One of the most essential differences between road and trail running lies on the feet. In recent years, road running and trail running shoes have become increasingly distinct, and innovations for performance in each sphere are at an all-time high. But, as much as major shoe brands are investing in creating separate road and trail shoe lines, the actual differences between these two shoe types are often not fully understood. (Featured photo courtesy Marco Gulberti/WMRA).
What are trail running shoes?
Much of the confusion about what makes a trail shoe versus a road shoe stems from the fact that the term trail running shoe is fairly recent. Nike pioneered the Nike Escape trail running shoe in 1984 (which is often regarded as the first modern trail shoe), but the culture and usage of trail-specific shoes has remained largely non-existent until trail running became more mainstream in the early 2000s. Currently in 2025, the interest to create shoes that perform well not just on road, but on the varying types of terrain and conditions of trail running is something shoe brands are striving for more than ever before. Shoe designers seek to answer difficult questions such as: What technologies carry over from road to trail shoes? What possibilities are there for shoes to work well on both road and trail? What innovations are unique to trail that have not been utilized in road shoes?
Saucony, a popular shoe brand headquartered in Waltham, MA, is at the forefront of designing shoes for both road and trail running. In the following article, I chat with Grayson Murphy, World Mountain Running Champion and professional Saucony athlete who competes in road, track and trail races. Murphy shares her thoughts about how she decides which shoes to wear for each type of competition and the essential differences between her favorite road and trail shoes.
Grayson Murphy on the trails.
I also chatted with Ted Fitzpatrick, Vice President of Product Management and Merchandising at Saucony, to dive further into the brand’s historic interest in road and trail running and how the shoe design team is currently innovating to create products that work well on road, trail or both.
Grayson Murphy: All-Terrain Specialist
[TAYTE] As a competitor athlete in track, road and trail, how have Saucony products met your needs for each of these disciplines?
[GRAYSON] I have loved working with Saucony for the last six years of my career running on the track, road, and trail. There are not many brands out there that make great products that are at the forefront of shoe technology, in all three categories. As an all-terrain runner I feel super lucky that I get to work with Saucony who is an all-terrain brand. From one of the best carbon plated road racing shoes on the market, to one of the best trail running shoes out there, I have all the tools I need from Saucony to succeed on every surface and every distance.
[TAYTE] How different are road and trail shoe shoes in Saucony’s lineup? Are there things in common like fit and feel? Should trail shoes and road shoes be more different than the same or do you like something in the middle?
[GRAYSON] Personally I think that the on-foot feel of road and trail shoes should be relatively similar. I also think that both shoes should feel light and comfortable underfoot. Saucony does a great job at translating the comfort of their road trainers, like the Triumph and the Ride, directly to their trail shoes like the Peregrine.
The important difference between road and trail shoes for me are the lugs and grip on the bottom. On technical trails I need to be able to trust the grip of my shoes when I am pushing my speed limits, and for that I always choose the Peregrine! And for more of a hybrid shoe, the Ride TR shoe is a wonderful combo of the normal Ride shoe with some bigger lugs on the bottom for a little more grip. These are great for less technical trails or runs where you might be on the road and the trails. Saucony has many options for every type of run!
[TAYTE] What shoe do you use most and why?
[GRAYSON] Below are the types of shoes I use for each type of run.
For easy/daily road runs: Ride
For slow recovery runs when my legs are sore: Hurricane
For moderate paced long runs: Endorphin Speed
For road races and workouts: Endorphin Elite
For techy trail runs/races: Peregrine
For hybrid trail and road runs or for less technical trails (or snowy road runs in the winter): Ride TR
Ted Fitzpatrick: Saucony, The Runner’s Brand, On Road AND Trail
[TAYTE] When it comes to shoe design, what are the most essential differences between a road and trail shoe? What features are the same?
[TED] Broadly speaking, runners desire cushioning and comfort in a package that delivers a secure fit, traction, and durability. The levels of each can vary greatly. Durability in an ultra distance trail shoe is going to look and feel different than a carbon-plated marathon racer. The trail shoe might require a thicker base of luggy outsole rubber that covers 90% of the outsole so it can handle rocks, roots, and anything encountered offroad. Durability for the marathon racer might mean thin strips of rubber in strategic zones so as to keep weight at a minimum. Ultimately the consumer/runner provides us insight into what is needed most and we work to design and engineer those attributes accordingly.
[TAYTE] How often do designs or innovations from a road shoe get pulled into a trail shoe or vice versa?
[TED] We are continuously looking for innovative materials, processes, and geometry to enhance the runner experience and performance. This includes both road and trail running. We tend to identify either a new experience or one with room for improvement. Take responsive cushioning for instance. When we developed our PWRRUN PB compound we were looking for superior energy efficiency in a lightweight form. We debuted it in the Endorphin collection. We started with road and then moved to trail. The beauty of innovation is we can tune and tailor it for different end use.
[TAYTE] How does Saucony ride the line between shoe cost and using the most effective materials?
[TED]Our focus is 100% on the consumer and delivering an experience that meets and exceeds expectations at different price levels. We put a big focus on comfort and cushioning. This means we have a suite of technology and foams to provide comfort and cushioning so that we can tailor what that means for a $100 shoe versus a $240 one. We work hard to put our investment into the materials, components and process that best deliver the desired fit, feel and ride for each product.
[TAYTE] Could you describe a little about the creative process that goes into both shoe design and shoe marketing?
[TED] We have a product team consisting of designers, developers, engineers, human performance experts, and product managers that collaborate to ideate, design, engineer, test, and market each product. Our secret sauce is that each function is consulted and highly valued. I liken it to a cross country team where you need 5 team members to score. You can’t win with only one runner. We have created a culture where each team member is valued and can add value to each part of the process.
[TAYTE] Are the needs for recreational runner shoes different from those of elite runners?
[TED] Generally, the needs are very similar. Both seek a great fit, feel and ride. We offer a range of products across a range of price points to provide choice. Elite athletes help us innovate and unlock ideas that turn into better products for all. Every shoe we make is commercially available for any consumer.
[TAYTE] What do consumers say they enjoy most about Saucony road shoes? What about trail shoes?
[TED] The comments I most often hear is that Saucony shoes make the run more enjoyable. And that we exceed expectations when it comes to cushion and comfort. This can mean different things to different runners. A peregrine wearer often comments that the shoe provides a nimble cushion while an Endorphin wearer raves about a bouncy, propulsive cushion. I often hear Saucony is the runner’s brand.
[TAYTE] When it comes to a classic feature of running shoes, such as cushioning, what is the biggest difference from road to trail?
[TED] The difference lies in the design. We use the same foam in a road and trail shoe, but the package is different. The geometry, the outsole, the sockliner, if there is a plate, and other variables allow us to tune each shoe to meet the needs of each activity, each runner.
[TAYTE] Ideally should road or trail shoes be lighter? Or does this depend on race distance?
[TED] There isn’t a hard and fast rule, but trail shoes tend to be slightly heavier due to the need for more outsole rubber. The rubber on the shoe is the heaviest component so using more rubber means more weight.
[TAYTE] Primarily what types of races in both road and trail is Saucony designing their products for?
[TED] On the road and trail I like to think we have a solution for every race and every distance. On the trail side we have been fortunate to have a runner like Grayson Murphy on our team. She has used our trail product across many races even uphill mountain racing. We are working on new innovations in both road and trail using foams like PWRRUN PB and our latest and greatest technology incrediRUN
[TAYTE] Have you designed a road-to-trail shoe? Essentially a shoe that works to bring runners to trails on road, so it has both road and trail feel?
[TED] Yes. Our Ride TR is a road to trail offering. We took our proven Ride midsole platform and tuned it for the trail with a PwrTrac lugged outsole and protective debris shielding upper. More and more runners are looking for a workhorse one shoe solution for running on various terrain. The Ride TR is a great solution.
[TAYTE] What’s your favorite part of marketing and designing shoes?
[TED] I enjoy the process of working to solve problems for runners and then seeing how runners respond to the shoe after they run it.
Enjoy more articles from ATRA featuring Saucony here.
