News and events from the major vendors to run specialty.
Altra Splits the Super Shoe Wide Open
Before carbon plates and supercritical foam, runners already had an extraordinary piece of performance technology beneath them: the human foot. For the Vanish Carbon 3, Altra has treated that anatomy as a central part of the racing system, then built the plate, foam, fit and lockdown around it.
Carbon plates have transformed racing shoes by adding stiffness and propulsion, but that can also change how the forefoot moves through toe-off. Altra saw a design problem inside racing's favorite technology: How do you capture the speed of carbon without locking the foot?
The answer is Altra's new patent-pending split-toe-carbon plate. It provides the structure runners expect from a super shoe, then separates at the big toe to allow for more natural movement and power.
Beneath the plate, Fast RCE, Altra's lightest and most responsive supercritical, pure PEBA foam, supplies the rebound.
Above it, Altra's signature roomy toe box gives the toes space to splay, while the unique eyestay design allows proper midfoot lockdown without restricting the toes. The eyestay design is an intentional detail that embodies Altra’s entire design logic: support the foot where it needs it, leave it alone where it doesn't.
“We didn’t set out to build just another carbon racing shoe; we set out to build an Altra racing shoe,” explains Kylee Barton, head of product at Altra. “Every element of the Vanish Carbon 3 was designed to work in harmony with the actual shape of the foot and our Altra Fit. The split-toe-carbon plate allows the foot to move, stabilize, and generate power more naturally, giving runners the propulsion they expect from a carbon plate while preserving natural movement and the qualities that make an Altra feel uniquely Altra.”
Product Details
- New patent-pending split toe carbon plate: Provides stiffness while allowing natural movement through the forefoot
- Altra Fit for Racing: Foot-shaped fit with 4mm drop, 40mm heel and 36mm forefoot stack for propulsion
- Unique eyestay design: Ensures proper midfoot lockdown while keeping the toes free to splay
- Race-day upper: Seamless, breathable engineered mesh with a soft, lightweight tongue for a zero-distraction feel
- Lightweight outsole: A new rubber compound designed to supply traction in a lighter package
- Weight: Men's size 10: 7.7 oz / 220 g. Women's size 8: 6.7 oz / 192 g.
The Altra Vanish Carbon 3 is available August 18 for $240. To accompany the new design system, Altra will introduce the Vanish Tempo 2, a plated trainer, in September.
Nike and Hyperice Debut Hyperslide
Nike is advancing its commitment to athlete recovery with the introduction of the Nike Air Zoom Hyperslide, the latest footwear innovation developed in partnership with Hyperice to help athletes unwind from the ground up after sport, training, travel and everything in between.
The Air Zoom Hyperslide combines Nike’s footwear expertise with Hyperice recovery technology in a wearable, mobile slide built to help athletes move and perform better and ultimately get back to what they love.
The Air Zoom Hyperslide pairs a low-profile, full-length Air Zoom sole for soft, responsive comfort with targeted Hyperice heat and vibration across the top of the foot to help reduce tension, relax feet and support everyday recovery.
At the center of the recovery experience is a removable, magnetic Hyperslide Pod housed within the slide’s adjustable strap. The pod delivers three levels of heat (reaching 117 F / 47 C), and three levels of vibration and runs in 15-minute recovery cycles, giving athletes the ability to seamlessly customize their experience through on-pod controls or by connecting to the Hyperice App.
The Air Zoom Hyperslide is the second innovation born from the ongoing partnership between Nike and Hyperice, which brings together two brands with a shared commitment to helping athletes move and perform better throughout training and competition.
“Our partnership with Nike has always been driven by a shared commitment to innovation for the athlete,” says Anthony Katz, Founder, Hyperice. “With the Nike Air Zoom Hyperslide, we’re making premium recovery more accessible than ever, combining Nike’s iconic footwear expertise with Hyperice technology to help people recover smarter with every step.”
The Nike Air Zoom Hyperslide will be available September 29.
Skratch Labs Launches Resealable Bulk Energy Chew Bag
The resealable bag brings together Raspberry, Orange and Grape Energy Chews. Each serving of five chews delivers 80 calories, 19 grams of carbohydrates and 45mg of sodium for fast energy during intense or long-duration exercise. Made with real fruit and a specific ratio of glucose and fructose, Energy Chews are designed to digest easily and absorb quickly. Pectin and added water create a gumdrop-like texture that is easy to chew on the move, without the waxes, preservatives, artificial flavors, or artificial colors found in many other chews. They are also gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan.
The 30-serving Energy Chews Resealable Bag joins Skratch Labs’ lineup of individual packs and 10-pack caddies, available in Raspberry, Orange, Grape, and caffeinated Sour Cherry (50mg of caffeine). The resealable bag retails for $32.50.
Inov8 Unveils Trailfly Pro
Inov8 recently released the Trailfly Pro, described as a trail shoe that lets feet feel alive.” The brand is challenging the trail running industry's obsession with supersized foams, rigid plates and restrictive shoe shapes.
Taking a stance against “numb and dumb” designs, the Trailfly Pro is designed to work with the foot’s natural biomechanics, not against them.
“The running industry is obsessed with more foam, more stack, more plates. We have the courage to challenge that,” says Inov8 founder and CEO Wayne Edy. “The new Trailfly Pro with Naturalfit is a shoe that lets feet feel alive again.”
“In chasing more, brands have created shoes that numb trail connectivity and squash toes,” adds product and marketing director Michael Price. “It’s time to unlock the foot’s natural biology, let it adapt and react to the ground beneath and give toes the room to perform.”
Every element of the shoe has been engineered to support natural performance. A refined Naturalfit shoe shape gives metatarsal bones and toes the space to spread naturally for improved balance and propulsion. Strategic outsole cutaways allow the shoe to flex with the terrain instead of resisting it, while a patent-pending off-set heel collar anatomically frames the ankle bones for a secure natural fit that allows unrestricted movement.
OS1st Promotes Hazard to National Sales Manager
OS1st has promoted Jennifer Hazard from regional territory manager to national sales manager. In this expanded role, Hazard will lead OS1st’s national sales strategy and field organization.
Hazard will oversee national sales planning, lead and develop OS1st’s territory managers and independent rep network and align account strategy with the company’s brand and product roadmap. A central focus of the role will be helping retail partners grow the accessory category — a high-turn, high-margin segment that OS1st supports through a protected, independent-only distribution model.
Hazard joined OS1st more than two years ago as regional territory manager, where she helped lead the independent sales team to over 31 percent growth during her tenure. Before joining OS1st, she spent more than 20 years as manager and then owner and operator of North & Company in Hailey, ID, a footwear and clothing retailer
Teva Enters Trail Shoe Category
Teva has been dipping its toes into road and trail running in recent seasons with its Aventrail and Hurricane franchises and on September 1 the brand is doing a cannonball into the deep end with the launch of the Teva Trailpeak, an ultralight, ultra-nimble trail runner co-designed with ultrarunners Mike Wardian and Erin Ton for technical trails and FKT attempts.
Optimized for technical trails, the Trailpeak is designed to excel at sharp and steep switchbacks thanks to its featherweight of 185g for a W7 or 235g in M9. The shoe features a HYPER-COMF+ SCF midsole – Teva’s lightest and most responsive cushioning. This lightweight silhouette is perfectly complemented with Spider Rubber Endure 3mm lugs, a speedlace fit system and an internal cage that provides secure lockdown for lateral movements and nimble control. No wonder it already has dozens of FKTs underfoot courtesy of Erin.
New Product: The North Face Offtrail Ultra
The North Face recently unveiled the Offtrail Ultra, a mountain running shoe built around a dual-density Dreambound superfoam midsole system engineered to deliver comfort, rebound and responsiveness on technical trails. Created for the next generation of adventure runners, the Offtrail Ultra combines lightweight construction with highly responsive cushioning and a protective, mountain-ready design.
Built for mountain running, scrambling, steep descents, loose rock, and rugged alpine routes, the shoe delivers a streamlined approach to technical trail performance without unnecessary complexity. The Offtrail Ultra reflects the line’s “Athlete Tested, Expedition Proven” philosophy, pairing elite athlete insights with mountain-tested durability and performance.
“Adventure running continues to evolve, with athletes pushing deeper into technical terrain and demanding footwear that can move as fast and as confidently as they do,” says Brett Rivers, senior global merchandiser of performance footwear. “With the Offtrail Ultra, we worked in lockstep with our athletes to innovate a new dual-density midsole design made in one molding process, without needing adhesives to bond the materials together, to provide innovative cushioning built for the demands of mountain running. The result is a responsive and protective underfoot experience that is lighter and more agile in technical terrain.”
Key product features include:
- Responsive dual-density Dreambound nitrogen superfoam midsole construction
- Lightweight, protective upper designed for technical mountain terrain
- Integrated Screeguard stretch gaiter for debris protection
- Enhanced Surface CTRL G2 outsole for traction on scrambles and steep trails
The Offtrail Ultra joins The North Face’s Summit Trail Run collection, reinforcing the brand’s commitment to equipping athletes with innovative gear for exploration, endurance, and mountain performance.
The Offtrail Ultra retails for $190 and was available August 1.
New Product: Diadora Corsa
Diadora last week unveiled the Corsa, a lightweight performance trainer “designed for runners who refuse to compromise between mileage and speed.” Weighing just 230 grams (8.11 oz.) with an 8mm drop, Corsa represents the evolution of the daily trainer — a single tool engineered to handle every pace, from recovery runs to tempo sessions and beyond.
Inspired by elite athletes like Marco Langon and Simeon Birnbaum, Corsa answers an essential demand: one shoe for all sessions. Built on a new, wider last with an enhanced toe box and broad platform, Corsa delivers the comfort and stability runners need while maintaining the lively responsiveness that makes pickups feel effortless.
At the heart of Corsa is Anima N2 technology, Diadora's supercritical-foamed EVA compound that achieves a 72 percent reactivity score, a 40 percent increase in responsiveness compared to standard EVA Light, with a corresponding 40 percengt weight reduction. This innovation delivers exceptional lightness and energy return without the added complexity of a carbon plate.
The midsole pairs this responsive foam with a SCF TPU element and Special Duratech 5000 wear-resistant compound across the full outsole. An engineered mesh upper and secure lace fastening provide a snug, breathable fit ideal for the demands of daily training.
Visually, Corsa reconnects with Diadora's extensive running archive, thanks to a retro aesthetic and high-stack silhouette. MSRP: $155 USD
Norda Unveils 2026 FW Collection
Two different interpretations of raw speed are provided by the 005 Zephyr and 005 Stealth Black: the former, fast and fluid with a shimmering silver base and metallic accents, the latter, murkier and more subtle with tonal gradients and pre-faded treatments.
Rich brown tones and black accents abound on the duo of Star Anise styles — the 055 G+® and the 001A — with a colorway name drawing from the dried, star-shaped fruit of a small evergreen tree native to Asia.
The Thistle 055 and 005, alongside the Scoria 001A and 008, use a melange of mauve and grey shades in tandem with iridescent details, reflective accents, and marbled midsole treatments, ruggedly beautiful like the prickly flowering plants and rough volcanic rocks they draw their name from.
Completing the collection, the 001A Almond, 001A Serpentine, 002 Travertine and 002 Sea Salt supply a quartet of variations on color themes both mineral and organic. The Almond is centered around light shades grounded by black and reflective silver accents, and the Serpentine uses a medley of faded green shades. The Travertine uses printed details, both gridded and abstract, to acknowledge its inspiration: a natural limestone with a unique, porous texture, and the 002 Sea Salt takes a minimalist bent, removing the reflective linework typically found on the silhouette’s upper.
Lems Launches ZenSpeed Road Running Collection
For Lems, this launch represents both an evolution and a return to where the brand started. In 2008, founder Andrew Rademacher was a collegiate decathlete with a lifelong passion for running. He grew frustrated with the lack of running shoes that truly fit the foot's natural anatomy. In search of something better, he began dissecting his own running shoes, cutting away excess material and studying their construction to understand why traditional footwear felt so restrictive. That early obsession became the foundation for Lems itself. Even as the brand built its name in casual and outdoor footwear, its roots stayed in movement and performance, with a running shoe always on the long-term roadmap.
Both models feature Lems' proprietary injected rubber outsole, which is lighter than traditional solid rubber while offering high abrasion resistance. The brand's new Zencell midsole foam is engineered to deliver an energetic push-off for effortless motion. Together, these elements reflect the same idea baked into the collection's name: Zen for the calm, connected, natural movement Lems has always built around, and Speed for the performance to back it up on the road.
- The ZenSpeed+ is Lems' first road running shoe, built on the healthy fit and low drop that define Lems footwear. Designed for runners, walkers, and anyone who believes movement should feel natural, it's engineered with a smooth rocker profile to promote an efficient midfoot strike and a stable, energized stride. MSRP: $175
- ZenSpeed Lite is the more minimal counterpart to the ZenSpeed+, delivering a lighter, lower-profile ride for runners who want to stay closer to the ground. With a 2mm drop and reduced stack height, it pairs Lems' Natural Running Platform with just enough cushioning for a connected, grounded feel. MSRP: $165
Xero Adds Two to Leadership Team
Xero Shoes has named Kaitlyn Gering as director of global merchandise planning and Maggie Doran as U.S. national sales manager as the company “continues to build global momentum across direct-to-consumer, wholesale and distributors.”
Gering, who will lead Xero Shoes’ global merchandise planning function, brings nearly 20 years of demand and merchandise planning experience in footwear, most recently as senior manager of North America Demand Planning for Hoka and Teva. She previously spent over a decade at Merrell and Chaco leading global demand planning and integrated inventory strategy across wholesale, DTC and distributor channels.
Doran will lead and grow Xero Shoes’ U.S. wholesale business. She joins the company from Allbirds, where she built the specialty wholesale channel from the ground up, opening 100 new specialty accounts and standing up a nationwide sales agency network.” Earlier in her career, she supported Xero Shoes and other outdoor brands with REI while at Shuksan Trading, and has held national sales leadership roles managing key accounts including REI, Nordstrom, Zappos, Scheels, Backcountry.com, Sports Basement, and Moosejaw.
New Product: Salomon Aero Blaze 4 Grvl and Grvl GTX
The Aero Blaze 4 GRVL and GRVL GTX are Salomon’s new gravel running shoe designed for runners who want to move seamlessly between roads, gravel paths and trails. Lightweight, cushioned and built for everyday exploration, it delivers the freedom to change surfaces without changing your stride.
For runners looking to take that same versatility into colder and wetter conditions, the Aero Blaze 4 GRVL GTX adds a waterproof Gore-Tex membrane, providing added protection without sacrificing the lightweight, agile feel of the GRVL.
The Aero Blaze 4 GRVL weighs just 8.74 oz (M 9.5) / 7.20 oz (W 7.5), with an 8 mm drop, 35/27 mm stack height, and 2.5 mm lugs. The GRVL GTX weighs 9.98 oz (M 9.5) / 8.21 oz (W 7.5) with the same drop, stack height, and lugs.
