Cross country training shoes have evolved tremendously in recent years. I can still remember those simple yellow training flats made by Puma back in the 70′s that were “super cool” and state of the art back in the day. Those shoes pale in comparison to the makes and models of training shoes made today.

The running industry involving thousands of recreational and highly competitive runners have contributed greatly to the advancement and enhancement of shoe design. The shear number of runners, the mileage, the various terrains both hard and uneven have sprouted the increased demand for better foot wear.

Today’s cross country training shoes are designed with detail given to the biomechanical forces applied to lower extremity function during running. And as noted in the previous post of this site the variables in foot and bio-mechanical lower extremity function during running can be considerably varied and complex.

There are many quality makes and models of cross country running shoes on the market today. But I’m only going to include a few of my personal favorites on this page. They include:

Asics-The Nimbus Gel- N-10 or N-11, This shoe is gaining widespread popularity in the running world as evidence by Runners World “editors choice” recognition. It is rapidly becoming a choice for runners with more of a “neutral” foot. It is extremely light, very comfortable out of the box, and has a toe box reported wider and roomer in the N-11 model vs the N-10. The Nibus Gel also makes a difficult to find size 4E width for runners with wide feet. An excellent shoe for around $120.00 as of this writing.

Adidas- SuperNova and the Response lines, Excellent shoe for the money. Light, flexible, with good cushioning and fit for most foot types. Favored by many heavier runners (210 lbs and above) for their cushioning properties and hold up well for 6-8 months of regular running. Not necessarily a high mileage shoe for some runners. Around $35- $40 as of this writing. An excellent reason to buy two pairs!

Nike- The Nike Zoom Vomero 4, designed with great cushioning and comfort. Also possess excellent flexibility.  Runners with neutral to minor underpronating feet find this shoe to be an excellent choice particularly for hard asphalt and concrete surfaces that many runners are faced with today. Going for $130.00 at many shoe outlets. A high dollar shoe with great features and function.

Nike- Nike Air Pegasus, a very popular cross country training shoe for a long time. Nike is on its 26th edition with this shoe. Runners with mild underpronation have done especially well with claims of outstanding fit and overall functionality.  This shoe has proven to hold up well to high mileage feeling great in the process. Many runners view the “Pegasus” as the only training shoe for them. Between $80.00 to $110.00 at most shoe outlets depending on the model. A shoe of long lasting value.

Brooks- Ariel® 07 and 08, an excellent shoe for the flat footed mild to severe overpronator. This shoe combines cushioning and reinforced stability to offset excessive forces to lower leg musculature due to abnormal pronation.  When long arch and medial support and reinforcement is needed this shoe is hard to beat. Around $130.00 at most shoe outlets. An expensive cross country training shoe but well worth it if you need biomechanical help and correction.