New Running Shoes and Tech for 2020 – Runner’s World

Summer is just getting started, but running brands are already rolling out next year’s new shoes and gear. We spent three days at the Denver Convention Center at the Outdoor Retailer trade show checking out, trying, and even testing the newest stuff.

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Many of these products won’t be available until next year, but they’re worth the wait. Among all the new road shoes, trail options, and sweet sweaty gear, our editors found these 16 standout products. Whether you’re venturing into the backcountry, or just want a boost on your daily run, there’s something here for you.

Adidas Terrex Free Hiker Parley

Price: $200

Louis Mazzante

Hikers and trail users went crazy for the Adidas Terrex Free Hiker when it came out last year. The lightweight shoe looks great, has a bouncy Boost TPU midsole, and a wide toe box for extra comfort. It’s like a trail-running shoe with extra grip and protection. Now Adidas offers it with Parley fabrics, which are made from recycled ocean plastics. So one of the best-looking hiking shoes is now a little greener. It will be available in February.

Altra Lone Peak Youth

Price: $70

Louis Mazzante

There are a couple new Altra shoes for kids, with the motto Healthy Happy Feet. The company believes most children’s offerings are overbuilt—too rigid and stiff—so it took its most popular trail shoe, the Lone Peak, and engineered it for lighter runners. There’s also a road version, the Kokiri. The shoes come in whole sizes from 13 to 6 and have an insole that can be removed to create more space as kids’ feet grow. In the image above, the Kokiri is in front; the Lone Peak is behind.

Brooks Divide

Price: $100

Brooks

This new entry-level trail shoe has almost everything you’d get in a top option, except the price. It uses Brooks’s BioMoGo DNA midsole, a two-color mesh upper, a comfortable ankle collar, and rock plate. The shoe has an 8mm drop and weighs 10.3 ounces for men (size 9) and 9.2 ounces for women (size 7).

Balega Ultraglide

Price: $16

Louis Mazzante

The new Ultraglide brings some serious blister-protection into a thin, lightweight sock. Its made with what the company calls friction-free yarn to reduce rubbing and irritation. It also has light padding in the metatarsal and heel areas. It gets a tab in the back, like many other socks, abut also has one in the front for an even more secure fit.

Coast FL1R

Price: $40

Louis Mazzante

Coast’s FL1R throws out a bright beam for 2.5 hours on its highest setting, but weighs only 1.4 ounces, which is less than a golf ball. Low weight doesn’t mean a lack of features, though. The lamp is USB rechargeable, has three white-light modes and one red light mode, and it’s weatherproof. The FL1r will cost $40 when it’s released this fall.

Hoka One One Speedgoat Mid 2

Price: $170

Louis Mazzante

Hoka has a new version of its popular Speedgoat trail shoe coming next spring as well as this—the Speedgoat Mid 2 GTX. The mid-cut hiking boot remains remarkably light (about 13 ounces in the men’s version) and cushioned, but it gets a new outsole with slightly different lugs and texture for better grip. The waist is a little narrower too, for a better fit.

Matrix PowerWatch Series 2

Price: $499

Louis Mazzante

Smart watches are great, but if you’re using them to track sleep or calorie burn then taking them off means missing out on useful data. The Matrix Smartwatch 2 uses solar power and your body heat to power the watch, meaning it never has to come off and you get more information. The Thermoelectric charging system also allows the watch to measure calories burned more accurately. In addition to tracking your calorie burn, the watch features GPS, smartwatch functionality, and a number of strap options.

Salomon Cross/Pro

Price: $160

Louis Mazzante

The Cross/Pro is the first commercially available version of Salomon’s ME:sh program, a custom production process that it tested with a handful of retailers in Europe to deliver on-demand shoes based on the runner’s foot, gait, and terrain. Salomon took the learnings of that program and applied it to the new Cross/Pro. It’s not quite a custom shoe, but it has a sock liner that molds to your foot and a new midfoot design called Matryx that uses fabric wings to wrap around your foot. The shoe is made for gnarly, muddy terrain with big lugs. It has an 8mm drop and weighs 12.3 ounces (men’s size 9).

Skechers GOrun Max Road 4

Price: $130

Louis Mazzante

Skechers has a bunch of new shoes hitting next spring. Several are noteworthy but we liked this because it’s so widely appealing. Like the current version, the Max Road 4 is a lightweight, well-cushioned trainer (the Max in its name is for max cushioning). But this model gets the company’s Hyperburst midsole. The material is produced with some fun science (plasma!) to create a platform that’s responsive and cushioned yet weighs less than a traditional EVA foam. The Max Road has a breathable knit upper, weighs 8.4 ounces for men’s size 9 and has a 6mm drop. It will be available in September.

Skinnies Sun Gel

Price: $35

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New Zealand brand Skinnies developed a sun gel that is not water based, so it’s more concentrated, won’t sweat off, and lasts longer. If your regular sunscreen is an Americano, this is an espresso. A pea sized amount covers your face and neck, and won’t leave a greasy residue. And it lasts all day due to a clever process that ensures the gel sits on, not in, your skin. More concentrated sunscreen means less waste which is great for the planet, as is the reef safe verification and sustainable design and manufacturing process. Sunscreen is something you use every day and this might be the best one we’ve seen.

Technica Origin

Price: $170

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The best shoes feel something like custom-made options. A better fit adds comfort and can reduce wear on your feet (fewer blisters and black toenails). While a true custom shoe remains impractical for most of us, Technica is bringing us one step closer with the Origin trail shoe. Retailers can stock four versions of each size based on common foot dimensions. Then, the shoes’ uppers and footbeds get baked in a special machine for 15 minutes. In less time than it takes to make snickerdoodles, you get a near-custom fit. Technica has offered similar hiking boots, and they’ve been well received. We’ll have a full test of the Origin shortly.

The North Face Ultra Swift Futurelight

Price: $145

Louis Mazzante

TNF has two new ultra-trail running shoes coming in spring 2020. The lighter of the two, the Ultraswift, comes in versions with and without the company’s new waterproof, breathable Futurelight fabric. The men’s Ultraswift Futurelight shown here weighs 12.4 ounces, has an Ortholite footbed, and a midsole that combines The North Face’s XtraFoam and FastFoams for a better mix of weight and cushioning. You also get short but tacky 3mm dual-density lugs. The men’s version will be available in January and women’s versions will follow.

Topo Rivershort

Price: $79

Louis Mazzante

This isn’t a run-specific short or even a new model. But the red color option is a bright new addition to the line. We like it for its versatility. It’s got quick-drying two-way nylon, a back zippered pocket and a water-repellent finish. It’s long enough to wear casually, and works great for trail runs, hikes, rafting or almost any other outdoor activity.

VJ MAXx

Price: $160

Louis Mazzante

The MAXx is for long runs of 20 miles or more—a relatively light shoe with cushioned ride. It has shorter 4mm lugs and new more breathable mesh, to keep things light and cool. But it still is reinforced with Kevlar fibers for protection and support. The shoe uses the same rock plate as VJ’s XTRM, but has a smaller, lighter toe guard. The toe box is slightly wider, too. And it uses the company’s Butyl-rubber sole for extra traction. A men’s size 8.5 weighs 8.8 ounces.