Best Trail Running Shoes of 2026
iRunFar’s experts share their best trail running shoe selections from the more than 300 available trail shoe models, with picks from Altra, Brooks, Hoka, Inov8, La Sportiva, Nike, Salomon, On, Saucony, and Topo.
Bryon Powell
Title: Founding Editor
Location: Silverton, Colorado
Social Media Links:
Strava | Instagram | Linkedin
Results Links:
UltraSignup | ITRA index | UTMB index
Expertise and Experience
- Topics of Expertise: Trail running, ultrarunning, running gear, run coaching
- Amount of Expertise: Over 35 years of trail running, over 25 years of ultrarunning, nearly 20 years of reviewing running gear, and 3 years coaching runners. More than 2,000 articles and interviews published on iRunFar. Book author of Relentless Forward Progress: A Guide to Running Ultramarathons and a co-author of Where the Road Ends: A Guide to Trail Running.
- Competitive Ultramarathon Highlights:
- Winner & Course Record: 2024 Ultra Gobi 400k
- 2x Age Group Winner: Western States 100 Mile
- 2x Top-10 Finisher: Leadville 100 Mile
- 4x Finisher: Hardrock 100 Mile
- I use high-altitude, ultra-distance mountain races and the training for them as my laboratory for testing the limits of the gear we review at iRunFar.
Winning the 2024 Ultra Gobi. Photo courtesy of race.
Education & Certifications
- Education: Bachelor of Arts, History, Haverford College; Juris Doctorate, George Mason University
- Years of Professional Experience Relevant to iRunFar: 20
- Certifications: Inactive Member, DC and Utah Bars (I bring the same rigors for details, analysis, and ethics from my legal background to every gear review, buyer’s guide, and article on iRunFar.)
- Club or Association Memberships: Running Rivers (conservation non-profit) board vice president, Sierra Club, Trout Unlimited, Delta Theta Phi legal fraternity
- Awards or Recognitions: George Mason University Law Review
- Other Relevant Positions, Current or Past: Former Contributing Editor at Trail Runner magazine, former freelancer with publications such as Outside, Sierra Magazine, Running Times, and GearJunkie
A Word from Bryon Powell
I aim to inform and inspire others about and through trail running and ultrarunning. My personal interests include trail running, ultrarunning, fly fishing, gardening, and skiing (both Nordic and Alpine).
Bryon Powell, iRunFar’s Gear Editor, getting ready to test some trail shoes in his hometown of Silverton, Colorado. Photo: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
Best Running Shirts for Men of 2026
We tested dozens of running shirts for men for thousands of hours, and created this guide for you.
Many Small Leaps for Runnerkind: Wondering About Non-Linear Improvement in Running
Bryon Powell ponders about the mini-leaps that seemingly occur in our running.
Best Cushioned Trail Running Shoes of 2026
A look at some of the best cushioned trail running shoes, include models from Altra, Brooks, Hoka, La Sportiva, Nike, and Norda.
Best Running Rain Jackets of 2026
After many miles and a multiple years of testing, here’s our guide to the best running rain jackets on the market today.
Best Running Shorts for Men of 2026
The best men’s running shorts for road running, trail running, ultrarunning, and everything in between.
Best Cushioned Running Shoes of 2026
We tested some of the best cushioned road running shoes on the market to find ones that could suit any running style.
Going, Going… Gongga! Trail Racing with Kailas Fuga in Sichuan, China
Bryon Powell shares his experience at the Kailas Fuga Gongga Extreme Glacier Challenge Race in Sichuan, China.
Best Mountain Running Gear of 2026
The iRunFar editorial team shares its favorite mountain running gear.
Best Trail Running Shoes for Mud of 2026
A guide to the best trail running shoes for mud with models from Inov8, Salomon, Asics, and La Sportiva.
A Look Back at My 2025 and Ahead to 2026
Bryon Powell looks back at his running in 2025 and ahead to 2026.
Best Winter Running Traction Devices of 2026
The best winter running traction devices for the winter. Get a grip and stay safe running on ice and snow with products from Black Diamond, Kahtoola, and Yaktrax.
Suffer Less: Run Ultras for Your Own Reasons
There’s no need to think of ultramarathons as sufferfests. Run ultras for your own reasons and suffer less!
Keeping Up With Kilian: A Few Hours With Kilian Jornet on His 2025 “States of Elevation” Project
Bryon Powell shares his experience of joining Kilian Jornet on Handies Peak during Kilian’s States of Elevation project.
2025 World Mountain and Trail Running Championships Live Coverage
Follow iRunFar’s live coverage of the 2025 World Mountain and Trail Running Champs from Thursday, September 25, through Sunday, September 28.
In Praise of the Big Hairy Audacious Goal
Some reasons why you might want to make sure you have a Big Hairy Audacious Goal on your running calendar.
Tom Evans, 2025 UTMB Champion, Interview
A video interview (with transcript) with Tom Evans after his win of the 2025 UTMB.
Camille Bruyas Post-2025 UTMB Interview
A video interview (with transcript) with Camille Bruyas after her second-place finish at the 2025 UTMB.
Josh Wade Post-2025 UTMB Interview
A video interview (with transcript) with Josh Wade after his third-place finish at the 2025 UTMB.
François D’Haene Pre-2025 UTMB Interview
A video interview (with transcript) with François D’Haene before the 2025 UTMB.
Sibusiso Kubheka Breaks 6 Hours for 100 Kilometers in Adidas-Sponsored Time Trial Event “Chasing 100”
Sibusiso Kubheka broke 6 hours for 100 kilometers at Chasing 100, a pushing-whats-humanly-possible event akin to Breaking2 and Breaking4.
2025 UTMB Live Coverage
Follow iRunFar’s live coverage from the 2025 UTMB on Friday and Saturday, August 29 and 30.
Lin Chen Pre-2025 UTMB Interview
A video interview (with transcript) with Lin Chen before the 2025 UTMB.
Ruth Croft Pre-2025 UTMB Interview
A video interview (with transcript) with Ruth Croft before the 2025 UTMB.
Ben Dhiman Pre-2025 UTMB Interview
A video interview (with transcript) with Ben Dhiman before the 2025 UTMB.
Abby Hall Pre-2025 UTMB Interview
A video interview (with transcript) with Abby Hall before the 2025 UTMB.
Nike Trail Team Becomes All Conditions Racing Department, Nike to Launch Radical AirFlow Apparel and ACG Ultrafly in 2026
Today, Nike announces a major off-trail rebrand, renaming its elite team and hinting at future apparel and shoe releases.
