The future of running shoe brands … as super shoes become normal, athletes look beyond the track to treadmills … and to the next generation of brands, materials and technologies

September 13, 2025

Five athletes, with a shared ambition: to run the first ever sub-six-hour 100km in history.

And the launch by Adidas of the world’s first specialist treadmill running shoe.

Over 50,000 people run on treadmills every day, yet nobody has designed a shoe for them before. An obvious gap in some ways, and yet a blue ocean for growth.

Adidas called it “the story of how a group of radical minds ushered in a new era of performance, a story of elite athletes working alongside the world’s sharpest product innovators, and the jaw-dropping ultramarathon history that followed.”

Indeed it was exciting – Sibusiso Kubheka (South Africa), 100km world record holder Aleksandr Sorokin (Lithuania), Charlie Lawrence (USA), Jo Fukuda (Japan) and Ketema Negasa (Ethiopia) were each backed by precision-engineered Adidas footwear and state-of-the-art apparel designed for speed and endurance.

Kubheka was the athlete who pulled off the unthinkable in an astonishing 5:59:20, shaving 6 minutes and 15 seconds off the previous fastest time of 6:05:35. 

Super shoes are now normal

As the world’s top athletes come together this week in Tokyo for the 2025 World Athletics Championships, the sport sits at an inflection point.

The “super shoe” era that began with the Vaporfly has matured: carbon plates, PEBA/TPEA-type foams, and aggressive rocker geometries have become mainstream across dozens of models and many brands.

At the same time, new materials and supply-chain priorities are reshaping design decisions, governing bodies have tightened rules, and a new generation of brands – some old, some reinvented, some startup – are pursuing different bets: sustainability, personalisation, embedded tech, direct-to-consumer culture, and niche community authenticity.

So what’s changing, who’s shaping the market, which new technologies matter, and how will shoes, apparel and accessories evolve over the next 5 years?

After a decade of rapid innovation, World Athletics and national federations have moved from reactive to proactive: setting clear limits on stack heights, limiting the number and construction of plates, and publishing approved-shoe lists.

Regulatory shifts (for example new consolidated limits for track and road shoes, and separate track/road rules that came into force after 2022 and evolved into further clarifications in 2024–25) constrain the absolute extremes of a single “secret” podium shoe and force brands to innovate within stricter boundaries.

That regulatory pressure pushes R&D into three places: smarter foam chemistry (durability and energy return), mechanical geometry (rocker profiles, localised stiffness), and supporting services (sensing, custom fit, coaching ecosystems). This matters: with obvious “game-changing” leaps less likely to be achieved by a single plate or a radical sole height, new winners will be brands that combine modest hardware gains with software, fit, durability, and ecosystem value.

They also need to think beyond the product, about the consumer – the runner – who they are, where, what and why they run.

Next generation materials

Smarter foams and tuned polymers

PEBA (often under trade names such as Pebax) and PEBA-like compounds have dominated the most lively midsoles because of exceptional rebound and lightness. By 2025 many brands—from Nike to Saucony, Hoka, New Balance, Puma and more—are using PEBA formulations or advanced TPUs to get that “bouncy” feel while trying to improve durability and reduce cost. Expect continuing work on hybrid foams (PEBA blended with more durable EVA variants), micro-architectured foams (engineered cell structures), and small additive blends that target specific distance profiles (tempo vs marathon).

Mechanical innovation without breaking rules

With one rigid plate usually permitted, designers will focus on multi-material plates (composite + thermoplastic inserts) that tune forefoot/heel dynamics and stability, and on macro-geometry: asymmetric stack heights, longitudinal channels that alter bending stiffness, and intelligent tread patterns. Stability winglets, localized pads and variable durometer inserts will let a single model serve multiple runner types via simple modular swaps (replaceable midsole pods or outsole sections). Recent race models from mainstream brands (and Puma’s Fast-R NITRO Elite 3 as a concrete example) show how intense iteration is yielding incremental but meaningful gains.

Durability, circularity and new supply-chain choices

One of the clearest future battlegrounds is resilience: historically the bounciest foams deliver the worst longevity. Runners and retailers are demanding better miles/dollar and lower lifecycle impacts. Brands like Allbirds have leaned into radical material choices (sugarcane-based midsoles, tree/eucalyptus uppers, “net-zero” experiments) and open-sourcing parts of their processes; expect more experimentation with recycled polymer formulations, reclaimed foams and take-back programs that convert used midsoles back into new compound feedstock. Sustainability will shift from PR to product economics: lighter-touch supply chains, modular replaceability and demonstrated carbon/reporting credentials will become competitive advantages.

The rise of brand clusters

When the shoe performance gap narrows, brand story and community matter. Three clusters will stand out.

Specialist performance houses

These are the mid-sized performance brands that double down on a focused promise: trail speed, marathon performance, or daily durability. Hoka (Deckers), Saucony, Brooks, Mizuno and Karhu are sharpening technical portfolios—race shoes with tuned foams, trainers that compete on mileage and stability, and trail models with plated rockered geometries. They capture serious runners who want performance but also fit, foot health and trustable customer support. Independent labs and media outlets continue to rank these brands highly in 2025 buyer guides.

Culture and community brands

Tracksmith, Allbirds, and smaller niche labels will continue to grow by selling identity as much as tech. Tracksmith’s retro, “running class” aesthetic and community activation (brick-and-mortar clubs and storytelling) prove that apparel and coaching culture are powerful. Allbirds proves a different playbook: mainstream comfort + sustainability, which wins urban runners and recovery-day buyers rather than elite racers. These brands matter because they expand the market and make running a lifestyle choice, not just a performance pursuit.

Platform and tech-driven entrants

Brands that add software and sensing to footwear (or partner closely with sensor companies) will find recurring revenue and coachable improvement loops. Expect partnerships or verticalizations with companies such as Nurvv, Stryd, RunScribe, and new insole/smart fabric ventures; the product is no longer just a shoe but a “performance platform” — hardware + firmware + training insights. Academic and commercial advances in low-cost insoles and textile sensors (solar-assisted power, thin pressure arrays) are making embedded sensing feasible at scale. That opens new revenue: subscriptions for gait coaching, injury-prevention analytics, and bespoke training plans based on actual strike mechanics.

Beyond shoes

The shoe is the hero, but apparel and accessories become differentiators:

  • Smart apparel: Textile strain sensors and deep-learning models are moving from lab papers to commercial trials (AI-driven smart sportswear and transformer-based insole pose estimation). Expect shirts and compression garments that combine breathing data, posture cues, and running form feedback via phone apps or coach dashboards. Elite teams and coaching hubs will adopt these first; consumer versions will follow.

  • Modular race kits: Clothing designed to be minimalist for races (integrated pockets, sweat shedding, aerodynamic seams) that pair with specific shoe geometries. Brands that offer combined shoe+apparel “systems” for a target outcome (10k PR kit, marathon comfort kit) will stand out.

  • Recovery and health accessories: Insoles, foot beds, and targeted muscle oxygen sensors will be bundled as part of premium offerings—an ecosystem play similar to cycling (shoes, and power meter, and coaching). Stryd and RunScribe prove business model possibilities by offering hardware that feeds platforms.

Next brands to watch

Beyond the household giants, Adidas and Asics, New Balance and Nike, a mix of incumbents and insurgents will lead:

  • Puma — aggressively repositioning itself as a performance player with the Fast-R NITRO series and R&D investment; their claims and lab testing show measurable efficiency gains and real marathon adoption. Puma is a big example of a legacy brand reasserting performance cred.

  • On Running — Swiss design culture, cloud-style cushioning and robot-woven uppers; they continue to push geometry and manufacturing novelities while expanding apparel and community events.

  • Hoka, Saucony — innovation leaders on foam tuning and marathoner-focused models. Hoka’s blend of cushioning and rocker geometry, and Saucony’s race DNA, give them runway in both everyday and elite markets.

  • Brooks , Mizuno — Brooks on everyday support and sustainability; Mizuno with wave technologies and a premium running heritage.

  • Allbirds, Tracksmith — not for podium dominance, but for convincing significant segments of runners that sustainability and culture matter; Allbirds’ net-zero experiments and open recipe approach are important industry signals.

  • Startups — Nurvv, Stryd, RunScribe and a wave of smart insole/lab spinouts: these companies will either be acquired by footwear brands or will become essential partners for “connected” product lines. New low-cost research from universities (solar-powered pressure insoles, sub-$1 e-textiles) hints at scalable consumer deployments.

  • Regional and heritage labels — Karhu, Diadora, Salomon, and other regional specialists will continue to find loyal markets by mixing authenticity with technical improvements. They might not have the global reach of Nike, but they have credibility in niches (trail, mountain, classic track).

Business models and retail

  • DTC and community: Direct-to-consumer stores that double as running hubs, coaching clinics and product test centres (increasingly what Tracksmith and On are doing). Community fuels loyalty and word-of-mouth.

  • Subscription and service offerings: Shoe+insole+app bundles with monthly coaching or injury monitoring subscriptions. This spreads lifetime revenue and makes premium margins more dependable.

  • Circularity programs: Trade-in, refurbished midsoles, and “replaceable pods” make shoes cheaper to own and more sustainable—appealing to younger consumers and urban markets that prize ethics.

  • B2B to pro teams and nations: Winning elite teams or federations (as showcased in world championships and Olympics) still offers halo effects. But the proof points will increasingly be on durability, measured gains in running economy, and analytics support rather than sensational PR claims alone.

Personalisation and data

Two trends converge: personalization (fit, stiffness, drop, orthotic) and data-driven coaching. Expect:

  • At-home gait scans and local 3D foot printing for insole/upper customization.

  • Adaptive shoes (semi-modular soles or insole inserts sold separately to tune for tempo vs long run).

  • App ecosystems that use every run to improve shoe life estimates, suggest training adjustments, and pre-empt injuries via gait drift detection from smart insoles and clothing sensors. Research prototypes and commercial offerings (Nurvv, Stryd, and academic sensor papers) show the pathway is real.

2025 and beyond

Tokyo 2025, and similar championships, function as the laboratory and the billboard. Race selections — who wears what on the start line — influence amateur choices. But by 2025 the story is less about a single dominant plate and more about brand ecosystems: fit, coach buy-in, and marginal gains from sensors/coaching.

We’ll see more elite athletes experiment with combinations: a PEBA-based race day shoe, a resilient daily trainer from a specialist brand, and data-driven recovery tools supplied by third-party tech companies. That diversification of athlete tech choices will be mirrored across recreational markets.

So what should you watch over the next 5 years?

  • Material breakthroughs: New foams that match PEBA rebound but improve durability or lower carbon footprint.

  • Modularity: Shoes with replaceable midsole pods or swap-in plates that let one shoe serve multiple roles.

  • Sensor mainstreaming: Affordable, durable smart insoles and textile sensors integrated into mass-market trainers.

  • Sustainable product lines: More mainstream, non-niche circular products (e.g., Allbirds commercializing net-zero techniques).

The short story: the future of running shoes is plural, not monopolistic. The era of a single brand defining “fast” is giving way to a richer ecosystem where materials chemistry, modular product design, data services, sustainability credentials, and community authenticity all matter. As Tokyo 2025 shows, elite competition will continue to be a laboratory that accelerates adoption, but the commercial winners will combine measured hardware gains with software, circular economics, and lived community value.

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