Running Trends I'm excited for in 2025 and beyond
Starting a new year is always interesting, a date on a calendar based on where the earth is in relation to our sun sets the human world in motion. Nothing really happens from January to March, but things are certainly set in motion, hyped, and revealed in this pivotal timeframe.
Personal goals are set, races announced, marketing campaigns are started, new shoes teased, pros start racing, new runners join the sport fresh off a resolution, and so on.
I have a sneaking suspicion that 2025 is going to mark the peak of the running boom in the near term. Why? I’m not sure, it’s just the pulse I’m picking up on currently. One counter-point is that it is the dead of the winter, and the spring races will be a better sign, so we will see. Let me know how registrations are at your local races, I’m curious!
Shoes
Jumping into it, I have to start off with my forte, which is shoes. The Running Expo (TRE) that’s held in Austin, TX every year told us quite a bit about major market trends that are now coming to fruition.
Stack height, stack height, stack height. It’s hard to gauge this trend, as one may have expected this to come ~2 years ago, but we can theorize.
It’s either one or mix of these three things:
These brands are forecasting *more* runners to enter the market, and they want to all fight over them by having the best “first feel” when these people go to try on shoes.
*”First Feel” = How a new shoe feels when you first put it on, while standing.
Brands want you training in higher stack heights now, so when they switch all of their midsoles over to low density PEBA blends (like their race day shoes), there won’t be much of a fuss. (And in turn, getting you used to race day shoes “feel”).
Related to number one, brands are forecasting more new runners entering the market, and they know this demographic usually only wears one shoe. That one shoe might as well have a massive stack height and be comfy!
…or it could be something more simple
Either way, many brands/shoe featured massive stack heights. The nightmares of 2017-2018 of what people thought were going to happen to shoes is coming true (I actually think it’s a good thing though, but again, balance is key. High stack shoes are a tool, much like low stacks are).
These are just a few I wanted to add, but notice a trend?
Everyone is going to higher stack heights. Only time will tell as to why and how it will play out, but for now it is just interesting to see.
On the back end, in 5-6 years, I am interesting in seeing the pendulum swing and how well it will be embraced. I mean all they’re waiting for is the technology to allow them to make a midsole that doesn’t have to be huge, while still providing protection.
Running Heading to The Extremes
It appears to me that two things are occurring: 1) The running boom is slowing down and 2) Running is heading to the extremes (relatively to people’s ability).
I don’t know how I feel about the first point, whether good or bad. It’s maybe just a thing. Or maybe it’s a cool-off period, who knows. Either way, we will make do and be here for when people come back ‘round again.
As for the second point, there’s something there for all of us.
Running is heading to the extremes. Whether people who picked up running 1 year ago or ran since they were 13, it’s going back to the fringes. I’m seeing more 1 mile indoor races being ran, just as I am seeing more ultra marathons being truly raced (not just completed) by amateurs. It’s exciting and truly a “level up” from the 2021-2022 vibe of 9-5ers signing up for a half-full marathon with the goal of just finishing.
In the end, I think this ends up with all race types becoming more competitive at the amateur level. For example, I expect to see the Boston Qualifying time continue to trend lower in the next 5 years, even if less runners are coming into the sport. The ones here are becoming cracked and driving the sport at an amateur level to new faster times.
Faster AND Longer
One thing that was a hallmark of the 2010s was that you were either a fast runner, or you simply were a “long runner”. The explosion of trail racing in this period also accelerated this split, as slower runners who simply enjoyed trotting along found a home (this is fine btw).
But now the two sides are coming together in a way. A theme online and when talking to people on the ground that being fast is everything right now. People are taking pride in their 400m interval times, always having a gauge on their mile time, and building speed into all of their works with intent.
If you want to be competitive in your age group, gender, friend group, local run club, no longer being consistent will do. Being fast is a must.
100 mile racers running 3:59, and milers running marathons. What a time!
Fueling
In my opinion, this is what’s fueling faster times more than anything in the sport right now. In the 2010s almost every good amateur runner was chronically under fueled and walking around injured.
The trends have changed though, and fueling, especially consuming carbs and when to consume carbs has lead to a renaissance of faster times. The really good runners who struggled for years all of a sudden feel strong and in the best shape of their lives. It’s not the shoes, it’s the flow of information (being told to eat more carbs by anons online).
Almost any high school or college runner before 2020 was probably running a large portion of their training *and* racing under fueled. Common myths like “eating before a race gives you cramps” literally fried the endocrine receptors of many young athletes and eventually drove them away from the sport.
Now there’s so much information about fueling out there that these once high-level runners are coming back to the sport later in life armed with knowledge and therefore pushing the sport to faster times at the amateur level.
I’ve seen amateurs get sweat tests to understand how much sodium they need to intake intra-workout. This was unheard of unless you were an elite on the fringes of science. Similarly, now people are poking themselves with lactate meters, taking in high amounts of carbs per hour, mass eating protein, and many others. The future is bright and healthy for runners!
FYI my favorite non-gel carb source is the one I made: (IntraChew - LINK). I also added an entire “suggested use” guide on my site’s homepage.
Since this is supposed to be informative and not just talk my book, the best gel-type carb source out there is honey stinger:
Trusting Technology
Something I am seeing more of, inclusive of racing as mentioned above, is a push to the fringes in science and training.
Using power as a metric is currently that in the running world right now.
In running, power refers to the rate at which you are doing mechanical work while moving forward (measured in watts). Think of it as how much “force” you’re applying multiplied by how quickly you’re applying it.
In cycling, power has long been used as a key training metric—cyclists use devices like crank-based or hub-based power meters to measure their power output. Runners, however, haven’t traditionally had a common device to measure power directly until recently.
As I am learning, power can be particularly useful because it gives insight into effort in real time, independent of factors like terrain or wind. For example:
If you run uphill at the same pace as on flat ground, your power output will be higher because you’re working harder against gravity.
If you run into a strong headwind at the same pace as normal conditions, your power output is higher because you’re working to overcome more air resistance.
By monitoring power, you can gauge your true effort more accurately than by looking at pace alone, making it easier to tailor intensity levels (for instance, “zone-based” training with specific power targets).
This ties back into things like strides and shorter threshold intervals are important. We are maximizing your power, while minimizing the cost.
Power as a metrics is just on example of runners starting to trust technology. Before long, everyone will be wearing biomarker tracking devices 24/7, measuring their sweat rates, hydration levels, glycogen, and more. It’s scary to think about now, but I am optimistic that they won’t be too intrusive, and will only lead to more people running injury free.
What are you excited for?