Many of our athletes reach out to us with questions at various times of the year and with a variety of questions.

One of the common ones we get, as our summer trail run (the Timberview Trail) is coming up soon, is if they can wear road sneakers on a trail run? The simple answer, yes.

Trail sneakers or sneakers with a specific design for more rugged and off road terrain can work well too though. It ultimately depends on your comfort and fitness level.

If you have only trained in road shoes, pick ones from your sneaker shelf that offer you the most cushion and ankle support for your trail run race. Don’t go for a minimalist sneaker as rocks or other sharp trail protrusions could cause an injury.

If there is still a good chunk of time before your trail race, hop over to your local running store and try out some trail sneakers. These can offer ideal ankle stability and better foot duration if you have a really long race.

The bottom line is YES YOU CAN run a trail run in road sneakers, especially if it’s a beginner friendly race that doesn’t have massive elevation gains or extremely rough terrain.