An unreleased prototype pair of Nike trail running shoes that made the podium at Transgrancanaria last week have set tongues wagging, with many wondering if Nike is planning a serious move into trail running territory.
On February 22, Utah’s Caleb Olson crossed the finish line in Maspalomas in a stunning 12 hours, 17 minutes and 25 seconds, besting the previous record by 25 minutes. Naturally, inquiring minds wanted to know what shoes he was wearing, and some eagle-eyed spectators spotted that the Nike-sponsored athlete looked to be testing out a never-before-seen shoe, that sports some interesting details.
Runner Christian Weigand, who runs the Instagram account @runners_highest and competed in the event’s marathon distance, first spotted the shoes and posted pictures which you can view below, writing: “@nikerunning tell me more!”
Nike has long dominated the road running scene, but any attempts to move onto Hoka and Salomon’s more uneven turf have been half-hearted at best with shoes like the Wildhorse 8 and Zegama 2s all slightly missing the mark.
In 2023, the Nike Ultrafly trail racing shoes came along, and basically took the super shoe formula that Nike put on the map with the Vaporfly – a giant stack of ZoomX foam and carbon plate – and added a Vibram outsole to help with grip.
The resulting shoe had an upper that wasn’t quite durable enough for ultra running, and with a 38.5 mm stack and 8.5 mm drop, it definitely wasn’t every trail runner’s cup of tea. But it seems like the brand still thinks the Ultrafly is worth investing in, as the prototype the Olson wore for his win appears to be an updated version, with some telling details.
First is the absence of the ZoomX branding on the midsole, which suggests Nike is trying a new foam technology from its predecessor and other cushioned trail runners like the Zegama 2s.
Second, and most surprisingly, the tongue of the shoe reveals it falls under the brand’s ACG label, which is a first for any Nike super shoe. Short for All Conditions Gear, the sub-label was launched back in 1989 and built on the brand’s entry into hiking gear. In recent years, however, it has been more associated with the gorpcore movement than performance, as last year’s Nike Cygnal boots showed us.
These shoes, however, are clearly built for function over fashion – either that or Olson is an even better runner than we realized. The brand hasn’t released any official details about the shoe yet, but it may be a sign of things to come for Nike. Who could blame them for wanting to pull up a chair and join Hoka and Salomon at the trail running table?
