they took that shoe, applied Continental rubber to the sole, added the built-in gaiter, and made it Western States-ready.

No idea what this shoe is. Maybe some sort of Agravic Speed Ultra Evo? Only time will tell!

Mount to Coast M1

We already know lots about this shoe, and it’s coming out in just a couple of weeks! Canyon Woodward wore this unreleased shoe from the hot brand Mount to Coast. I personally am very excited for this one!

Merrell Adapt MTL 2

If the first version of the Merrell Adapt MTL Matryx wasn’t funky enough…then the 2 definitely is. I’m heavily speculating that this is indeed the 2, based on that hovercraft-looking midsole that’s similar to the first version. No details aside from what we can see here. Interested to learn more over the next couple of months about what Merrell is cooking up in the lab.

NNormal NN202

This one came straight from the horse’s mouth. Many of us on the NNormal email list received an email literally talking about what Kilian Jornet would be wearing for Western States. There’s something really refreshing about a brand like NNormal that isn’t trying to play the secrecy game. They straight up just say what they’re working on and what their athletes will be wearing.

This gives us the NN202, its prototype name for now. And this shoe looks like it was crafted in the future, featuring a very different lacing style than anything I’ve seen before.

That’s a Wrap on WSER

And there you have it. This was what I could round up from the interwebs as a holistic list of all the new sneakers we saw on the feet of our favorite athletes. From HOKA to Adidas to NNormal, there’s a TON of innovation to look forward to.

I imagine that we’ll see many of these shoes throughout the remainder of the year, especially once we hit UTMB next month. I’ll keep my eye out and see if there’s anything new that we haven’t covered here.

Thanks for checking this one out and entertaining the shoe nerd in me. Again, let me know what I missed and what you’re most looking forward to!

All we have to do is…wait…wait a long time. I have no patience.

Until next time!

—Ryan from Into the Wild

Disclaimer: I’d love if this is a dialogue. I’m by no means (not even remotely close) an expert or someone with major influence in this space. I’m an average runner who loves this sport, but more importantly, the places this sport takes me.

Today, I want to talk about how I’ve felt controlled by pace.

I remember when I first started out running, I had no concept of pace. I literally just ran a certain amount of miles I had in mind, and occasionally went further if I felt better. I think back on those days, because I miss them. I miss the ignorance. Strava and all of the watch data is awesome, don’t get me wrong…but I also kind of think it’s a plague.

The reason this post came to be is a run I did this past Friday up to Snow Lake, a beautiful alpine lake that has its trailhead at Snoqualmie Pass out here in Washington State.

I had yearned to run this trail for about 2 years now, so I finally took advantage of a holiday and went for it. I’ve hiked this trail so many times throughout the years, but what I didn’t realize was how different the hiking terrain would be for a runner. This trail is so rocky. Like numerous, almost ankle-breaking sections where it got super sketchy. It’s also littered with other people. I read years ago that the Snow Lake trail is the most popular trail in Washington State. I don’t have a source or anything, but that acclaim stuck in the back of my head.

Well, I sent it anyway. Dodging rocks, almost dried-up creek crossings, Bluetooth speakers blaring from tweenagers hiking up in their Vans and flip flops (yes, I saw 4 people in flip flops). About 1.5 miles into my run, I became discouraged. Why? Because I decided to look at my pace, and I saw 22 minutes/mile.

I was basically hiking.

In a nutshell, I completed my almost 7-mile run down to Snow Lake and then back down to my car, ending at around the 19 minute/mile mark with a little less than 2k in elevation gain. When I stopped my watch, I felt disappointed-that seemed really slow. I also realized how much time I spent dwelling and worrying about seeing my pace decrease in the middle of my run. This is where my mind was. It wasn’t on the fact that I was on the shores of a glorious alpine lake, the water shimmering like a million stars. It wasn’t that I was so blessed and privileged to have this kind of trail in my “backyard,” the ultimate outdoor playground. It wasn’t on the feeling of gratitude for my God-designed body that is able to carry me to distances and heights where some people can’t. No, it was on my “slow” pace.

Why?

Because of my self-interpretation of how I thought others might look at my run post and think, “cool pics, but man that took him a long time…did he just walk all of it?”

This leads me directly into my current struggle and thoughts on Strava. I’m going to come out and say that this isn’t me saying I’m going to stop using Strava and logging my runs. Absolutely not. This is an internal monologue of me coming clean with how a tool like Strava causes some negative self-talk-and ultimately I think it’s a pinnacle moment to reflect and do things differently. It’s time to shift and strengthen the mind, not boycott something. I’m going to overcome it-and it will probably be hard and I will fail.

Time and time again, I find myself worrying about how my performances (races, training, adventures, whatever) are perceived on the social interwebs-aka Strava. So much so that I have times where I think about my captions I want to post before my runs are even done. Or the kind of photos I want to post, or making sure I get a pic of my shoes so people know I ran in a new exclusive pair of shoes. So dumb. I’ve lost the plot…and I’d be so bold as to say a lot of us have lost the plot.

I remember about a year back when we were in Hawaii, I wrote a Strava post about this. About pace. About it being ok to be slow. About how it’s more important to take in the beautiful land I was running through-taking the time to ingest, reflect, and find that gratitude in the moment. Life is made up of so many small moments, I don’t want to miss any of them. I’d rather work on being ok with not stopping my watch when I stand on a beach, or a lake I’ve never been to, or admiring the shape of a cloud, or the glimmer of the mountains reflecting the water. I’d rather that than feel enslaved to the pace that my effort produces-I just don’t want to care about it.

Am I alone in this? I think others relate. I have to believe it. It’s the age-old social media plague of comparison, and it’s now found its way into an exercise app. I’m here writing this piece as a statement of boldness and reconciliation against this mindset and my entire passion behind my absolute love of this sport. And that is to go on adventures to beautiful places, with amazing people, and do hard things. I just want to be outside-in the wild. It’s the name of this blog even.

So, yes. I have become a slave to my watch over the past years. I’m obsessed with stopping it when I’m not moving and making sure I get the best time I can for myself, but it’s with an ulterior motive to subconsciously feel accepted by others that come across it. I’m here to say that’s wrong. I see efforts of all shapes and sizes on my Strava page, and I love it. I’ve seen friends PR miles in recent weeks, go to really cool places in the desert and around Mammoth Lakes. I’ve seen others hit solid training weeks. All shapes and sizes. Slow and fast. Small and big. 1 mile and 50 miles. There is no recipe, there is just the ability to move our bodies forward.

So this is sort of an apology letter to myself and the way that I’ve let this aspect of running and comparison get in the way of enjoying beautiful places and beautiful runs. I know there will be times where I PR and I put together a relatively fast run-that’s cool. There will be many more that are slower and feel like absolute slogs-that’s even more cool. So, my deal with myself is to just be genuine, to put the adventure first, and to literally just stop worrying because it’s not that serious. This is just running. This is running in beautiful places, and it doesn’t need to be more than that.

I’m a work in progress - I’m learning.

Hopefully this wasn’t too weird, but it was on my heartstrings to just say something about it because I’ve been feeling it lately. I’m ready to do better. I’d love to hear from anyone out there if you currently, or have in the past, felt this way. I know there’s a solid community in this trail running space, and I’ve been encouraged by the continual support and love that people show each other. Drop your comments below, I want to hear about it all.

I’ll get back to some cool gear soon, but until then…

—Ryan from Into the Wild

At the end of 2025, I attended TRE in San Antonio and got to see a lot of really cool stuff to come in 2026. While we’re almost halfway through the year, there are still some really exciting releases to drop.

Join me on a little list I’ve put together of some trail runners releasing over the next couple of months. I think this list is very exciting, and it’s getting me hyped for the summer season and all of the creek crossings, the late evening runs where the sun drops and you can see that setting glow through the evergreen forests, the cold plunges into alpine lakes, the early morning runs with warmth and a touch of sun, and just all of the things.

So with that, let’s dive right into my hype list!

Inov8 Trailfly Pro

Release: August 2026 | Price: $195 | Specs: 34/28mm (6mm drop), under 8oz, TPEE midsole, anatomical fit (wide toe box), 4mm lugs, nice rocker geometry.

I didn’t have an Inov8 shoe on my bingo card for being my most anticipated release of the year, but here we are. I’m blessed (cursed) with weird feet. The Topo width and toe box work great for my feet. However, the anatomical fit-forward shoes have been plagued with bad foams. This changes. I really believe this shoe is going to be a hit and a strong piece in the quiver for many. We get a package that contains a premium upper, a wide toe box and anatomical fit, fantastic grip from Inov8 (they’re UK-based, so they know grip and gnarly conditions), and a TPEE premium foam. TPEE foams have become my absolute favorite. It’s what you find in shoes like the Norda 005 and the Adidas Evo SL and Adios Pro line. It’s soft, responsive, and durable. It’s also stable when paired with the right package (the Evo SL is the furthest thing from stable).

All this said, I’m really looking forward to August because I’m ready to put tons of miles in these shoes, and I’m thinking that if all goes right, it could be my daily driver for all things.

Norda 055

Release: July 2026 | Price: $325 | Specs: 38/31mm (7mm drop), under 9oz, TPEE Arnitel midsole, wide fit like the 005, built in bootie, 5mm Vibram MegaGrip Elite lugs, more of a structured heel than 001, 005, 001a.

Man, I’ve been such a fan of Norda for years. From the first 001 to the 005, I’ve always appreciated their approach to durable products and pushing the boundaries of innovation in a minimalistic manner. I have a soft spot in my heart for Norda. The 005s were the pair I completed my first ultra in. To say I’m excited for the 055 drop is an understatement. I’m PSYCHED. How can I not mention Rachel Entrekin’s Cocodona performance too? 250 miles in one pair of the 055s. A complete all-mountain beast in a beautiful, lightweight package. There’s so much to look forward to in this one, including some additional heel padding, which I’m really excited to see. The 055 Arnitel TPEE foam is hands down my favorite foam on the market. It’s simply the best. Seeing that carried forward into a little higher stack, along with that same incredible rubber compound from our friends at Vibram, we’re in it for some mad adventures.

Topo Athletic Ultraventure 5

Release: July 2026 | Price: $155 | Specs: 35/30mm (5mm drop), 10oz (lighter than the 4), softer Zipfoam midsole, wide toe box and ultra ready, 3mm Vibram MegaGrip lugs.

Tried and true. Topo doesn’t get all of the glory that it deserves. I don’t see a lot of reviewers raving over it or necessarily giving it a ton of attention. However, you go to an ultra race, and I guarantee you’ll see folks in either these or Mtn Racers. You know it’s a good long-distance shoe when you just see the massive number of everyday folks like you and me sporting this at the start line. This shoe is a no-nonsense, good-foam, great-fit, and just-right kind of traction. It’s certainly more of a gravel shoe, but you know what, there are no rules. People have done just fine taking these on true trail runs. I’m really excited to check out the 5.

The North Face Offtrail Ultra

Release: July/August 2026 | Price: $190 | Specs: 34/28mm (6mm drop), 9.3oz, nitro TPU midsole (Dreambound - dual density), built in bootie, 5mm lugs with full coverage Surface Ctrl outsole lugs.

The North Face is on a tear, so I have high hopes for this mountain crusher. I’m a huge fan of the Altamesa 500v2 that came out earlier this year, so I’m ready for another TNF shoe this year. I actually got to get my hands on this one at TRE. I also got to hold a pair of Zach Miller protos that he wore for the San Juans. I’m really excited to see what this shoe does, especially if it holds a more accommodating fit like the Altamesa—hopefully so!

ASICS Blazeblast Trail

Release: Likely August 2026 | Price: Unknown | Specs: Lot of details aren’t known, and I forget them all from TRE, but definitely a hybrid “gravel” shoe with the FFBlastMAX foam. Going to be a cushy cruiser on nice smooth gravel trails.

At TRE, we got to hold this one in the backroom, and I will say, the foam feels SO nice. I think this shoe is going to enter the gravel game and do really well. With the success of the Superblast, Megablast, and plenty of racers, I think that this shoe adopts a lot from the road but is going to have just enough tread to have some off-road madness. This is going to find comps in the Salomon Aero Glide GRVL, Mount to Coast H1, and other gravel or road-to-trail category shoes.

HOKA Tecton x 4

Release: August 2026 | Price: $275 | Specs:

Anddddddd, the final shoe on my list of upcoming releases I’m stoked about is none other than the HOKA Tecton X 4. I have put about 200 miles into my pair of 3s, and it’s an incredible shoe. From what I understand, the 4 will see some updates to the foam and a different lug pattern on the outsole. There may be minimal changes in the upper, but it’s still rocking the trusty Matryx for durability and security. I absolutely love that the built-in bootie is here to stay. Can’t wait to get my feet in these babies!

Final Thoughts

There you have it. My quick little rundown of a few trail running shoes coming to market in the next couple of months. I know there are plenty of other shoes releasing throughout the year, but these are my personal standouts.

As soon as I get my feet into some of these, I’m going to log the miles and report back. I’m curious as well if there are other shoes on your list that you’re anticipating. Drop my comments below and let me know if I missed anything!

As always, thanks so much for reading. I’ll catch ya on the next one!

—Ryan from Into the Wild

Built-in waist-belt shorts are the new cargo pants, and I’m here for it.

For the past couple years, I’ve tried a bunch of different shorts. It started with the basic Lululemon Pace Breaker shorts: standard side pockets and a phone sleeve built into the compression liner. It evolved into some other forms of storage and pocketing solutions, and then I started to notice different brands trying the mesh, stretchy, built-in storage from the waist. Essentially putting a belt into the shorts.

These solutions have been plagued with issues like being super bouncy, not secure, having good storage but lacking a good liner, or having a good liner but short pockets that don’t hold a phone or bottle well.

Well, I scored a pair of the Janji 4” Pinnacle RD Short 2-in-1 and I feel confident in saying that these are the best execution of built-in short storage. I’ll tell ya why and show some comparisons below.

The Shorts

The weirdest description comes to mind when I think of these shorts, and it’s that they are simple. It sounds counterintuitive because these shorts are loaded with pockets, but it’s the implementation that makes them feel so simple. There’s the continuous 360 built-in mesh pocket system with little button clips to secure your storage. There are two built-in liner pockets on the thighs, and then there are the little bungee cords, two up front and two in the back.

Maybe the word “simple” is coming to mind because that’s how I feel when using them. They are easy. I don’t have to give these any thought when I pull them out of my closet, and I really like that. I like grabbing something and knowing that it’s going to hold up its end of the bargain for my daily adventure.

I’ve dropped in some images of the pockets so you get a sense of how big they are. I’ll talk more about my thoughts below.

So these shorts come in a 4” inseam with a built-in compression liner that’s probably about 4.5–5”. It just barely extends beyond the short ends. Also want to call out that these are split shorts.

As mentioned, the liner has a built-in pocket on both legs, making it super convenient to throw your phone in there, some gels or a bandana on the other side, or whatever smaller items like your keys or wallet.

The waist pocket system is like a 360 pocket, but there are barriers. It’s not one continuous pocket; there are dedicated sections. So you have the main front pocket, which is totally big enough for your phone or even a 500–600 ml flask. Then each hip has a smaller pocket; easily, you could fit a couple gels on each side. Then there’s the large back pocket. Again, about the same size as the front, so a flask or phone easily fits back there.

Lastly, there are two bungee cords to secure your storage tighter if you’d like. You could lock down a shell or T-shirt easily. I like clipping my car key to it and then tucking it inside the side pocket. I also wanted to note that there are little snap buttons on each pocket, so you can lock down each storage pocket super well. I had no worries whatsoever about stuff bouncing out on my runs.

What I Experienced

My Testing Conditions

So I’ve spent the past three weeks religiously running in these shorts, and these shorts only. At first, I just wanted to log as many miles as I possibly could in them to get the best testing results and a multitude of scenarios. But then I just naturally gravitated toward wanting to wear them, because I love them.

My runs consisted of anything from 5K road runs to true trail runs out in the woods (up to 9 miles), and then a bunch of road-to-trail and gravel runs around the 4–5 mile mark. I tested on cold days as well as hot days, and even a few drizzly days — it’s the PNW after all.

On these runs, my storage varied. I always brought my phone, and on some runs, especially the hotter ones, I carried a flask and possibly a gel along with my bandana to wipe the sweat away. I also always carry some dehydrated body wipes with me… because… well, you know… (insert blushing smiley face here).

My Thoughts From Testing

I want to make it clear that on my Substack, I think I write a lot of positive things about a lot of stuff. I’ve always struggled with coming across as a “yes man” and just a too-easy-to-please kind of tester. However, that’s because I generally choose to write about the things I like and enjoy, and refrain from writing pieces about things I haven’t enjoyed (aka I was also sent a new tee from Janji, and I don’t like it lol, so I’m not writing about it).

I mentioned that I love the simplicity of use with these shorts. They are so easy, and they are an enhancing piece of gear, not an inhibiting one. They do not get in the way, they do not cause discomfort… they just seem to become a part of my body, and I forget about them — the highest compliment you could pay to a piece of trail running gear.

The pocketing system is fantastic. I’ve tried numerous other shorts that just haven’t worked for me. Some have pocketing that bounces around like crazy and sags the shorts so my crack is exposed for all to see. Others have a liner that isn’t quite right, or rather a brief liner (don’t get me started, I freaking hate brief liners). I’ve just found that this concept of the built-in waist storage/short combo isn’t new… but it hasn’t been quite right yet. Until now.

I should say that I am a big dude, and I desperately need either half tights or a built-in compression liner so that my thighs don’t chafe my life to hell. I’m very picky about liners and them causing irritation. The built-in liner is extremely soft, a very perfect level of compression, and Janji got all the seams and stitching perfect in terms of placement on the liner. I’ve had zero irritation, to the point where I don’t even need Body Glide or Squirrel’s Nut Butter to give me a worry-free run… these shorts are worry-free for me.

I mentioned the storage is great, and it’s great because I experienced zero bouncing in these. I could store just the right amount of items to take with me on small- to medium-length runs without needing a belt. Don’t get me wrong, I think these shorts are probably good up to a certain point, but if I were running a 50K, I would still want a belt instead. I would absolutely wear these for that 50K, and any ultra for that matter; I would just want a belt for anything farther than 13–20 miles. They are the absolute perfect solution for when you want to bring a couple things with you on your run, but you don’t want the hassle of sliding on the belt and loading it. It’s so nice — I’ll just walk into the garage, grab my bottle, toss it in with my phone, and get going. I also want to call out how breathable these are. Such a great summer piece, and they dry insanely fast — I sweat a lot too!

Men's Shorts!

Women's Shorts Too!

I obviously can’t speak to the women’s shorts, but they have the same pocketing system and all, so totally worth checking out if you’re of the female human.

Closing

So yeah, I think brands have struggled to get this right… and I think Janji finally nailed it. They took individual items (split short, compression tights, storage belt), developed them perfectly on their own, and then molded them into a single perfect unit. These shorts f. Yeah, I said that… they f. They are so good.

If you’re someone who loves that 2-in-1 option, needs that liner for chafing, wants a long-haul short, and wants an option for storage without a belt… this is the one.

If you have any questions, let me know. I recognize we all have different body types, so I can speak to a bigger and thicker-thighed kind of guy, but I know these would serve all kinds of people.

While my “testing” period is over, that’s not stopping me from continuing to grab these off my shelf for my runs. I’m obsessed. In fact, I’m sitting on my couch wearing them right now because I’m gonna shut this biotch down and go for a run…… K BYEEEEEEEEE.

Catch ya on the next one!

—Ryan from Into the Wild

Morgan at Dera was gracious enough to send me the brand new, unreleased Dera B01 belt — the first dial-fit running belt to hit the market. I’ve spent 3 weeks running in it, and it’s actually launching this week (Thursday or Friday, Morgan has told me!). I’ll link to right here for their early access email list — you’ll want to sign up here if you want a chance at getting one on release!

Let’s get right to it, yo!

My Usage

I have a ton of mileage across all of my running belts, which are the Raide LF 2L and the Naked belt. These have been my main drivers until I got the Dera B01 belt in, and I’ve just been unable to stop reaching for it — I’m hooked.

To date, I have just about 50 miles in this belt since I got it about two weeks ago. I’ve been battling some IT band soreness post 50-miler attempt (DNFed at 50k, ooph). So I’ve been doing a slow roll getting back into some deeper mileage weeks, sitting at around 20–25 lately.

I have taken the Dera belt on runs that range from 3 miles to 7 miles. Realistically, I would love to take it on longer runs, but like I said, I’m slowly rolling back into my normal mileage from some IT band annoyance. These have all been trail runs out here in the PNW. For these runs, I’ve experimented with a couple different capacity setups.

For a 6-miler, you can see everything I fit with ease below. I was able to bring a full 575 ml flask filled with Open Fuel drink mix, my Janji first aid kit, a bandana to wipe the sweat away, some wipes… ’cause you know… and, not pictured, my phone.

On other runs, I have been able to fit the 575 ml flask (back pocket above the zippered pocket) along with a 350 ml flask (front right pocket), my phone (front left pocket), two wipes and a bandana (same pocket as my phone), my wallet and car keys (in the zippered back pocket), and a gel (also front right pocket with the 350 ml flask).

Lastly, to test the max bottle capacity I can get from the belt, I truly can take a lot. In using the two front pockets, leaving my 575 ml or a 600 ml to fit in the back pocket, I am able to comfortably go with a 350 ml in each of the front pockets, or a 500 ml in the front left pocket, leaving the other pocket for my phone, gels, and any other small stashes.

So, all in all, I think the capacity is stellar. I’m able to carry anywhere from 575 ml–1200 ml of water at a time. This is all with zero bounce and room for other essentials like poles, a shell, or whatever else I want to put in that back slot. I give a rundown of all the pockets and features in the next section, but truthfully I would wear this for any 50k easily. The 50k I ran back at the end of January would have been perfect for the Dera belt. Any race where I’m carrying two bottles with me at a time, with plenty of aid stations, this belt will get the job done and then some.

The Belt Rundown - Features

The Dera B01 is PACKED AF with features. I’ll save the comparison game for a later section, but the Dera belt just adds some better pockets and solutions than what I’ve currently been running with.

From the top left, we are looking at the front left pocket and then the front right pocket with the water-repellent stash pocket — good for a car key, salt pills, or anything small you don’t want moisture to ruin. The two front pockets are awesome for anything from numerous gels, sachets of drink mix, additional flasks ranging from 350–500 ml, rags or bandanas, or anything else you can think of that you might need.

Next, we obviously have the BOA-like dial. It works like any dial system: just turn to tighten, and then it’s actually magnetic, so it pops out when you want to loosen it. Then we have my favorite pocket in the whole belt, a big and easy-to-use zipper pocket. This gives me the massive peace of mind I need, with plenty of room to fit my wallet and car keys. Just above the zip pocket is the bigger back stash pocket; this is where I’ve been putting my Dera-branded 575 ml flask that comes with the belt. It fits so perfectly right here. You could even get a 600 ml in there.

The last row of images here shows a back left pocket where you can throw even more gels and smaller items, followed by the shell or shirt loop. But wait, there’s more… the pole loops you see in the bottom right image actually tighten, so if you want you could 1000% store another flask or something you don’t want to worry about losing in the back loop pocket and cinch it down. Brilliant design. I haven’t actually tested fitting another bottle in there and cinching it down, but it should work!

And lastly, I’ve mentioned it multiple times already, but the belt comes with a Dera-branded Hydrapak flask that is 575 ml with a locking cap. Once you go locking cap, you never ever go back. These are all I use now. I will also be picking up two more of these flasks from Dera because they are such a fantastic geometry — a little wider and shorter, making it easy to carry and easy to stow away.

The Fit and Comfort

You want to know how the belt fits? Do I have to wiggle wiggle wiggle to get the belt up and over my thighs? Does it cause pressure on my gut that essentially irritates it? What’s the unstructured design feel like in comparison to the Raide structure? And how is that BOA dial fit?

It’s all good. In fact, it’s all great.

I took my true-to-size XL, and it fits very similar to my Raide and Naked belt (I have a size 12 in Naked — I’m a big guy!). Slipping on the belt feels easier than the Raide because the fabric used here stretches a lot more. I’m able to get the fit dialed perfectly with that BOA dial and have zero worries with bounce, never even questioned it once. In fact, a lot of times the belt just becomes lost on me and I don’t think about it during my runs.

I am really liking how it’s got less structure and padding than the Raide; it makes it more breathable, and I don’t completely drench my Dera belt with sweat like I have my Raide. Lastly, you can apply as much pressure or as little as you’d like, so if you need more room to breathe, release the dial!

Similarities to Other Belts

I’ve dropped a couple of front and back images of all three of my running belts. Now is where we get to the part where I get to say… if Raide and Naked had a baby… the Dera belt would be it.

The Dera B01 gets all of the great pocketing and no bounce from the Raide belt (with enhanced pocketing solutions and features, in my opinion) with the unstructured and more minimalistic design and comfort of the Naked belt.

Between Raide and Dera, the fabric looks similar, but it’s a lot stretchier on the Dera belt. The back pocket is way better on the Dera because it’s easier to use mid-run and you can fit way more in it. I never even use the zippered pocket on my Raide ’cause it’s too hard to use. I think that you probably get similar capacity between the two, but I’d give Raide the upper hand if I had to in terms of max capacity… just barely. I think I’ve gotten 1,500 ml out of Raide before.

The pocketing is very different from Naked; it’s more secure and strategic, but just as easy to reach in and out. My Naked belt bounces a bit, not horribly, but the Dera doesn’t one bit.

So, while they share similarities and differences, in my opinion, the Dera has the upper hand between the two, because it manages to take the best of both and offer something new.

Final Thoughts and Vibes

The Dera B01? Brah, it’s a vibe. I love it so much. Like I said, I’m hooked. It’s my favorite belt to reach for. The combination of pockets, the fit of the belt, the ease of getting it on, the freaking flask (I LOVE THIS FLASK), the materials, the no-bounce, all of it. It just makes for a piece of gear that enhances your run, not obstructs it. It carries just the right amount, and it just becomes a part of yourself as you’re out there adventuring.

I’m again so grateful to Morgan for hooking it up and sending me his pride and joy, and I’m even more stoked for him on this launch. For many of you who have read along and know the types of products I love and recommend, I hope you can trust that this one is a banger. If you’re looking for a belt similar to Raide, with better pockets and a little less structure but still the same no-bounce, sign up and get a belt this week!

Sign Up for the Dera Belt

I truly think you’ll love getting out and into the wild (see what I did there) with this one.

And that’s a wrap — catch ya on the next one yewwwwwwwww!

—Ryan from Into the Wild

I’ve come to learn that on the trails and off the trail, I have a sensitive gut. It’s extremely crucial that I find something that works best for me.

That said, my experience with this product is obviously my own. I’m so aware that everyone is drastically different. Just as our feet are all unique and different shoes work for each of us, so too are our guts and the microbiomes that make up our caloric-consuming bodies. Just because this nutrition brand works for me doesn’t mean it will for you. However, I just wanted to provide some other brands that work well and also haven’t worked well for me, and maybe you’ll find this works for you.

So, without further ado… today we are here to chat about OPEN FUEL, baby.

My First Time

If you aren’t familiar with a newer brand on the nutrition scene, consider yourself about to become in the know. I myself wasn’t very familiar until my homie Nick messaged me one day and said, “Dude, I’m all in on this Open Fuel.” He’d heard about it from Will Murray being one of their top athletes and watched the Open Fuel documentary about Will at Javelina. Nick ended up connecting with the founder, Zach, and he hooked me up with a fat discount to give it a run.

All I’d gotten was how tasty the flavors were, so I wasn’t sure what I wanted to commit to when it came to trying the brand for the first time… which is great that they offer a variety pack! The Ultra Fuel Mixed Box Flavor Party comes with 12 individual sachets of drink mix. You get 4 Radical Raspberry Ripple, 4 Passion Mango Tango, and 4 Zesty Limeade Parade. I placed my order and then I waited.

Once my Open Fuel order showed up on my doorstep, I started using it on my training runs leading up to Badger Mountain Challenge 50 miler. Raspberry became an instant favorite, with Mango not far behind. Funny enough, I never tried the Limeade until after my race. During my training runs, I was finding numerous things to point me towards the Open Fuel fandom.

• The math was easy — 1 sachet = 60g carbs, 500mg sodium (this paired awesome with some of my other gels to get the carb and sodium intake I wanted per hour).

• The flavor was hands down the best-tasting drink mix I’ve ever had. Sweet, but not over the top. Refreshing and like you were drinking a nice glass of juice.

• Easy to mix and convenient. I’ve always been a big 40-serving bag kind of guy, but after using the individual sachets on race day, I may be a changed man.

• My gut was happy. I never experienced any sugar aversion or gut issues after using these. In fact, I found myself craving more of the drink, which was a first for me.

I’ll get into more of the other drink mixes I’d been using later, but after my experimentation on some of my training long runs, I was ready to go all in and use it on race day.

My Trail Race

The Badger Mountain Challenge 50 miler — Richland, WA. While this isn’t a race recap, I had such a fun day out here. The weather was the most perfect blue bird day one could hope for. A high of about 65, a gentle breeze, and lots of sun.

The Badger Mountain Challenge 50 miler — Richland, WA. While this isn’t a race recap, I had such a fun day out here. The weather was the most perfect bluebird day one could hope for. A high of about 65, a gentle breeze, and lots of sun. I decided to split my liquid nutrition into two of the brands I’d been training with: Hyperlyte and Open Fuel. In my drop bag I placed my bag of Hyperlyte and the individual sachets of Open Fuel.

Now, spoiler alert, I DNF’d this race. At around mile 24–25 I experienced some really rough IT band pain. It made it impossible to run anything, and even walking hurt like hell. I ended up calling it a day at the mile 31 aid station. That said, I still had plenty of the day to get in nutrition and experience what worked for me in these conditions.

After the first hour or so, I had taken in a bottle of Hyperlyte and a bottle of Radical Raspberry Open Fuel. It became pretty clear to me early on that I was vibing with Open Fuel. I craved more of it. I’ve never ever had that before. Fast forward a couple more hours into the race, and the vibe was the same. I was ready for the next bottle. I was rotating between Raspberry and Mango, and it was working. I was getting carbs and sodium and then supplementing with real food from the aid stations. It was working for me. And truthfully, on this day, while my leg failed me, my nutrition and energy were awesome. I wanted to go more, but I just couldn’t.

At the mile 18 aid station, I got to my drop bag and loaded up with four sachets of Open Fuel and switched to ONLY use it for the remainder of the race. I’ve never been happier with how my drink mix plan was going. Open Fuel was what got me to mile 31, and it’s what I’ve been using ever since. Like I said, DNF or whatever, I still had the best day ever.

My Favorite Products

I’ve said it already, but Radical Raspberry vibes. Best-tasting drink mix I’ve ever tried, hands down. I will sometimes be sitting on the couch in the evening and just crave a cold glass of it… one time I said screw it and did it while watching The Office. No ragrets. I really mean it, though: Mango comes in super close in second place. This past week, I finally tried the Zesty Limeade Parade, and it’s incredible too.

I love the flavor, I love the carb and sodium content you get from a serving, and I love that my gut remains happy all day long.

Now, Open Fuel is also coming out with a Gel Mix! Read a little about it from the site below:

30g of carbs and 200mg of sodium per serving, a crisp neutral flavor, and no more trash on trails from empty gel wrappers.

Our gel mix is affordable ($1.70 per serving) and easy to make, giving you complete control over how much fuel you need on the day. First-time purchases receive a free Open Fuel branded reusable 180ml flask that is custom-built to hold 3 servings of gels, or 90g of carbs.

Ditch fumbling with single-use gel packets and feel good about it.

I’m so stoked for this. The idea of ditching some of these single-use plastic wrappers is awesome not only for sticky fingers, but for the environment as well. I can’t even tell you how many gel wrappers I had to pick up on the ridgeline at Badger.

I have this on pre-order and am stoked to get right into it when it arrives!

Other Brands I’ve Used (Drink Mix Only)

Precision, Neversecond, Amacx, Tailwind, Hyperlyte, Gnarly Nutrition, Skratch, The Feed High Carb.

These are all brands I’ve given a lot of trial to. Whether high carb or just standard drink mix, I’ve had some luck and also not.

Brands that have worked well for me without any issue have been Neversecond, although I have experienced an aversion to this after a few hours. Hyperlyte has worked well for me, and Precision, although the math with this one throws me off because of the huge amount of sodium.

For these brands that have worked and not worked, at the end of the day, nothing has tasted better than the Open Fuel flavors. It’s just a home run in my scorecard.

Again, nutrition is personal, as is just about everything in this sport. Hopefully my perspective and experience is helpful if you’re on the hunt for new nutrition to try.

Catch ya on the next one!
— Ryan from Into the Wild

Now, something I’m becoming self-aware of is that I need to cool the jets. There’s a gross level of over-consumption that I’m starting to feel is plaguing my life. Especially when I look at my shoe rack, or worse, my Strava shoe collection. I have too much, simple as that. And… I don’t need that much.

All this to say, I wanted to take a moment to showcase a couple of new products that are coming (one is already available) shortly. There’s a variety of items I’m excited for that range from shoes to nutrition to packs. Everything on this list I am extremely excited for because it’s built with intention and longevity in mind. Let’s check out some things that are coming soon!

Hyperlyte Liquid Performance Gels

First off, I use the H1 drink mix from Hyperlyte and it’s my current go-to. I have tried A LOT of drink mix — like at least 15–20 different ones. I have a sensitive gut and this stuff just finally works for me. I love that with one scoop you can get a great amount of carbs and sodium (50g, 500 mg) for a really nice, subtle flavor. Drink mix aside, at TRE we got to hear about the new gels coming out soon from Hyperlyte, and boy am I excited.

Coming to the market are two different gels, same flavor. What? Same flavor but two different products? How could they be different, you might ask. Well, there will be two different viscosities… or thicknesses. If you want a more liquid consistency or a thicker, syrupy gel, Hyperlyte will have you covered. What I love the most is how they approach math and ingredients. All of their products are simple to calculate based on your nutritional needs, and they source from the highest-quality ingredients possible to give you an outstanding product.

Can’t wait to get my hands on the gels this spring!

Shop Hyperlyte!

Dera Running Belt

My buddy Nick brought this belt to my attention recently when Cade Michael wore it at Black Canyon. I’ve been really enjoying wearing belts over the past year and a half, mainly the Raide 2L Belt. I also have a Naked belt that I like to use when I just need a little additional storage. I think it’s safe to say that running belts have made their case in the running gear world, and we are now seeing new iterations of what those could be. Ultraspire released a massive-capacity belt, Raide continues to innovate with a 1L and women’s-specific belt (coming later this year), and just about every brand has some sort of belt available. However, Dera has caught my attention with its Boa design. Getting a perfect fit is crucial to the wearability and the no-bounce feature of any good running belt. I’m really excited to see what this belt can do for me.

Coming in April!

Sign up for Early Access!

Raide Research LF 5L Running Vest

All hail Raide. Man, I’m dead serious—this is easily one of my favorite companies right now. From the running belts to the shorts, T-shirts, and soooooooo much cool stuff coming, I’m a huge fan. Raide stands by making functional, quality goods to get you outdoors. At TRE, we got a private showing of a bunch of new gear coming this year from the Colorado-based stokehouse. One of those items is their new LF 5L Running Vest.

You know when you read marketing copy on a website about a new product and they talk about how innovative their new design is? Well, Raide truly breathes innovation. Wait until you see some of the functionality of this pack, like a built-in quiver that can transform into an additional flask holder. Durable, efficient, and built the Raide way, get stoked for this new vest hitting the market in late spring/early summer.

Shop Raide Today!

Mount to Coast M1

I’m currently completely loving the Mount to Coast H1s — the brand’s foray into the gravel category. If you haven’t tried the H1s yet, I’d highly recommend you do. I have about 100 miles on my pair, and they are one of the best shoes I’ve tried in the past year. As much as I LOVE my H1s, I’ll be the first to admit that they leave me wanting more. And when I say more, what I really mean is more trail. The H1s have limits, and I really wish that they didn’t. However, at TRE we saw the new M1 coming this June, and I think we’re going to be pleasantly surprised with what MTC brings to market for another trail shoe offering. Wide toe box fam unite!

Coming in June!

Folklord Hats

Folklord just dropped two new hats, both of which I’ve secured: the Story Hat – Wilderness (right image) and the Tall Trails Hat – Hodag (left image). If you’re unfamiliar with Folklord, now is the best time to get with it! I’ve been wearing Folklord hats for over a year now, and I can honestly say they are hands-down my favorite hats. I wear them for all of my races and training runs. They are extremely breathable and lightweight, and the fit is perfect.

Folklord also makes really sweet button up performance shirts, so you should check those out too, because they just released new prints!

Shop Folklord Hats

Naak New Products

Salted Cucumber? What is this, a fancy-ass brunch? Think again. It’s Naak coming in hot with some deliciously new and refreshing drink mix. I got the opportunity to sample this at TRE and wow, is it refreshing. If you’re like me and you ever reach that point where the sugar aversion hits hard, the Salted Cucumber knows exactly what you need. In addition, Naak has a new Ice Mint gel coming out as well. It’s like a refreshing breath mint when you’ve been pounding sugary slurp after slurp for hours on end. I like this gel in the mix. When I need a break and a reset, I toss down an Ice Mint gel and it’s like you’ve just brushed those pearly whites after a week in the backcountry. Not pictured here, and I can’t remember for the life of me, but I believe Naak is also coming out with a Mango Tea or White Tea—some kind of tea gel. I remember trying it at TRE as well and it was SO GOOD.

So stay on the lookout for some new flavors coming from Naak soon!

Currently Running M2 Pro 8” Half Tight

Was 2025 the year of the trail half tight? I think it was. I didn’t know a thing about tights before, and it seemed like so many elites decided to skin down and go ultra-aerodynamic. It was definitely the first year that I tried half tights, and man, do I love them. I’ve tried numerous different brands, but these half tights from Currently Running currently (all pun intended) take the cake. They are constructed with soft fabric and amazing storage. The side pockets are wider than your average half-tights pocket, and I love them for it. I can store all of the gels I need, as well as my phone and a 350 ml flask too. These are my go-to half tights right now, and while they aren’t necessarily a new release, they are worthy of your attention!

Shop the Tights!

That’s it for now! There’s always new gear hitting the market, but these are some of my favorite things that I can’t stop thinking about right now. Gear and nutrition built intentionally from smaller outfits around the country.

Let me know if you’re also interested in something I’ve covered here, or better yet, if there’s something on your want list that I haven’t!

Until next time,

—Ryan from Into the Wild

Between issues with fit and overall comfort, TNF footwear never really worked for me. Their beloved winged-plate debacle has always plagued me, whether it was the VECTIV Pro line (both the 2 and 3), the Enduris 4, the Sky winglets, and so on. Even the first iteration of the Altamesa 500 gave me midfoot rubbing—my foot felt like it was muffin-topping out of the midfoot region.

All that to say, I’ve wanted to be a North Face fan, but I’ve honestly had my issues… until now.

YES! That’s right. The brand-new, not-yet-released Altamesa 500 v2 has delivered a package I’ve been waiting for. I was lucky enough to get an early pair from TNF at TRE in San Antonio this past December, and after 50 miles, I wanted to break down my thoughts.

What’s Changed?

Some of the upgrades on the new Altamesa include a wider platform, which really brings out the midfoot and makes this a fantastic long-haul shoe. The widened platform also adds more stability. There’s an updated TNF SurfaceCTRL™ rubber outsole that is 1000% a better compound than anything else they’ve used on past shoes—think La Sportiva–level grip. It’s much stickier, with better lug depth at 4 mm.

The most notable update is the incredible Dream foam midsole—yes, they put the Enduris 4 magic foam into this shoe, and it makes all the difference. It strikes a really sweet balance between being soft while still lively and energetic. The v2 has also managed to shave off about 20 g or so, making this package lighter than v1.

The upper is still amazing—a really nicely engineered mesh that’s both durable and lightweight. TNF also gives us the best laces in the game, with ribbed race-day laces that you never have to worry about coming untied.

There are probably other things I’m forgetting, but this is the gist: heavy improvements.

My Testing Terrain

In the 50 miles I’ve put into this shoe to date, I’ve done a variety of runs—everything ranging from door-to-gravel to true technical trail around Tiger Mountain, as well as mid- to light-technical trail with a lot of loose rock.

I’ve tackled elevation-gain efforts in this shoe, longer-distance runs up to 15 miles, and, of course, shorter distances.

Weather-wise, it’s experienced everything from PNW rain and mud around a Watershed Preserve trail network to wet rock, dry and icy rock, and just general wetness.

In My Own Words

This shoe is fun. It’s lively but stable. It’s soft, yet resilient. I would describe this shoe as a trusty everyday carry. If I wasn’t sure what the trail was fully going to entail, I’d feel confident bringing this shoe with me to get the job done.

I think this shoe is going to be great for so many people. It’s soft and accessible, but it still comes with premium materials and tech.

Where do I think this shoe sits in your quiver? It’s an everyday workhorse. You’re going to rack up the miles in this shoe.

My Ideal Usage for this Shoe

Dude, I could 1000% see this shoe as a long-haul option—think Cocodona, Mammoth, Bigfoot, etc. The wide foot accommodation, combined with the Dream foam, creates a great setup for swollen feet and long, slow miles. I wouldn’t use this for true racing; it’s not built for that. I’d use it for everyday miles, especially during race days for myself when I’m not worried about speed but more so comfort.

If you want a shoe that will take you the distance and leave your legs not feeling like you’re completely stomping into the dirt with bricks, I like this choice. It still feels soft at the end of a long run and provides ample space for your shoes to splay and breathe.

While I’m not a 100- or 200-mile guy, and I could see a lot of everyday trail runners using this shoe for those distances, for me personally it’s an easy 50K–50-mile shoe—of course, anything beneath that too. What I’m saying is that I would use this shoe up to the max distance I can currently run and train at.

You’re really going to love this shoe added to your arsenal. It’s probably the best shoe that The North Face has put out in the past two years—maybe on par with the Enduris 4 if you don’t have issues with the wing.

Hope this was a helpful little look into this new one coming in February. Thanks for reading!

Catch ya on the next one, yew!

—Ryan from Into the Wild

To quickly summarize my year: I ran my first ultra, logged over 1,500 miles, ran a couple of 20-milers, fell even more in love with the trail, joined a community of runners, went to TRE, tested a bunch of new products, got a professional coach, and spent the most time outside ever.

This list of mine is mainly going to be gear. I love gear. It’s so fun for me to try different things and note differences and similarities. However, at the end of the day, the gear we wear is just a vessel that assists in getting us to the places we dream of going. It’s only part of the equation. Remember that.

So with that…here are my favorite things from the past year…

Favorite Road Shoe

Salomon Aero Glide 3

Dude, this shoe is so freaking sick. It gets me so amped that Salomon came onto the road game and kind of fumbled around for a year or two, then came out with an absolute banger. The Salomon Aero Glide 3 is hands down my top pick out of any shoe this year. It’s the shoe I reach for the most, have logged about 200 miles in my pair, and it’s the one shoe I always take with me on vacation. Best foam and energy return, perfect accommodating but locked-in fit, and just an all-around tool.

[Shop the Aero Glide 3]

Favorite Trail Shoes

On Cloudultra Pro

I’m not gonna lie, I decided to get this one after all the hype that was coming out about this shoe. And the hype was legit. Definitely takes my top spot for trail shoe of the year. I wrote a more detailed review on the Cloudultra Pro, but I’ll just say in the 150+ miles I’ve logged in this shoe, it’s easily the best thing On has ever produced. Such a good shoe. Wore this from training/everyday runs to a 20-mile race. This thing can do it all!

[Shop Cloudultra Pro]

Norda 005

This shoe will forever hold a special spot in my heart. I wore it for my first ultra ever at a 50k trail race in Lake Chelan, WA. I’ve put over 150 miles in these and they are still holding up amazingly. One of the best shoe releases of the year for sure. Between the insane lightweight construction, durability, and incredible TPEE Arnitel foam, this shoe rages.

[Shop the 005]

Puma Deviate Nitro Elite Trail

As the Salomon Aero Glide 3 was my shocking road favorite of the year, the Puma Deviate Nitro Elite Trail was the same for the trail. Never ever ran in a Puma shoe before, and man I’ve been missing out on that sweet Nitro foam. This shoe came with me on about 100 miles of PNW trails this year. Absolutely love this shoe for workouts and speed on the trail, but it definitely holds its own on regular trail runs. Don’t sleep on Puma. I have the MagMax 2s in the mail, so excited to expand my Puma palette!

[Shop Deviate Trail]

Favorite Hybrid/Gravel Shoe

Mount to Coast H1

I never understood the hype of Mount to Coast in the beginning. Maybe I was served a million Instagram ads by their marketing team, but I wasn’t fully sold. I demoed the R1 and it was fine. Demoed the P1 and hated it…then the H1 came out. I just bought a pair and fell in love. The CircleCell foam is incredible. The H1 comes in at such a lightweight it really makes me want to compare it to the 005, which seems outrageous when you compare $325 to $160. The lugs on the H1 are definitely for light gravel. I haven’t taken them on a true trail run on Tiger Mountain, and that felt like I was pushing it. This takes the cake for me in terms of the best gravel shoe. P.S. the Aero Glide Grvl isn’t in this spot because I actually never ran in that shoe, only the road version.

[Shop H1]

Favorite Nutrition Gel

Amacx Strawberry Drink Gel

This is the best gel I’ve had. I’ve tried so many this year, and this one takes the cake. The flavor tastes like I’m slurping down real strawberries. It’s light, refreshing, and easy on the stomach. The drink/juice-like thickness is perfect and easy to get down. Completely obsessed with this brand right now.

[Shop Drink Gels]

Precision Fuel and Hydration PF 90g Gel

Ah, my sweet tried and true. Precision OG flavor is just a solid go-to. Precision just has their nutrition down to a science. Love this stuff. Also had to specifically call out the 90g gels. These are game changers. So easy to take just one pouch with the screw cap for long runs. Makes for easy math and easy carbs!

[Shop 90g Big Boy Gels]

Favorite Nutrition Drink Mix

Amacx Turbo Drink Mix | Watermelon

I’ve become a carb-via-drink-mix guy. It’s easiest on my stomach and the math just maths in my head. That’s why I love this watermelon drink mix from Amacx. Again, I raved about their strawberry gel…but this drink mix tastes like the most refreshing glass of juice you’ve ever had. Just perfectly sweet and filled with the right carbs I need. One scoop gets you 40g of carbs! I also pair this with my Skratch sodium booster to get some more salt in there, as the Amacx has just 158mg per scoop. My setup per hour is usually a two-scoop bottle…so 80g carbs + 316mg sodium + a 400mg scoop of the sodium booster paired with a 30g gel.

[Shop Watermelon Drink Mix]

Neversecond C30 Sports Drink Mix | Citrus

Another fantastic-tasting hydration mix. I love this one from Neversecond because of the flavor, but also the math. Each scoop gives you 30g of carbs and 200mg of sodium. Like I said above, I’m a hydration-carb guy…so I do three scoops per bottle to get 90g and 600mg sodium, paired with a Neversecond gel at 30g and 200mg for 120g of carbs and 800mg of sodium an hour. The math is easy! One bottle, one gel, one hour.

[Shop C30 Sports Drink]

Favorite Hat

Fractel M-Series

I have multiple Fractel hats and love all of them equally. All of them are in the M-Series line. Right now I’m loving my Precision x Fractel hat, but all of them are phenomenal hats. I think the fit is the best and feels secure with my big dome. Love this brand from Australia!

[Shop Fractel x Precision Hat]

[Shop Fractel M Series Hats]

Favorite Socks

Rabbit Mini Crew Socks | Medium Cushion

Scored a pair of these at TRE and WOW. Quickly became one of the most comfortable socks I own. If you think my shoe rack is bad, you should see my sock drawer. My wife hates me for it. I’ve collected and tried a ton of socks over the years, and right now the Rabbit socks are at the top of my list.

[Shop Rabbit Socks!]

Swiftwick Flite XT Trail Mid-Crew

These are such solid socks. Love a good merino sock for the warmth, breathability, and durability. I’ve got a couple pairs of these now and they are my go-to sock for every run! Definitely love how these socks never slip and give you a feeling of stability on a variety of terrain.

[Shop Swiftwick Trail Socks]

Favorite Apparel

Tracksmith Brighton Base Layer

Best layer in the game. Yeah, Tracksmith is mainly a road brand…they are dipping into trail a little, but that doesn’t stop me from wearing this layer everywhere. It’s the perfect do-it-all piece. I love to take this with a cotton T-shirt and that’s it. Keeps me so warm, but breathes, and it also does really well even when the temp is warmer. I don’t ever overheat in it. Seriously so good.

[Shop Men’s Brighton Layer] [Shop Women’s Brighton Layer]

Favorite Pack

Raide Research LF 2L Running Belt

This past year I started running with a belt instead of a pack for a majority of my medium to long runs—runs where I don’t need the capacity of a full pack, but maybe enough to be out on the trail for a couple of hours. If you haven’t heard of the Raide belt…man, you’re under a rock, yo. Best no-bounce belt in the game. Durable, insane capacity (I can fit three 500ml bottles, tons of gels, my phone, and more), and easy to use. This is definitely my favorite piece of gear from the past year. Check out my write-up of the belt for more details if you’re interested! They just came out with a new 1L belt too.

[Shop Raide Belts]

Favorite Athletes of 2025

Rachel Entrekin

Where do I start with the accolades of this one?

• Badger Mountain 100 Miler - 1st Place

• Whiskey Basin 91k - 1st Place

• Cocodona - 1st Place

• High Lonesome - 1st Place

• Aspen Backcountry Marathon -1st Place

• Mammoth 200 - 1st Place

• Pass Mountain 50 Miler - 1st Place

There’s probably more that I’m forgetting, but that’s just insane. The Queen. So, performances aside, I also have chosen Rachel as my top athlete of 2025 because of her attitude and dedication to the sport. She exhibits such a lighthearted and carefree, completely unbothered demeanor that gives her such humility when lined up against her performances. I’ve had the opportunity of talking to her on our podcast, as well as on Instagram all the time. Rachel just signed with Norda, as well as Precision, Coros, and Tantrums earlier this year. Her success in terms of brand partnerships is a long time coming, and I feel like the Entrekin train is only just leaving the station — 2026 is gonna be lit AF.

Hans Troyer

The Kid! I got to briefly meet Hans at TRE and man, he’s another humble, kindhearted guy. Another one who came into 2025 blazing. I think it’s fair to say that a lot of us didn’t know the Troyer name prior to the year, but the dude is impossible to ignore now after the insane year he’s had—amazing performances at Western States, 1st-place finishes at Blue Ridge 50k, JFK 50 Miler, Way Too Cool 50k, Bandera 50k, and podium finishes at a couple others like Canyons. Excited for Hans and the year he had, but he’s already signed up for Western States and Black Canyon 100k next year, so it’s gonna be another wild one with the Kid!

Favorite Films of 2025

King of Moab

Definitely my favorite film that came out this year. Have loved following Max Jolliffe’s journey and seeing this epic feat cinematically unveil.

The Kid

My fav male athlete of the year! The film on Hans is inspiring and completely epic. Need some hype before your next race? Check it out! Don’t sleep on Hans; this kid is going to run this sport.

Trail Folk

Man, I love Tara Dower. I think she’s the coolest and one of the best personalities in the ultra sphere. This film felt like a love letter to the thru-hiker clan, but it still has so many elements of ultra that inspire you to build and find your folk out there.

Favorite Podcast Show of 2025

The Boulder Boys

Just a bunch of boys that live in Boulder. One of the more informal podcasts, and I just love that this feels like a casual conversation with friends around a fire talking about running things. If this year was the year of the boy, I wonder what next year has in store!

Favorite Content Creator of 2025

Humble Running

Man, I love this guy’s videos. Michael Postaski is a shoe reviewer, but he’s so much more than that. You can tell the level of effort and knowledge Michael has that he pours into the videos he puts out. He gives you the level of detail you need when looking at a variety of shoes to best suit yourself for your adventures. Check out Michael, aka Humble Running, for some of the most detailed and thorough dives into all the trail shoes you have your eyes on.

[Watch Humble Running on YouTube]

That’s a Wrap!

2025, peace out, yo. I just wanted to take a final moment to say thanks for reading my stuff over the past year. I set out with a goal to post once a week…and I failed. But I hit about 36 posts, and I’m freaking proud of that. It’s small, but we’re almost at 300 subscribers, which is insane to me that 300 individuals wanted to hit that subscribe button. I’m so grateful for you and your appreciation for just an informal guy that isn’t polished up at all.

There was so much gear that I got on my feet and body this year, and I know 2026 is going to start hot. There’s so much more to come: more shoes, more apparel, more packs and gear, more races, more adventures, and most importantly—more friends, family, and community. I’m thinking of some ideas for next year, and one of those is possibly creating an Into the Wild hat. If interested, let me know in the survey below!

Merry Christmas and enjoy the rest of the holidays with your loved ones, your trails, and your favorite places out in the wild.

— Ryan from Into the Wild

Subscribe now

I had the fortunate opportunity to attend TRE in San Antonio, Texas with Snoqualmie Running, and this resulted in sitting in on a ton of sell-in meetings. From an outside perspective, you always see the coverage of TRE through the lens of influencers and shoe reviewers, but what some might not know is that retailers truly get the best look at what’s coming. Which makes sense, right? We were there to start planning and ordering for Fall 2026, which is a little less than a year from now.

This might not be your standard TRE coverage where you get all the photos and specs of everything new coming out. If you want that stuff, there were influencers and shoe reviewers EVERYWHERE. Go watch their content ’cause it’s better than what I would do. I also got to chat with some of them and met some really cool people like David Sinclair, Dan Green, David Laney, some folks from Norda, SaySky, New Balance, the Freetrail fam, and so many others. I didn’t expect this week to be as busy as it was, so I saw most everything circling the interweb right now, but I didn’t have time to snap a photo of everything. I’ll try and recollect through words!

I’m going to break down some things I saw, what I thought from a holistic level in terms of upcoming brand lineups, some smaller unique brands I was surprised with, and then just a couple of brands I thought were a little more disappointing in terms of their upcoming launches.

Here’s TRE 2026 through the lens of a shoe geek and a specialty retailer.

2026 Themes You Will See

• Investment in trail is real. Brands like ASICS, Adidas, Nike ACG, New Balance, and so many others are truly doubling down and bringing more models, more gear, and more technology to the world of trail.

• Everyone is coming out with a $200 max-cushion shoe. We sat through countless brand meetings to see the new line, and every single one has an existing or new max-cushion model that will retail around $200.

• Everyone is betting big on gravel. Similar to the above, if it doesn’t exist today, it will exist next year. Brands are going all in on the hybrid, gravel, road-to-trail — or whatever you want to call it.

Heavy Hitters

Adidas: Our meeting involved us strolling around the convention center looking for a room that seemed impossible to find. Well, we finally found it, and we got to walk into what felt like an Adidas wonderland. Walls of shoes, apparel laid out and kitted out on mannequins, and total hype. We were taken through the upcoming Adidas lineup which, in my opinion, is one of the brands to really get excited for. We were talking about how intentional and holistic the Adidas trail line feels with what’s coming. We got to see the Terrex Agravic Speed Ultra 2, the Evo SL ATR, the Evo SL Exo, the Agravic SL Trail, and others I’m not remembering right now. I don’t think I can go much into some of the shoes like the SL Trail, but I would just say there’s a lot to be excited for in terms of the foams, the trail use cases, and the performance blended with price point. Whether you want a daily trail trainer, a super shoe, or a technical shoe, the Terrex lineup is coming in hot.

ASICS: I’m currently having a hard time deciding if I’m more excited for the Adidas line or the ASICS line. It’s really close. I was talking to Taylor Bodin from Believe in the Run, and our hopes were that New Balance and ASICS would have a strong trail presence. Well, they certainly did. We got to see the upcoming Metafuji Trail 2, which Tom Evans and Ben Dhiman got 1st and 2nd place at UTMB in. We saw the new Trabuco as well as the Trabuco Max, and then a new gravel shoe very reminiscent of the Novablast coming next year — the Blazeblast. Beyond trail, the stacked ASICS lineup contains an arsenal that has something for everyone and every use case. We saw the Superblast 3 (and yes, the foam is softer than the 2), the Sonicblast 2, the Novablast 6, and a new max-cushion shoe called the Gel Slowcush that looks like an NB More v6 but gets the ASICS look with some gel pods.

Nike ACG: We saw the Radical Airflow and got to try on sleeves. Man, the thing is insane and the tech really works. Waving your hand around, you can feel how the air travels through that thing, and it feels like you have a light fan blowing on your arm. There’s some stuff coming with Radical Airflow to the retail market next year, but I don’t believe I’m able to speak about it. If you’re into that heat tech and what Nike is doing, you’ll be stoked. We saw a lot of ACG apparel and gear coming, like some jackets, shirts, shorts, and then a running pack. Everything looks incredible and is going to do really well on the market, I think. Shoe-wise, we saw the Ultrafly 2 and the Zegama 3 (which is now called the ACG Zegama). I got to put my foot in the Zegama, and I’m really excited for this shoe. The comfort and fit are insane. Nike has decided to move to a trail-specific last versus a standard road last that they’ve been using in recent years. This means wider fit, wider toe boxes, and more comfort for your swelling feet on the trail. There were a lot of road shoes too, but many are already on the market in terms of the Vomero line — we just saw some color-ups coming.

Salomon: Don’t sleep on Salomon. Even for the roads, people. The Aero Glide, which has been a favorite of mine this past year, gets a small update and moves to the 4. We’re getting the road in Feb and the GRVL in March. Same foam, slightly different upper, and added a quick lace to the package. We saw the S/Lab Ultra Glide 2, which gets a different sock liner and then a Matryx upper, making that $250 price point a lot more valuable. We saw the Genesis 2, a new Aero Blaze, and then a super shoe for the road that I can’t remember the name of. It has a built-in booty, and Courtney Dauwalter should be wearing it for her CIM race this coming weekend.

New Balance: And my last heavy hitter that I was super impressed with was New Balance. There’s so much goodness coming from this brand, and you can tell that 2026 is the brand’s intentional resurgence back into the trail space. We got to see the SC Trail 2 and the Rebel Trail. Both of these are going to be a fantastic pair. The Rebel Trail is going to be your lower-stack, highly technical trail shoe, and the SC Trail 2 is your race-day carbon-plated, very stable trail shoe. So excited for both of these. I think I’ll be getting an early pair of the Rebel Trail, maybe the SC, and will be sure to post any of my thoughts when I get those on feet. Road-wise, the NB team is going all in on supercritical Infinion foam. The SC Rebel, a new SC Elite, and the Ellipse were the top three that stood out. You’ve got a super trainer that’s more than likely going to replace the SC Trainer, an updated marathon shoe, and then a new, more lifestyle-blended daily trainer. Really good things coming from NB, so keep your eyes open to this brand.

Surprises

Kiprun: You may have heard of this brand, and you may not have. I barely had, and that’s because they’ve been all over the world except for the USA. Well, all that’s about to change in April. Kiprun is coming to the US market, and they are coming in hot. Nick and I stopped by the booth to say hi and see what their lineup was about. We saw a huge road lineup, a brilliant trail lineup, and we got some inside scoop on the design and product process behind some of their new models. Something that stands out about Kiprun is their pricing. It’s pretty reasonable, which is hard to say these days. The model that stood out the most and was the only one we got our feet into was the Kipsummit Max. It’s the shoe Blandine wore and won Diagonal des Fous in, and it’s brilliant. If I could order this shoe right now I would. The foam is bouncy and feels so comfortable. It’s got a full slab of Vibram rubber on the bottom, and it just looks good. Really excited for this brand coming to the US and getting my foot in my own pair.

Raide Research: Sleeper hype of the show, truly. So, Raide didn’t have a booth this year, and it sure didn’t need one. Kyle came out to the show with some protos, and we met him in the lobby to talk new stuff. I won’t go too into it, but we saw some upcoming jackets, another new belt, some technical tees, and the new vest pack due out sometime next year. Could be summer, could be later — Raide wants to get it right before coming to market. We left our meeting just astounded at the creative mind of Kyle. He looks at products, builds solutions, and creates efficiencies. He thinks in a way that many other brands don’t. Many just steal and copy from each other, but Raide creates. From the way the jacket will pack into a pocket to fit in your running belt, to the dual built-in pole quiver/flask holder, and the new way to put on the belt, I’m extremely excited for Raide and the year they have had and the one they are about to have.

Craft: I’ve hardly ever given Craft a look in past years. My one demo experience with a shoe was just a really firm shoe that didn’t work for me. Well, Craft is making big moves, and if their continual signing of elite athletes doesn’t speak enough, then what we saw at TRE does. We saw a new max-cushion road model called the Atmosfar, a new gravel shoe called the Kype Gravel Pro (David Sinclair got 2nd at CCC in a prototype), and a brand new trail shoe called the Vild with Vibram rubber! Really excited for the heaviness coming out of Craft next year. Not to mention their apparel is phenomenal as well!

Norda: The main focal point of the Norda booth was the 055 — a new max-cushion trail shoe that takes many lessons and inspirations from the 005. The Arnitel foam, which is the best on the market, the nice durable Dyneema upper, the full coverage Vibram MegaGrip, and then a new built-in gaiter. Also, rejoice, because they’ve added heel padding to this one. I can’t wait to get my feet in this shoe!

Hyperlyte: If you haven’t heard of this smaller nutrition company, you probably will soon. Hyperlyte came to market with a simple, math-friendly drink mix bag. They’ve signed some incredible athletes like Hans Troyer, Matt Daniels, Abigail West, and more. The drink mix has been out for a bit, but Hyperlyte is coming to market with two new gels with the same flavor. You may ask, “Uh, two gels… same flavor? Why?” Well, chatting with one of the co-founders, Emory, they are looking at their variety offering in terms of viscosity. They will have two different gel thickness options — both same flavor, both 50g of carbs and 0mg of sodium. Again, making the math easy when paired with their drink mix. Being able to choose from a more juice-like substance to a thicker maple-syrup-like substance is something we haven’t seen unless you blend brands together.

Naak: I am most excited for some of the new flavors we got to try from Näak — specifically their Peach Tea and Mint gels. Looking to get a refresher in your ultra? Like you want to brush your teeth? Näak is coming out with a mint gel that will make you feel like you just brushed those not-so-pearly-whites out in the middle of the trail, all while taking in 30g of carbs. They also have some banana purée that’s delightful.

Disappointments

HOKA: This one might seem like a shocker, but I talked to others that also felt the same way. Now, a lot of HOKA’s heavy hitters were locked up in a room and shown to retailers. We didn’t do a HOKA meeting as we’ve already seen what’s coming from the brand. The floor booth was… boring. A lot of their standard models getting small updates, a new Speedgoat 7 which looked insanely chunky, and that’s about it. Upstairs were things like the Tecton X 4 and others. Overall, it just felt underwhelming and more of an art show than an unveiling or showcase of innovation.

Saucony: I don’t have a lot to say here. There’s one model I’m interested in — the Paramount Max. However, in my eyes, Saucony is falling behind. They continue to put out their standard boring models in pretty basic colorways. Their trail line gets hardly anything new. A new Peregrine with Vibram is great, but still, it didn’t stand out at an event where you want to stand out most. It’s no wonder that brands like ASICS and New Balance are increasing their market share above Saucony.

Satisfy: I have a soft spot for Satisfy that I get a lot of slack for. However, at the 2025 TRE, Satisfy was ALL the hype. This year, it just felt like another booth that felt a bit pretentious. Most of our conversation was in regard to the Rocker. You can tell that the brand is panicking and playing damage control. The reception to the Rocker was far below the brand’s expectations. They truly thought it would perform like some of their collabs have. Now they are sitting on a ton of inventory that no one wants and asking retailers to put in new future orders for new colors. But retailers still have a ton of stock. There are some things they are trying to do, like sending out 3mm insoles to decrease the volume in the shoe… they clearly know the fit is too narrow and low volume. They are changing the shoe bootie bags to a simple bag.

What I Came Home With to Try

The one mistake I made was not bringing an extra duffel bag or even two to bring all my gear I received back home. We had to run to the mall real quick before our flight to snag a couple of the cheapest duffels we could find, and the zippers were still about to pop.

The North Face Altamesa 500 v2

We were invited to a North Face shakeout run on the Tuesday morning of the first day. We met at a super sweet coffee shop, received a pair of the brand-new Altamesa 500 v2s, and headed out on a little river walk 5k. This might be one of the shoes I’m most hyped on that I received. Updated foam to be the same foam in the Enduris 4, a wider fit, a new rubber compound making it exceptionally sticky and more durable, and a bit lighter. Really loving this and excited to put more miles in.

R.A.D. UFO

This one was completely unexpected. Not five minutes after the North Face event concluded, we started walking towards our hotel and came across the R.A.D. van. We’d been seeing the shoe everywhere online, so we just asked if they had any pairs we could slip our feet into. They told us to give a little run down the street and man, this shoe felt incredible. Amazing foam and an extremely comfortable fit. We thanked the R.A.D. crew and then started to take our shoes off. “Keep ’em,” our friend Omar said. We were shocked. The conference hadn’t even started and we were two fresh pairs in already. So excited to log miles in this one as it’s the company’s debut running shoe.

Adidas Terrex Agravic Speed Ultra 2

We had our sell-in meeting with Adidas, and as you know from above, it’s one I’m most stoked on. The Terrex lineup is rich and full of all the right stuff. At the end of our sell-in, we were sent out the door with the brand’s new ASU 2, Terrex’s premium trail super shoe. This one has gone through a very light limited release for Adidas members and gets a wider release early next year.

New Balance 1080 v15

I get spoiled by New Balance a lot because my cousin works and leads up all of running at NB. However, we got to stroll through the secret NB room with all the goodies coming next year. We were then given a pair of the new 1080s that haven’t released yet. I am a huge New Balance fan, and I’m really excited to give the new Infinion foam a try. The 1080 should hit the shop and the market early next year.

La Sportiva Prodigio 2

The shop has been longtime La Sportiva fans, and it’s a brand that does extremely well. Last year saw the release of the Prodigio Pro and the Prodigio Max to really round out the Prodigio line. Well, that lineup is even more dialed with the new Prodigio 2, bringing a softer foam and wider fit to the original. We were sent home with a fresh pair to put some test miles into. I believe this one releases in February.

Rabbit High Country Trail

Story time! At the very end of the show, we were told to stop by the Rabbit booth to snag a pair of their carbon-plated trail shoe. We did, and they only ended up having my size. I was sent back with a box and excited to log some miles in the shoe. Well, when I got back to my room, I opened the box to find a single shoe in the box. Just my luck. So, I was fortunate to get the Rabbit shoe, but I’ve got to figure out how to get that missing shoe now haha.

Other Seeds to Possibly Come

There were some brands that didn’t bring shoes to hand out at the event, so they had taken our sizes to get some seeds shipped out when we were back home. Some of those shoes/brands were:

• Satisfy the Rocker

• Saucony Paramount Max and other Saucony models

• ASICS — was supposed to get the Megablasts but they didn’t have my size at the event

• Maybe some others I can’t remember

Other Shoes I’m Hyped For

There were thousands of shoes. Thousands. I’ve talked about a few above, but this is just my quick list of what I’m looking forward to in the coming year that I got to see this past week.

Trail/Gravel

• Inov8 Trailfly Pro

• Craft Kype Gravel Pro

• The North Face Offtrail Ultra

• ASICS Blazeblast

• Nike ACG Zegama

• Norda 055

• New Balance SC Trail 2

• New Balance Rebel Trail

• Kiprun Kipsummit Max

• Adidas Terrex Agravic TT

• ASICS Metafuji 2

• Mount to Coast M1

• Craft Vild

• Brooks Cascadia Elite

• Adidas Terrex Agravic SL

Road

• Mizuno Neo Zen 2

• New Balance SC Rebel

• Salomon Aero Glide 4 (Road and GRVL)

• ASICS Superblast 3

Some Snaps From the Week

What’s Next?

Getting orders in. There’s so much coming soon that’s going to be awesome. The shop will have all of the goodness that you will see pop up across reviewers and running content.

The shop is now online too, so if you want to support a small local mountain running specialty store, hit up the shop here and buy some stuff. Everything in-store lives online too. There are a bunch of products that are sold out online that the shop has in stock, so check it out!

Until next time,

— Ryan from Into the Wild

On September 6th, I packed up my Crosstrek and made the 3 hour drive down to the Science and Learning Center at Mount St. Helens. My friend Laura (a rep from Salomon and local shop fav) also ran the 20-miler, so we were able to connect and chill out with the other runners in the parking lot that evening. We all slept in our cars and then woke up the next morning to journey through the backcountry. Here’s my adventure from the beginning of the day.

I Got a Coach

Before I dive into my early morning wake up call, I wouldn’t be telling the full picture if I didn’t talk about my decision to get a running coach. On August 5th, I started working with the insanely talented Matt Daniels. I had resisted the idea of a coach for a long while, not really bought into the idea of it. Well, as I’ve continued running and obsessing over this sport, I had a change of heart.

From the beginning, I always saw coaching as something for those looking to compete, but it’s not my reason. In fact, when I reached out to Matt, I mentioned that I’m not here to compete. My main goals are to never hate running, and to get more out of myself than I’m currently outputting. You see, with my ADHD and busy family/work schedule, it’s been really challenging building a training plan and even knowing how to be intentional with my runs and time.

Matt was awesome and sent me a bunch of questions and gave me his philosophy. We decided that together we could do some cool stuff. So without skipping a beat, he dove right in knowing my upcoming race schedule for the year and built out a training plan to get me to Backcountry Rise.

He started incorporating things like hill workouts, tempo runs, long runs with vert, easy runs and so on. The structure helped me greatly as I knew exactly what I needed to do. I’m really good if you tell me what you need from me, I’ll go out and get it done — I guess the people pleaser part of me. So for 4 weeks, I busted my butt in a very new way. Matt offered encouragement, wisdom with my nutrition and approach to the race. A few days before, we video chatted and talked through my strategy for how to run this race and how to optimize the nutrition I brought with me. Having this expert outside opinion was a game changer for me. I know that I’m not some hotshot runner and I’m not trying to be, but to have someone in your corner helping support you through things like this was something I never knew I needed. It truly changed the game for me.

Now, let’s get to race day.

Race Day

Morning - Pre-Race:

My back aches. The stupid Amazon “memory foam” mattress I bought to sleep on was everything except memory, or foam…more like bad memories if you ask me. I slept pretty well, except a couple moments of tossing and turning feeling the car floorboards on my back. I woke up at 530am and started to get ready for the 7am start time.

This consisted of eating half a bagel with vegan cream cheese, half a Bobo Oats Bar with peanut butter and strawberry jam, and then a little 8oz can of Stumptown Cold Brew coffee to get things going (ya feel?).

The hour and a half went extremely quick and I started to rush to get my bib, my bottles filled, my pack loaded with all my stuff, and my usual routine of applying a liberal amount of Squirrel’s Nut Butter to my thighs, my nipples taped, and a couple areas on my feet taped up.

I then laced up my shoes with 8 minutes to spare, and Laura and I made our way over to the start. As the light continues to come up, the views of the surrounding mountains and volcano never come. We’re hit with a very dense layer of fog, completely socked in. The temperature is a mild 60 or so, which feels great.

Mile 0 - Mile 5

The group thickens, and the sea of color comes out in the form of running hats, neon running tops, and a very foggy morning. We shuffle into place and not before long, the countdown begins…3…2…1…engage the watch and before I know it, I’m running under the arch and up a paved road about a tenth of a mile to the trail.

It’s slow going, but we hit the trail and immediately begin a descent down a singletrack trail to the base of Coldwater Lake. For the first 5 miles, it feels like a lush jungle run with moments that peek out to the lake. However, I can see the shoreline, but nothing further because of the fog. Someone ahead of me gets stung by a bee which seems really odd in this weather, but she’s ok.

I average about 11-11:45 minute pace for the first 5 miles to the first aid station. It’s extremely runnable with some elevation spread throughout. In the end we do about 600 feet or so. In talking to coach Matt, we had planned for the first 5 miles to take 75 minutes max, but I was well ahead of schedule. I came cruising into the first aid station at about 56 minutes.

There was a decent pile up, so I took longer at the aid station than I wanted, but it was worth it. I had gone through both my bottles as planned, so I needed to tuck them away and fill up my pre-filled drink mix bottles with plain water and begin to mix them. I grab two more gels and situate everything neatly in my pack. Before I’m about to leave the aid station, I noticed a couple of the volunteers wearing Folklord hats. Huge shoutout to Folklord, so I commented that I loved their hats and they noticed I was wearing a Folklord hat too. They asked to take a photo to Folklord founder Elliot, as we all are buds.

Photo taken, memories made, and I’m officially ready to hit the road…and this is where it gets fun. Once you leave the first aid station, you begin the massive climb to the top, about 3,300 feet. Here goes nothing…

Mile 5 - Mile 9.5 (The Top)

Here come the poles. I cross a beautiful wooden bridge with a nice creek running beneath it, and then I see we make a sharp right turn and begin to immediately climb. I snap my Leki poles into place and let the grind take me.

Most of the climb is dense brush spilling into the trail, so my body scrapes and scratches against sticks, twigs, leaves and forest as I march my way up the gruesome climb. There are a couple of junction sections where we reach a flat top and can run for maybe 0.25 mile before the climbing continues. What I imagine would be incredible views, are overtaken still by this dense fog, with hardly an visibility at all. There’s a ton of moisture in the air, I can feel it on my skin which feels great. However, my glasses hate it, so I actually have to take them off and stow them away because they were getting way too fogged up.

There’s a crazy rocky section which runs along the left side of this cliff. I kid you not, I don’t think I’ve run a more sketchy trail. One misstep and you could literally fall to your death. I take it easy through this section as I mosey alongside the dropoff, trusting my On lugs to keep my stuck to the rocks beneath my feet.

This section is an out and back, so I see all of the leaders come dashing through, as well as a lot of the front pack. I continue on and see my watch counting down that I’m almost at the top…and then…victory. I made it. And with this, the fun part begins, the quick descent down to the last aid station.

Mile 9.5 - Mile 15

I’m absolutely flying…well that’s relative. Flying for me. I see my watch chime off with a couple of 9’ miles between miles 11-14. It’s essentially all down hill. The interesting aspect of this course is that there’s an out and back section that turns around at the crux of the climb. So, I pass everyone behind me that’s still making their way up the climb to the turn around point. It’s a cool aspect, but for some of the back of the pack runners I realize it’s also probably demoralizing. I pass a gentleman sitting on a rock and check in to make sure he’s ok. Says he’s all good, so I continue downward. Maybe 0.10 of a mile later I see the sweeper crew coming up the hill. My heart breaks a little bit, knowing that gentleman wasn’t going to make it.

Eventually I reach a crossroads where we came up, but we take a left to head around the other side of Coldwater Lake. I continue my quick descent, watching my Cloudultra Pros handle the rocky terrain with stability and ease.

I feel great, but it’s in this moment I know I should really take in some nutrition so I don’t bonk later because I failed to get ahead of my nutritional needs. At around mile 12 or 13, I find another guy pulled off to the side. I stop and check in, noticing he’s rubbing his quads.

“Cramping,” he says.

He says he’s ok, so I continue forward, but then I stop after a couple feet.

“Hey, I’ve got a sodium booster in powder form, might help,” I say.

I end up giving him my little 150ml gel flask filled with the Skratch Sodium Booster powder that has about 500mg of sodium. I tell him to just add some water and get that in to hopefully help. He’s extremely appreciative. I wish him well and then keep running down the hill.

Not before long I enter into a denser forest and eventually my watch dings at mile 15 and then I see the aid station.

Mile 15 - Mile 21

At the aid station, I’m much quicker this time. I fill up one bottle with NeverSecond drink mix from the cooler and then another flask with just plain water. I snag a couple gels, a quarter of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and a pickle slice. Then I’m out.

We immediately hit a paved road that’s been closed for the race. Running flat almost feels brutal after everything we’ve done so far in the day. I take the road pretty slow as it winds through some beautiful terrain. I feel like I’m in a different country. Like a road that runs through the middle of a lush jungle. Not before long, we hit a little junction and the bright orange arrow points me to the left and back into the forest. This is around mile 17, and this part of the race is brutal.

We enter the loop phase of the race. It’s a pretty mild jaunt around a trail system with dense forest, rolling hill sections and little glimmers of the valley beneath.

I start to bonk. I can tell.

My stomach feels terrible, I’m tired and ready for this thing to be over. I put down such a good effort descending, bringing my avg race pace into the 14’ range. I must not have had enough carbs or electrolytes. I feel like I could puke, so I just buckle down and walk it out. This section I could have continued to make up some more time in, but I just felt sour. It takes me a mile or so before I feel like I can stomach a gel. I open a Berry flavored NeverSecond and start to sip very minimally. I get about half down with some water and some drink mix, and I start to feel better right as we exit this forest and complete the loop.

The course takes us back on the road about a quarter of a mile before we cut across the road and head down towards the lake. I’m running again, feeling much better. I see two runners ahead of me, and a dad and a son getting ready to head out on the lake to fish. I cruise down to the lake and find the orange arrow pointing me to the left. I’m over 19 miles now, so the end is near. And this is the most brutal end to the race.

The course takes us up almost 600 ft in a mile or so to the finish. I walk the entire thing. I’m beat and the sun finally decides to show itself which zaps my energy even more. I should have jumped in that lake, I think. I just continue to move and to climb.

Not before long, passing wildflowers and various bees humming along, I hear bells in the distant. The finish line. The trail pops me right back to where we first entered that singletrack descent down 5 hours ago and I see the arches. My watch chimes to 21 miles and in one tenth of a mile, I’m hearing my name read out as I cross the finish line with a smile on my face.

21.1 miles, 4,500ft elevation gain done.

Post-Race and the drive home:

I immediately head inside for some chow. Two quesadillas, a little mixed green salad, a cup of chicken noodle soup, and a glass of kombucha from the tap. I sit with a clearing view of the mountainous region outside.

Laura joins me and we enjoy some food and chat through the race and how it went for both of us. Laura finished about 15 minutes before me! So proud of both of us.

We eventually head back to our cars and part ways as I make the 3 hour drive back home, my heart full from a great weekend in the mountains.

Nutrition

I’ll start this by saying my nutrition could have been better. We created a plan and I stuck to it mostly, but did reach a moment where I felt a bonk coming on. Here’s what I consumed:

• Start to First Aid

  • 1 flask of Skratch High Carb Raspberry Drink Mix + sodium booster (20.2oz)

    • 100g carbs | 800mg sodium

  • 1 flask of plain water (17.8oz)

• First Aid to Second Aid

  • 3/4th flask of Skratch High Carb Lemon Lime Drink Mix + sodium booster (13.3oz)

    • 75g carbs | 600mg sodium

  • 1 NeverSecond Passionfruit Gel

    • 30g carbs | 200mg sodium

  • 1 flask of Tailwind High Carb Ginger Lime Drink Mix + sodium booster (20.2oz)

    • 100g carbs | 880mg sodium

  • 1 NeverSecond Unflavored Gel

    • 30g carbs | 200mg sodium

• Second Aid to Finish

  • 1/2 NeverSecond Berry Gel

    • 15g carbs | 100mg sodium

  • 1 flask of plain water (17.8oz)

  • 1 flask of NeverSecond C30 Drink Mix (17.8oz)

    • 30g carbs | 200mg sodium

  • 1 pickle

  • 1 quarter of a Peanut Butter and Jelly

    • 15g (ish) of carbs

Rough totals:

• Total Carbs: 395g

• Total Sodium: 2,180mg

• Total oz: 107.1oz

• Total Carbs, Sodium, Ounces/Hour: 79g carbs | 436mg sodium | 21.42oz

I definitely want to see my carb intake increase to 90-100g and then sodium should probably be even higher, 600-800mg range. I did have an extra 500mg of sodium booster I had planned to use in the NeverSecond C30 but as mentioned in my race recap, ended up giving it to someone cramping mid race.

Gear

From the bottom up!

Shoes: On Cloudultra Pros

Best choice. Been absolutely loving these shoes from On. They were amazing for the slightly technical sections, tons of cushion for a long day on the trail, and so breathable.

Socks: Balega Enduro Quarter Crew

Normally wear these around the house and for shorter runs, but they have just been working super well when paired with my On’s, so I decided to rock these. No blisters!

Shorts: Bandit Vento 2-in-1 Run Short

These are my go-to shorts. Just love everything about them.

Shirt: On Trail-T Short Sleeve

Got a new shirt from On that I’ve been loving. Ultra lightweight, but very durable and well built. Dries really quick. No chafe and very comfortable.

Hat: Folklord Tall Trails Hat - Run Tri Bike

Gotta rep my Folklord swag when I can! Love these hats so much. Really cool designs, but the mesh side panels let my head breath so well. I wear a Folklord hat at most of my races!

Pack: The North Face Summit Series Run Vest 5

Worn this pack at 4 races now and it’s served me well. Great storage and gets the job done!

Recovery and Post Race Thoughts

Recovery has been good, well at least until I decided two days after the race to go for a run in the mountains with some buddies. Think I may have over done it and just given my body a chance to get back to normal.

Aside from this, my quads and calves were sore, but not as bad as previous races. The hill workouts and long runs with elevation truly helped.

I’m really proud of the effort I put in at Backcountry Rise. There are some areas I could better optimize, but overall I believe it was one of my better performances. Again, having a coach and a structured training plan leading up to the race was a game changer. What we did in 4 weeks is really motivating for what we can do with even bigger training blocks. There’s a lot more to come and I’m so stoked on it.

Thanks for reading this lengthy account of my race at the Backcountry Rise 20 Miler. If you’re thinking about this race, or any Daybreak Race, I can’t recommend it enough.

Until next time!

—Ryan from Into the Wild

Fast forward to November 2024, I watched Jeff Colt give a spiel at The Running Event 2024 (TRE) about the On Cloudultra Pro…and my attention was poked. I still wasn’t sure, especially because it would be months before we actually got some reviews and insights on this trail shoe from On.

Hit that fast forward button one last time, and we’re in present day (well, a few weeks back actually). After a lot of hype and great reviews, I decided to order a pair of the Cloudultra Pros and give them a chance. The following is my unfiltered take on this popular trail running shoe and my experience I’ve had running 80+ miles in them.

First Run

My first run was a 15 miler on a nice gravel trail (the Tolt Pipeline Trail for those in the greater Seattle area).

• Total mileage: 15.08 miles

• Elevation gain: 1,348ft

• Terrain type: Gravel with some road to trail

I used to be a cautious guy, always easing into a shoe and allowing it to break in from short —> mid-length —> long run categories…well, I’ve become careless and more risky I supposed, because I took the Cloudultra Pro from the box to a long run.

My first impressions of the shoe were that they were extremely comfortable. I had some slight pinching on my right pinky toe in the toe box, but you must know this is purely my weird ass feet. The toe box is very accommodating and rounder than most race day shoes these days. The midfoot was perfect, very secure, but not squeeze ya in with lots of overhang (or as I like to call it, a little midfoot muffin top). Thank god brands are starting to bring back the padded heel, because I’m so over than trend of minimal padding and no structure to save on weight. It’s not worth it people.

The midsole was highly cushioned, but not marshmellow soft. I felt great stability for a stack height of 41mm in the heel. There’s a “speedboard” plate in the midsole, which is made of fiberglass. This design, to me, allows for a more approachable and versatile shoe — I’ll get into this more in the what I’d use it for section.

Overall, my first thoughts of the shoe were great, but I did have some slight worries. My worries were about the toe box and the rubbing on my pinky toe, after 15 miles I thought I felt my pronation rubbing into the midfoot and creating a hot spot (though I didn’t end up with a blister or anything), and then how the stability would play out on true trail.

My Testing Runs

Throughout my 80+ miles I’ve put into the shoe, I’ve taken them across a variety of terrain and types of runs over the past 30 days:

• 15.08 miles | 1,348ft gain | Chill, slow easy miles on gravel roads with some road to trail

• 5.90 miles | 167ft gain | Tempo workout (15 mins easy, 2x10min at moderate/hard effort, 15 min cooldown, on flat gravel trail

• 12.06 miles | 2,864ft gain | Long run on varied trail terrain at West Tiger Mountain. Vertical gain, rocky, rooty sections, loose dirt and overgrowth sections.

• 15.02 miles | 3,865ft gain | Long run on varied trail terrain at West Tiger Mountain. Vertical gain, rocky, rooty sections, loose dirt and overgrowth sections, muddy and wet after previous days downpour.

• 5.67 miles | 659ft gain | Hill workout on gravel road (15 min warm up, 5/4/3/2/1 min hill reps with equal run back down, 15 min cooldown).

• 5.51 miles | 486ft gain | Easy run on gravel road with some road sections.

• 13.15 miles | 2,019ft gain | Long run on varied terrain. Smooth mountain bike singletrack, with some rocky and rooty sections, with downhill more technical rocky sections on East Tiger Mountain.

• 6.13 miles | 59ft gain | Easy run on smooth flat gravel trail.

These are all of my runs in the shoes thus far! By the time this goes live I also have another 6,8, and 6 miles planned this week, so I should be close to 90 miles in the shoe.

Thoughts on the Fit

In my first impression from my first run, I touched on how the shoe felt out of the box for a 15 miler. I had some concerns. Well now I want to talk about my experience with the fit of the shoe after 80 miles.

My thoughts are great. Truly. All of my concerns have been eliminated, and I think it partly has to do with what sock I choose to pair with the shoe. I’ve been switching between a Balega, a Darn Tough, and Smartwool socks and they’ve all been great. The one sock that gave me issues was a heavily padded Injinji sock. I think this just had too much padding and made the volume feel crowded.

The toe box is awesome, especially on vertical descents I’ve found. My toes have plenty of room and don’t jam upfront causing nail issues.

The rest of the shoe is locked down great, and this is all thanks to the best laces I’ve ever used. The ridge race day laces should be mandatory on every trail shoe. I love them so much, it’s actually probably one of my favorite details of the shoe.

Overall, the fit of the shoe is what I would describe as very accommodating with great lockdown and security. Enough accommodation to adjust with your feet as they swell during long efforts and many hours on the trail.

A Midsole of Clouds

I love talking gear, but a lot of times there’s so many foams, compounds, densities, technologies that it overwhelms me and I choose to limit my research here. So, I’m going to speak to you in basic terms about the feel and experience with the midsole. I’m not going to tell you what it’s made of, whether it’s infused with nitrogen or the hairs of unicorns, just a dude describing a foam beneath his foot.

Dude whatever this foam is, it’s one of the best. I have run in most trail running super shoes such as Tecton x 3, Agravic Speed Ultra, Norda 005, Nike Ultrafly, Prodigio Pro, Deviate Nitro Elite Trail, TNF Pro 3, and so forth. The foam in the Cloudultra Pro is up there with the best. It feels similar to a Tecton x 3, possibly an ASU. In a nutshell, comparisons aside, it’s responsive, soft, solid (meaning it’s not extremely squishy), and it’s something I’d feel comfortable with beneath my feet for hours. It has that fiberglass speedboard, which On chose to go with instead of a carbon-fiber plate. This was a great decision because you get some rebound and response, but it isn’t as rigid as carbon. It’s why (and I’ll go deeper in a sec) I feel comfortable using this for daily miles as well as race day.

In the end, the midsole is great and it’s instantly become one of my favorites of the year. There’s been no signs of compressions or loss of responsiveness where I’m currently at with my mileage. So far so good.

Da Grip

In an age where anything that isn’t Vibram gets shat on, there are a few stand outs. For example, the La Sportiva grip has been phenomenal. Continental can hold it’s own too. In the case of On, they use a proprietary grip that they call MissionGrip.

My experience with the grip has been good, not great and not exceptional, but good and sufficient. I wish that the lugs had another millimeter on them and I wish there were a few more lugs spread out.

On my more technical runs, especially the drizzly day, I did slip around a little. This shoe would not be ideal in my mind for super muddy and soggy days. It wasn’t very sketchy or anything, but I did notice it wasn’t the stickiest in these situations. For the most part though, it handled fine.

Small Details

There are a couple more things I have to call out that I love about this shoe and the small details that come with it.

The laces. Best in the game. Hands down. The laces have those race day ridges, so they NEVER come untied. You can’t beat these. I wish every shoe had these.

The lace tie down. There’s a little stitched stretchy piece of material that runs across the tongue that you can tuck the laces under so they stay out of your way. I’ve actually been using this and it was really helpful on a day when I ran down an extremely overgrown section of trail to have my laces tucked under so they didn’t catch on anything. A really nice detail.

The upper material. Wow, at first I thought it was a little abrasive, but that speaks to its durability. The upper material is probably the most breathable one on the market. It has such an interesting cross-stitched looking upper that allows water to escape easily. On my soggy run day, my shoes were taking in a lot of water from the lush forest and plants around the singletrack I was running, and once the sun poked out, I noticed the shoes dried out really quickly. Really well designed.

What I’d Use It For + My Final Recommendation

I’ve given a hefty breakdown of my runs and varied terrain, as well as my thoughts on the shoe construction and details. I think the final question that can be answered is, how should I view this shoe in my rotation? Before I answer, I want to say that this shoe is 100% categorized from a marketing perspective as a race day option, especially with it’s hefty $260 price tag.

So, me? What would I use this shoe for?

Everything.

Yes, I said it. I would use this shoe for everything and I have been. It’s a daily trainer option for me, but it’s also my choice for more technical and true trail routes. It’s my race day choice too. I am doing the Backcountry Rise 20 miler next Sunday, and you’re looking at that shoe that’s coming with me. If I was doing a 50k, I’m making the same choice.

The On Cloudultra Pro is my current favorite shoe. I can’t take it off, and it’s all I reach for off my shelf to go running in. It’s truly a fun, well-crafted machine that makes your runs enjoyable, exciting, comfortable, and trusting.

If you’re looking for a trail shoe that’s a jack of all trades, I would recommend this one. I think it’s so versatile, and the fiberglass board allows for the ability to get more out of this shoe without the worry of overuse from a carbon-fiber race shoe.

On the fence? $260 is a lot. But, it becomes more digestible when I place this shoe in the realm of versatility that I’ve been getting from it. It’s not a pair of shoes you pull out for special occasions. It’s truly a unique workhouse. Maybe some will disagree with me. But as a heavy, weird-shaped-foot-dude, who loves some good cushion with some stability, this is the one.

Thanks for checking this one out! Appreciate ya’ll!

Catch ya on the next one!

—Ryan from Into the Wild

Apologies for missing the month of June! It’s been a busy start to summer. But we are so back with a look at some new gear that’s recently released, some incredible content, and everything you need to stay up to date in the world of trail.

I’ve gotten a bunch of shoes in for testing and review, and I’m really enjoying a lot of them (some of which are listed below).

Hope you enjoy the readout this month! Let me know in the comments if there’s any shoes you’re interested in or have tried, favorite gear, and favorite content that I’ve missed!

Shoes:

Topo Athletic Vista

Price: $175

Release: Available Now

Available in Men’s and Women’s in the colorways shown above.

"I shall call him Squishy, and he shall be mine, and he shall be my Squishy."

That’s how I think about this shoe. Topo has released the anticipated Vista — defined as a max cushion technical trail offering. I’ve put about 25 miles in my pair and I’m obsessed. Does it live up to it’s definitive nature? I can’t say for certain. I have yet to take this one out on anything too technical, but what I can say is that the level of comfort is next level. I could totally see 100-200 mile folks being very pleased with this one. I also want to add that the colorways in the Vista model have really stepped up in aesthetic compared to older Topo models. Feels like they are getting it finally!

Available in store at Snoqualmie Running or online at Topo Athletic today!

ON Cloudultra Pro

Price: $260

Release: Available Now

Available in Men’s and Women’s in the colorways shown above.

Of all of the shoes on this list…I think this is the one I want the most that I don’t already have. Reviews have been streaming in for weeks and I keep seeing really great things. From what I’ve read and watched, On has created a very accessible super trail shoe. Meaning this could be used by a wide variety of feet for race day, or for daily miles. The non-carbon plate isn’t as rigid and safeguarded for race day. Toe box is wide and the fit is accommodating without being too sloppy. Excited to get this one on my feet soon!

Check out my guy Cody for a full review!

Available online from On today!

ON Cloudultra 3

Price: $190

Release: Available Now

Available in Men’s and Women’s in two colorways shown above.

The younger bro/sis to the Cloudultra Pro. What the Pro does in race day, the 3 can do in your every day training efforts. While remaining lightweight, the upper is slightly different as compared to the thin and extremely breathable Pro.

Available at Huckberry today!

Nnormal Kjerag 2

Price: $195

Release: Available Now

Available in Men’s and Women’s in various colorways.

This is the shoe Kilian got 3rd in at Western States 2025. The updated Kjerag 2 adds some more stack to the beloved minimal technical shoe from NNormal, allowing it to add some versatility when it comes to distance.

Available online at NNormal today!

La Sportiva Prodigio Max

Price: $185

Release: Available Now

Available in Men’s and Women’s in various colorways.

I’m not really sure how I scored a pair of these, but I did. I thought this shoe was releasing in the fall (which I’m told fall releases technically start release in July or August), but I noticed they started selling on La Sportiva and they happened to have a pair in my size. I have 15 miles in these. My last three runs have been in this shoe and so far it’s awesome. I went a full size up from my usual size - 47EU, same size as my Prodigio Pro. The Max foam is a touch softer, very stable, and has deep lugs for technical terrain. So far, I’ve found the fit of the Max to be more accommodating than the Pro. While it’s still very early in my testing cycle, I have high hopes that this shoe might finally answer the call that so many brands are trying to solve for the max cushion technical trail category. The stability + lug depth and sticky rubber might just do it — more testing to come! The Prodigio line is absolutely outstanding and not to be slept on.

Available online at La Sportiva today!

Brooks Cascadia 19

Price: $150

Release: August 1

Available in Men’s and Women’s in various colorways.

Ah the sweet sweet Cascadia line. This was my first ever trail shoe that I mainly used for backpacking and hiking years ago. I couldn’t even tell you for sure which model…I think the 12. Well, we are about to get the 19 and word around town is that it’s actually a really solid trail running shoe. Keyword — running. Yes, that’s right…you can actually log solid miles in this shoe and it’s not just a thru-hiking shoe. Brooks is going all in on their DNA foam. Excited to give this one a try when it releases!

Coming soon from Snoqualmie Running and all of your favorite online retailers!

ASICS Fuji Lite 6

Price: $130

Release: Available Now

Available in Men’s and Women’s in the colorways shown above.

ASICS trail has flown under the radar for the past couple of years. With the addition of Tom Evans to their athlete roster this past year, it signals they mean true competitive business. The Fuji Lite is a lightweight technical trail option with a lower stack and lots of ground feel. I ran in the 4 and really enjoyed it.

Available in store at Snoqualmie Running or online at Running Warehouse today!

Trail News & Thoughts

Rachel Entrekin Continues to Destroy

The Queen of Cocodona continues to make her mark on the sport. Your High Lonesome 100 champion for 2025. If you haven’t been keeping up with all the radness of Rachel, it’s time to jump on the bandwagon. Here’s some cool stats from her performance. 1st place female with a new course record of 21:56:16. 4th place overall. She was just 4 minutes behind 3rd place overall, so close to securing a podium finish overall. Rachel was almost an hour and a half faster than the 2nd place female finisher. And lastly, she was an hour ahead of the next male (5th place). Absolute crusher…and yet, she remains unsponsored. Get this Queen a shoe contract my god.

The US National Trail Teams

The complete roster for the US National Trail teams have officially been announced. You can read all about the announcement here from trailrunner.com. The World Mountain and Trail Running Championships are occur in Canfranc-Pirineos, Spain on September 24-28, 2025. Here’s who is competing across the various events:

• Long Trail Team - Men: Jim Walmsley, Tyler Green, Zach Miller, Caleb Olson, Adam Peterman, Tracen Knopp

• Long Trail Team - Women: Katie Schide, Jennifer Lichter, Allison Baca, Emily Schmitz, Klaire Rhodes, Shea Aquilano

• Short Trail Team - Men: David Sinclair, Ryan Becker, Eli Hemming, Seth Ruhling, Michelino Sunseri, Noah Williams

• Short Trail Team - Women: Helen Mino Faukner, Grayson Murphy, Tabor Scholl-Hemming, Janae Maus, Ruby Lindquist, Lindsay Allison

• Vertical Mountain Team - Men: Christian Allen, Joseph Gray, Cameron Smith, Tyler McCandless

• Vertical Mountain Team - Women: Sydney Petersen, Hillary Allen, Jessica Brazeau, Anna Gibson

• Classic Mountain Team - Men: David Norris, Mason Coppi, Taylor Stack, Camerson Smith

• Classic Mountain Team - Women: Courtney Coppinger, Anna Gibson, Lauren Gregory, Allie Maclaughlin

• U20 Mountain Team - Men: Cadel Ruthven, Asher Oates, Noah McMahan, Ezekiel Wilcox

• U20 Mountain Team - Women: Sophia Rodriguez, Ruby Ihmels, Abby Stone, Sierra Wall

Go team USA, we can’t wait until this stacked lineup takes the world stage in September against the rest of the world.

Hardrock 100 - A New Course Record

Oh Katie Schide…she does it again. Completing the gauntlet of UTMB, Western States, Diagonale and now Hardrock — she joins only two other athletes as champions of trail running’s Big 4. Those other athletes are Kilian Jornet and Courtney Dauwalter. Not only did she win Hardrock 100 this year, but she also set a new course record. From the men’s side, we had Ludovic Pommeret with a back-to-back win, showing that age should never be doubted when it comes to epicness.

WSER Champ Caleb Olson Leaves His Coach

The 2025 Western States champ announced via his Substack that he is going to transition away from his coach, Jack Kuenzle from Evoke Endurance. The sentiment of the announcement is that their styles are different and they didn’t always see eye to eye. Now, yes, he did win WSER under coaching from Jack, however, it’s clear it was taxing and tolling on Caleb. He’s decided to go forward either on his own or with the help of different experts. His goal is to find middle ground between structure and the fun ways of training.

New Content: Pods, Docs, Oh my!

Videos

Full disclaimer, a couple of these videos brought me to tears. If you want to see an incredible view into solid friendships and sacrifice, check out the Year of The Boy and Hans Troyer’s videos. Both are incredible displays of what it takes to get through an event like Western States — with the help of a village.

Here’s your rundown of amazing video content to check out:

Year of the Boy Ep. 3 | Never Again, Until Next Time | The Boulder Boys Show

Western States 2025 | No Sleep Till Auburn | Believe in the Run

Broken Arrow/Western States Week | The Hemmings

THE CANYONS DON’T CARE | Mountain Outpost

WESTERN STATES ENDURANCE RUN 2025 | Hans Troyer

The Long Way Through the Sky: 2025 Hardrock 100 (Vlog) | Singletrack

Hardrock 2025 Media Trip V-Log | Conversational Pace

On Cloudultra - More Runner Feedback // NNormal Surprise // Kilian Bonus! | Humble Running

Podcasts

Ok, shameless plug…I couldn’t help featuring my own podcast this month. We’ve been hard at work shooting and recording episodes. It’s been a fun and creative endeavor, and we’re lining up some really cool guests. Check it out if you need a new listen!

Catch one of the episodes below on your commute home, or maybe on your long run this weekend!

Ep. 51 Lavaredo Champion!! + Courtney Dauwalter v. Katie Schide? | The Boulder Boys Show

Ep 004 | 100ks, DNFs, Female Crushers, and the North Face Enduris 4 | Talking Shop Podcast

Ep 003 | Western States Recap, Mental Health in Running and Tailwind High Carb Drink Mix | Talking Shop Podcast

Ben Gibbard, Death Cab for Cutie / Speedland Athlete | The Drop Podcast

Katie Schide & Germain Grangier | Hardrock 100 2025 Post-Race Interview | Freetrail

The truth about Western States 100 (with Seth Ruhling) | COFFEECLUB

Music

I believe that when running, you fall into one of three categories. Podcasts, silence, or music. I thought it would be fun to share some new music that I’ve been listening to out on the trail when I don’t have a podcast playing or I’m not listening to the birds chirp in this fresh PNW air. Here’s some new tunes for your runs!

July Favorite Picks:

Currently Running C-R Team Cap

I love new brands. Currently Running just recently launched and they are taking the market by storm. I’m a sucker for a good running cap, and the C-R Team Cap gets the job done and then some. Built from a durable nylon ripstop, this hat came with me on my 50k journey through the Eastern Washington heat. In the market for a modern simplistic style running hat? Check out Currently Running and a bunch of their Mile-1 Collection available now.

Available on the Currently Running site for $60.

Tailwind High Carb Fuel

Lately I’ve been loving this nutrition drink mix from Tailwind. High carb is in, and I’m enjoying getting my carbs from liquids, especially on these hot summer days. The Tailwind High Carb Fuels gives you 90g of carbs with 680mg of sodium. For my endurance nutrition plan by the hour, I usually go with 1 full bottle of Tailwind High Carb + another 30g gel that usually has a little more sodium. I find this combo to do really well. Also, both flavors are so good. Lemonade tastes like real lemonade — sometimes I just want to drink it for fun. Lastly, the powder mixes extremely well so you’re left with a flavorful bottle of carbs.

Available on the Feed site for $24 or available at Snoqualmie Running.

Norda 008

The world’s greatest recovery slide is now here. The Canadian based brand has done it again. They’ve created an ultra durable and comfortable silhouette for recovery days and post-run assistance. $145 is steep for a slide, but it shouldn’t be a shock from Norda as their price tags are known to be up there because of the careful and intentional materials they use to craft their products. I have been using this slide constantly. I take it to get the mail, the trash, grocery shopping, after long runs, and you bet I wear it to the office too. My wife wore mine one day and decided she needed her own pair too.

Available on the Norda site for $145 or available at Snoqualmie Running.

Closing Thoughts

That’s a wrap on this months edition of Trail Stuff. We’ve curated the list above of all of our favorite things from new shoes, trail news, new podcast episodes, new video content, music, products and more. We always appreciate your taking the time to read and chat with us.

Keep your eyes peeled next month for the August edition.

See you out there!

-Ryan

The experience can always be different. There’s always something new to experience and something new to talk about, which is why I think my hyperfixation will last and prevail. Perhaps I might start to even refer to it as just my lifestyle now, and no longer a phase…that’s something I’d really like.

Now that you’re up to speed with where I’ve been in terms of my content game as of late, between the exhaustion of training, working full time, and being a dad, I had something I wanted to chat about…

This is what I think about when I run. Get ready to take a step inside the wild world of my brain. It’s going to be a ride. If you feel vulnerable and willing, let me know what kinds of thoughts run through your head as you go out on those long efforts.

The Daydreamer

This might be the most embarrassing one. It’s the most far-fetched, idealistic, and dream-worthy content that runs through my mind. Ever since I was young, I massively day dreamed. When I was young, it was about playing baseball at the Major League level — specifically for the Boston Red Sox. It would be bottom of the ninth, tied game, 2 outs, full count, and I’d hit a walk off home run to win the game. I also grew up a skateboarder, so there were many study halls where I envisioned a buzzer 360 flip down a massive gap to take home X-Games gold.

Well, spoiler alert, I never became a pro MLB player…but I haven’t seem to shed those daydreams, they’ve just changed in terms of their content in my adulthood.

When I go for long runs, or sometimes even short runs, I find Ryan at the start line of some of the biggest races in the world. UTMB, Western States, etc. It’s usually a race that’s current and going on soon, or just happened. Recently, there’s been a lot of Western States daydreams because that race just happened.

My daydreams usually have no correlation to my performance in reality. I’m not fast, I’ve only ever raced up to a 50k, and my experience is limited. But man do I love to dream. I dream about ascending the escarpment, flying through aid stations, battling through the high country, crossing the Rucky Chucky river crossing, and finding my way down the streets and onto the track as I cross the finish line. Place doesn’t matter to me, it’s just the ability to be out on a historic course, doing something hard, and finishing it.

This is the daydreamer.

The Problem Solver

I’d be a big ole liar if I said work wasn’t on my mind a lot. When I’m not running or daydreaming, I work full time in Marketing Tech for Expedia. My role consists of leading massively complex technical projects from a solutions perspective. This means that there’s a lot of times where I have a problem I need to solve, but I don’t have anything to go off of in terms of how I accomplish it. It involves a creative brain to think outside the box and essentially develop the working solution.

When I’m out of runs, I wish I could say I completely disconnect from work and don’t give it a thought. However, that’s not true in the slightest. Sometimes I’m able to do so, but often times my runs are spent thinking of work solutions.

In fact, running can be a creative box for me. A long run becomes a little room I can enter and start to hash out ideas. I work with various coding languages and a plethora of data, so often times I will brainstorm in my head different ideas and ways to accomplish a problem I’ve been working all day.

It’s a great feeling when I come up with an idea in my head and then get really excited to try and implement it when I get back home. Sometimes it is annoying though because I’m so impatient and eager to try out my idea, that I want to cut my run short…but I battle with myself and force myself to keep going.

This is the problem solver.

The Shoe Obsessor

Shoes, shoes, shoes, omg, shoes.

If you’ve been following along with my Substack for the past 6 months, then you know shoes were bound to pop up in my thoughts. I don’t know what it is, I just love shoes. They are the little vessels that take us to amazing places.

I spend A LOT of time on my runs thinking about new shoes I want to try, ideas for new shoes, how I would have designed a specific shoe differently, and so forth.

I’ll give a call back to the daydreamer and say he sometimes sneaks in with the shoe obsessor because I’ll daydream about being given the opportunity of wearing prototype shoes. It’s really fun. The shoe obsessor loves to come out to play especially when I have a new pair on the way, which right now, is the Topo Vistas, the North Face VECTIV Pro 3s, and the New Balance Fuel Cell Rebel v5s. All of these have comes across my running mind in the past week as I’ve gotten outside.

This is the shoe obsessor.

The Anxious One

I have anxiety.

I am no longer afraid to admit it. I have it bad sometimes. I take medication for it because it got to the point where it just inundated me and all my thoughts. It’s health related.

Unfortunately, sometimes it likes to join me on my runs if I’m being honest. It usually pops up in the form of my heart rate, or a little niggle.

I’ll have an anxious thought when I notice my heart rate a little higher than normal and I’ll start to obsess over it and really worry about it. I know that my watch heart rate monitor isn’t the most accurate, but it still bugs me out when I see it a tad different than normal. It’s sad, but it really consumes my thoughts.

Sometimes it’s not my heart rate, but an ache in my back? Do I have cancer? A tumor? Or a headache? Brain tumor? What’s wrong with me? It’s always worst case scenario.

If I’m being 1000% honest, when I ran my first 50k, it was amazing…but I did have anxious thoughts about getting rhabdo and dehydration. Sometimes I’m able to fight the noise and push it out, and it’s truly gotten much better, but this is definitely a personality that does come out to play from time to time.

This is the anxious one. F you, anxious one. You suck ass.

The Not-Feeling-It Guy

This guy also sucks and I don’t like him. But…he does show up every now and then. Occasionally I’ll go out for a run and I just don’t want to be out there. Maybe it’s been a long week at work, bad sleep from the crazy kids waking up every hour, or my body just requires more recovery. There’s times where when I’m running, I’m just over it and ready to be done.

I’ve always tried to have the attitude that if I can just run 1 mile, that’s good enough and better than nothing.

Sometimes, the Not-Feeling It Guy will show up at the beginning of the run, but I can work him out of my head and replace him with someone else. It’s usually when the warmup portion of getting my body going and the blood starts to flow, but eventually I find a rhythm and vibe and I’m glad I pushed through.

I think we all see this guy from time to time, and it’s ok. Time on feet is time on feet.

This is the not-feeling-it guy…and yeah, he sucks. Get lost bro.

The Creator

My corporate job might be highly technical, data oriented, and operational focused, but I was born a creative person. I do find creativity in my job, but I also find it outside of work more-so.

In college I majored in English Creative Writing and Screenwriting, and had the opportunity to work for a couple of major movie studios. However, these days I find myself exploring creativity with running by the very thing I’m doing right now…writing. I love coming up with written words and new content ideas. I also have a podcast now with my two close friends, and I love to create simple Instagram reels and other social content.

These are some of the things I think about on runs. What Substack post do I want to write next? How can I do something a little out of the box? In fact, the idea for this post came to me when I was on my 14 mile long run over the weekend. Sometimes I dream up post ideas, other times I think about topics and things to chat on the podcast, or other times I have an idea for a new Instagram reel. It all just depends, but I do a lot of thinking and creating out on my runs. It’s actually a really nice incubator with uninterrupted time for creating!

This is the creator.

Who are you on your runs?

I wonder if you might resonate with any of these personas, or maybe, you have someone that I don’t have. If you’re willing, please please please drop some comments and tell me all about it. I love reading the comments and chatting with you all.

Thanks for taking the time to read about something a little more personal to me. So when I’m out on the run, you maybe get a better idea of what’s coursing through my brain. Is it all sane? Nah. But this is just me being real!

Catch ya on the next one!

— Ryan from Into the Wild

After a few more bites, something is off. My stomach gets uneasy. Eh, that seems par for the course. But it changes. I feel my vision start to go, like I’ve stared into the sun too long and everything seems to be closing in on me.

My two friends are talking to me, but I’m not replying. I need a moment. I get up and walk to a chair. I place my head between my legs, a bandana over my head and close my eyes.

What is going on…

8 hours ago…

The alarm goes off in that typical rude manner. The three of us hop out of our beds, excited and ready. The night before we measured out our hydration mix, packed our drop bags and got our gear all laid out.

We start drinking our cold brew coffees to get things moving, if you feel me. I down a bagel with peanut butter and vegan cream cheese, paired with a banana.

Then we get dressed into our outfits that had been deliberated for months. If you read my previous post, you know how much thought and effort I’ve given my 50k outfit for the past few months during training.

We’re ready to go, so we pack our crap in the car and head up into the hills to the race start. There’s a bunch of people all spread out in a dusty parking lot. Collecting their gear, tying their shoes, chatting with friends and doing whatever they need to do before go time.

We collect our race bibs and then wait a few shorts minutes. Not before long, the count down sounds.

3….2…..1…. GO

Along the way

We’re off, and immediately uphill for a few miles.

I’ll save you the continued story talk, but wanted to give a recap of how the meat of the run went for me. Overall, my Coros Apex 2 Pro registered about 3,600ft of climbing, however, the maps and some others said 3,900 feet. So somewhere in there. I felt awesome and the heat was super manageable in the morning. I think by the time we left the start it was mid 60s. We climbed a beautiful singletrack up the mountain, people passing me and occasionally I’d pass a runner or two.

Eventually the singletrack spreads out a bit into more of a dirt road. It was exposed and very dusty. The views were incredible. We eventually hit some flat sections and got to wonder through the magical ponderosa pine forests. I felt like I was in Avatar with the way the vibrant purple flowers reflected off the sun through the singletrack that meandered peacefully through the forest. It was so cool.

Best part of the race was when I came into the drop bag aid station at mile 13.2. By the grace of god, mother nature hit the moment I got to the nice toilet…so I took a quick break to hit the head. I get to the door and knock.

“Occupied,” a voice calls. Fine, I’ll wait.

After a few minutes, the door clicks open and it’s none other than my best friend/college roommate that traveled from Southern California to run the race with me, Dane Johnson. We immediately broke down laughing, embraced in a massive hug, took a photo and then continued on our way — me the toilet, Dane back to the race. Easily a moment I’ll remember forever after going separate ways at the start of the race. Dane’s a fast guy — spoiler he got 13th place!

Most of the day was filled with taking in more than enough water, lots of salt and plenty of carbs. I believe my averages were about 800mg of sodium and 110g of carbs an hour. I decided to take a salt pill at mile 23 when I saw my clothes had salt stains. I also managed to eat a couple of quesadillas…vid below on my dilla strategy.

I filled up my ice bandana with ice at four aid stations and this helped with the increasing heat. I made some amazing friends out on the course, which reminded me that trail runners are truly the best people ever. Encouraging, hilarious, helpful and hopeful. I got to run with a guy named Kyle who I met on course and I tagged on to his pace for quite a lot of miles.

Eventually, as we wrapped around the mountain in a crazy sporadic pattern, you come around the final climb and land yourself at the mile 27 aid station with just 4 miles left. I ate a pickle, filled up water and electrolytes and then followed my guy Kyle down the major elevation loss to the finish.

The end is soul crushing though. When you get to mile 30, you can see the finish line…however, the course takes a sharp right and you start a mini climb up a dusty old dirt road and up a ski slope before you run flat/slightly uphill and eventually crest and then drop right down into the finish line. Once I came over that hill and could hear Dane and my buddy Jason yelling and psyching out of their minds when they saw me, I felt it all. I did it. The photographer was snapping photos, people I didn’t know the names of were cheering, and I crossed the finish line to big hugs from my buddies.

I did it. In under two years, I went from lazy couch boy to ultra marathon finisher. I will think about this day for the rest of my life.

As the story started, once I sat down, I almost passed out. However, tucking my head between my legs and taking a moment to myself, I was able to recover and get back to reality. This was the only struggle I had, besides my calf muscle fibers tweaking for a few hours until I could Theragun them to death.

My recovery ended up being phenomenal. I could tell the work and training I’d put in prior to the race paid off, because I took two rest days and then was back at it. If I’m being honest, I truly could have gone for a nice easy shakeout the day after…I felt that good. I learned a ton and now I’m ready for many more adventures to come. But…I wanted to take a moment to chat through all of my gear and how it went for me with my picks!

My Gear

I stuck true to all of my gear picks that I noted in my pre-race rundown. Most notably, the Norda 005 trail running shoes were the stars of the show. I couldn’t have been happier with a shoe pick than this beautiful Canadian silhouette. My feet held up extremely well, having little to no hot spots. I had zero heel rubbing, and the Arnitel TPEE foam was a dream out on the miles of single track. Deep into the race, I was so thankful for such a lightweight shoe on my heavy feet. Stoked on how this shoe did for me. I’m now about 130 miles into my pair and felt like I’ve experienced a little bit of everything to give this shoe a solid thumbs up. Now I’m stoked to get the Norda 008 recovery slides for that post race comfort!

Shoes aside, you know what was my MVP-G? My most valuable piece of gear was my Ice Bandana from the Feed. This truly saved me. It was 86 degrees for a large portion of the day. The course was quite exposed. It was dusty and I was losing a lot of sweat. I managed to fill up my ice bandana 4 times throughout the day, and it kept me as cool as I needed to be until I reached another aid station to replenish. There was one section where the ice melted and I was out 10 miles between aid stations. For the last 2 miles, I placed the bandana on my head as it still contained some of the cool melted water. Couldn’t recommend this bandana enough for your hot races out there!

The final piece of gear I wanted to highlight were my Bandit Running shorts. I went with the Vento 2-in-1 shorts and man was I completely satisfied. If you’re reading this, I can’t express to you enough how Bandit is not just a road brand…seriously. Wear their gear on the trails, you won’t regret it. I held off buying Bandit gear for awhile because I thought it wouldn’t be good for trail running. I was so wrong. Zero chafe, zero issues, plenty of storage, quick drying and served me well all day out on the dusty hot trail.

Couldn’t have been happier with all of my gear picks for the day. I felt like I really honed in what I needed to use and wear to get me through the day, and it all performed exceptionally.

Final Thoughts

What a day. I’m so grateful to all of the people in my life that have inspired, encouraged, motivated and supported me to complete this challenge. From friends at the running shop in Snoqualmie to my wife and kids, to friends and family, there’s a lot of love that goes into spending 7 hours out in the wild doing something hard.

I’m sure many of you can relate, but I’m at the point where I’m extremely hungry for what’s next. I’ve got all signed up for the Cirque Series at Crystal Mountain in September. Really excited for this one. Right now, I’m looking to maybe hammer out another 20 miler and another 50k before the year ends.

Now the fun part, picking what’s next!

Thanks immensely for following the journey thus far, there’s so much more to come! And if you haven’t had the chance, check out the podcast below:

Catch ya on the next one!

—Ryan from Into the Wild

By now, you all know that I’m a gear nerd. I live for it. I’ve had a lot of months testing and trying out different pieces of gear that I feel confident taking with me for my 31 mile galavant through the wilderness.

So let’s get right into it. Here’s what I’m bringing with me this weekend as well as some of the gear I considered when making these tough choices. Enjoy!

Race Day Profile

Weather: Low of 58, with a high of 86.

Mileage Profile: 50k (31 miles) | 3,900’ Elevation Gain

Terrain: Smooth, fast course. Gentle, but sustained climbing. Single track. Ponderosa pine forest track.

Location: Manson, WA (Lake Chelan, Washington State)

Race Organizer: Evergreen Trail Runs

My Gear Choices for Race Day

Shoes

Norda 005

Probably the most important choice I had to make was which shoes to go with. I have chosen the Norda 005 after a lot of deliberation. For the past 3 months or so, I’ve always had in the back of mind about which shoe was going to be my pick for my 50k. I ultimately decided on the 005 because of my time in the shoe. I have 90 miles, numerous long efforts being in this shoe, so I feel comfortable with how it performs up to 26.3 miles thus far. This shoe is so lightweight it’s insane, which is another factor for my heavy legs. I originally had some heel rubbing in this shoe, however, I’ve managed to fix that with the Injinji Ultra Run sock. Norda 005, here we go baby!

Thought I’d also note that I am considering bringing a second pair of shoes in my drop bag (which I get to pick up at mile 13.2 aid station) in case I have an off day and want something a little different and more cushioned. For this, I’m currently torn between the New Balance Fresh Foam More v3s or the HOKA Mafate X. We will see!

Other shoes that I considered were the HOKA Speedgoat 5 (Wide), HOKA Tecton X 3, New Balance FreshFoam Hierro v9 (Wide), and Topo Ultraventure 4.

Apparel

Currently Running C-R™ Team Cap - Grey

The North Face Summit Series High Trail Short-Sleeve

Bandit Running Vento 2-in-1 Shorts

The easiest choice for my apparel was my Bandit Running Vento 2-in-1 shorts. These are the best shorts I’ve ever worn. Extremely comfortable, zero chafe, lots of great pockets and storage, and built to go all day. This was a no brainer.

It’s going to be a hot day on the course, so I decided to go with my North Face Summit Series High Trail Short-Sleeve because of how breathable and lightweight it is. This shirt feels like I’m hardly wearing a shirt at all. It also manages sweat very well, pushing moisture out and away from my body. Lastly, I wanted to wear this new brand that I just discovered, Currently Running. I’m a Gordon Clark fan and know he’s one of their first athletes, so excited to sport this sick new hat on race day.

Pack

The North Face Summit Series Run Vest 5

I’ve tried three different packs since I started trail running. A Salomon Adv Skin pack, a Patagonia pack, and now the North Face Summit Series Run Vest 5. I was fortunate enough to have received this pack for free at a moment in time when I was unhappy with my Patagonia pack. This has become my go-to and will come with me for my 31 miles on Saturday. The Run Vest is extremely comfortable, well built, has great storage and gets the job done for what I need to carry. I also have a North Face quiver that can hold my Leki Poles — still thinking about bringing these or not.

Nutrition

Neversecond Nutrition

Aside from shoes, nutrition was probably the second hardest choice I had to make in terms of level of importance, but after testing for many months, the choice was easy for what works best with my body.

I will be going with the Neversecond C30 Sports Drink Mix - Forest Berry for my hydration. I like to go with 3-servings per bottle for the combination of best flavor and hydration strategy. 3-servings gets me 90g of carbs per bottle with 600mg of sodium. I pair this with one C30 Energy Gel (I’m bringing both Unflavored and Passion Fruit) to add an additional 30g of carbs and 200mg of sodium. In total I’ll be targeting about 120g carbs + 800mg of sodium per hour. I will also supplement with plain water per hour.

Lastly, my body on race day is hit or miss. That’s why I like bringing a couple of the C30 Fuel Bars to add some more substance if I’m feeling empty and what something a little chewier. In the past I’ve also fallen hard for the Potato Chips, Quesadillas, Sandwiches and other salty snacks at aid stations. I can pretty much guarantee my strategy above will get me through half the race. The second half might be a combination of different strategies — time will tell!

Other Gear

Bose Ultra Open Earbuds

Gotta have something to get me hyped! I’ve talked about these earbuds a few times, but they are my all time favorite. Bone-conducting, don’t move and amazing sound quality. I’ll be jamming out to a ton of tunes through these!

PACT Ultra Lite Bathroom Kit

Accidents happen man, come on. You gotta have a good poop kit handy. Mine is the Ultra Lite Kit from PACT. This things is amazing in a jam. Built in shovel, storage for wipes, and fits easily in my pack.

One of those things you don’t want to use, but I’ll be glad to have if I have to.

The Feed Ice Bandana

I’ve never used an ice bandana, but the concept is simple — ice that fits into a bandana to cool you down. I snagged this one from the Feed when I saw the weather was going to be cooking. It has a zipper compartment where you can add ice to cool you down on the run. Will be super glad to have this on race day.

Squirrel's Nut Butter Anti-Chafe Salve

You better believe that I’m lubing up big time. No chafe here. This Squirrel’s Nut Butter has been my ride or die the past year, so it’s exactly what I’ll be juicing up with the morning of the race, with a tin in my pack just in case I need to re-apply mid run.

Oakley Frogskins Prescription Eyeglasses

It’s going to be hot and sunny! My eyeballs suck and I was born with terrible vision. That said, I’ve got a pair of these Oakley Frogskins sunglasses that have my prescription in the lenses so I can witness the intense beauty around me…and also so I don’t fall off a cliff. These are a must!

All That’s Left…

…is just sending it!

Thanks for checking this one out. I’m so excited to get out in the wild this weekend for many miles and challenge myself. Stay tuned for a race recap and all of the learnings I’ll be taking away from this weekend.

If you have favorite gear picks for race day, let me know in the comments!

Until the next one,

— Ryan from Into the Wild

What do they all have in common?

They aren’t the Salomon Aero Glide 3 — the most underrated shoe on the market.

This past week, our family took our first vacation (as a family of four) to Kauai, Hawaii for a much needed week of relaxation and detox from the real world. The goal was simply to have no plans, eat a ton of ahi, swim a lot, drink insane amounts of Hawaiian coffee, shop, rest, and just be present with the fam. Oh yeah, and I told my wife that I wanted to get in a couple of runs. To my surprise she said, “Only during nap time.”

Deal.

So upon packing and getting my things sorted, I was torn between what single pair of running shoes to bring out of my 20 or so pairs I currently have. After a few back and forths, I decided on the Salomon Aero Glide 3 — and man am I glad I did.

Here’s my 50 mile thoughts on this spectacular road shoe.

Why I packed this shoe to begin with

I had the opportunity to demo this shoe on the US release day as part of a Salomon demo event. I put a few miles in and was really impressed. I have never once set foot in a Salomon road shoe, so I was truly surprised by the performance and comfort I experienced. At the end of the demo event, they held a raffle for a few items…well the final item was a free pair of Aero Glides. And yeah, you guessed it, I won.

Fast forward about two months, and this shoe has become my trusty daily mileage road shoe. I wear it almost every week to our group run club, and easy miles around town. It’s also my go-to walking and around town shoe because of the comfort.

When it came to packing my one pair of running shoes for our trip to hawaii, I was debating between the New Balance Rebel v4, the Adidas EVO SL, and the HOKA Mafate X (I just got this shoe and I thought the gravel tread might be nice). Well as you now know, I landed on the Aero Glides. The combination of all-day comfort, incredible foam, lightweight design, and a phenomenal grip that could handle better than the other options (aside from the HOKAs), were my reason for going with this shoe.

My runs in Hawaii

I wore the shoe all throughout the airport, on our long walks along the beach every morning at 530am when my two children decided to wake up, out for coffee and dinner, and of course, my 4 runs.

On Day 2, I clocked a 7.02 miles run that featured a small variety of terrain. Predominantly rough old Hawaiian asphalt, a few small sections of gravel and dirt, and a tiny bit of sand. My run took me along the beach, and through a multitude of resorts, with some miles on the main road shoulder.

On Day 3, I decided to go the other way from my resort and found myself doing a 4.5 mile route through the waterfront of a resort, over to a grassy/sandy section so I could run past a bunch of beached green sea turtles, up a dirt road, climbing a 200ft hill or so, then drop down back to sea level along the Hyatt beachfront path, across Shipwreck’s Beach, and danced along the Heritage trail up to a cliff lookout, and then back the same way I came. The Heritage trail consisted of sand, roots, dirt and some rocky sections.

On Day 5, I was captivated by the small amount of the Heritage trail I ran a few days prior, so I headed back that same way for a little over 6.5 miles. This time, I traveled up the road a little when I got to Shipwreck’s Beach and adventured down a rocky dirt road that ultimately led to a trail run for well over half the mileage. I felt like I was running through the jungle on a pretty nice single track, then it started to kick in to gear and travel up the cliff. When I made it to the top, the trail became very rocky…and not just standard rocks, but sharp lava rocks. Roots were strewn throughout, and I continued making my way along the coast on this trail that varied between dense jungle, steep cliffside, and sandy descents along the beach. It eventually climbed back up along another cliff that shared about a half mile on a golf course before you hit the final cliff peak, and then descend down to a horse stable on the cliff. It’s here that you follow a rocky and very rough dirt road back to the resorts, finishing on a mile or so of asphalt. I also got caught in a tropical downpour which felt amazing in this humid heat. This run was the most versatile, and also the most epic.

Our Final Day (which is tomorrow, so I am speaking about future Ryan here), I am planning to just do an easy 5k around the resorts before spending a bunch of time in the ocean before we get on a plane and head home.

These are the different runs that I did during my time in Hawaii this year, for a total mileage of 21.2 on the week here in the Aero Glide 3s.

Fit, Foam, Grip

The Fit of the Aero Glide 3s: I’ve tried Salomon trail shoes before, which arguably, they are much more known for over road shoes. The trail shoes have always been too narrow for me to wear comfortably, and as I have a wide-ish foot, it’s been a no-go. However, the fit on the Aero Glides is ample and truly fits my foot perfectly. I have never once encountered a hotspot or any rubbing and I’ve enjoyed the fit of this shoe more than many others I’ve tried this year. If you’re a standard or someone who sometimes wears wides, this shoe will work great for you. I personally am right in between a standard and a wide size.

The Foam of the Aero Glide 3s: This is the magic of the shoe. This max cushioned versatile shoe is built with Salomon’s energyFOAM Evo which is very cushioned, but not sink in marshmallow status. It’s responsive and got enough to keep you comfortably going on your long runs. With the responsiveness of the foam, the rockered profile, and the lightweight design, this shoe can really pick up the pace and hold its own on speed workouts if that’s what you’re into. On your feet all day at your job? Traveling? Working? The foam is great for all day on feet. It’s got enough energy to chase my crazy toddlers around Hawaii all week!

The Grip of the Aero Glide 3s: The grip really shined and I put this shoe through a really versatile set of terrain this week. This shoe is a road shoe, but I took it on light trails, gravel and even some more technical sections. It did stellar. I never once lost grip. I felt secure and suctioned to the trail ahead of me as I navigated unfamiliar, yet beautiful terrain. So impressed for a road shoe.

Bonus — The GRVL Version: If I was going to do this trip over, I would make one change. I would get the GRVL version and bring that. Same shoe, even better grip and built for more light trail work. I think the GRVL shoe has the potential to be a game changer and the ultimate travel shoe. Just bringing one shoe? Bring that cause it can handle road, gravel, sand, trail, and just about anything I did this week on Kauai.

Why you should consider it

So yeah, it’s a heavy claim, but I think that the Salomon Aero Glide 3 is the most underrated road shoe of 2025 (so far). I think it’s underrated because a lot of people don’t give Salomon the chops when it comes to road product, instead seeing the brand as a trail powerhouse. I get it, I was there too. All I’m saying is if you want to try something really special and versatile, I think you wouldn’t be disappointed with this shoe. In fact, I’d go so far in saying that I think you might love it.

If you get a pair, or better yet have a pair, let me know what you think! Drop a comment below and tell me I’m crazy for calling this my favorite road shoe of 2025.

As always, thanks for reading! I’ll catch ya on the next one — yew!

— Ryan from Into the Wild