Best Shoes For OCR 2025
- Trio Fitness Training
- May 4
- 3 min read
This is year 6 of surveying the OCR community to find out which are the best shoes for OCR in 2025. Thank you to all 100 athletes who took the time to complete the survey. We appreciate your time and your contribution.
If you'd like to compare this year's data to the data from 2024, click the title: Best Shoes For OCR 2024 NEW THIS YEAR: We included data about the racing level (open, age group, pro waves) of the athletes so that our readers could see the dispersion of surveyed athletes.
Question 1: Which BRAND of shoe do you PRIMARILY use for Obstacle Course Racing and training? (We understand that you may use more than one brand, but which is your primary?)
Salomon has been at the top of this survey forever. They got a foot hold in the early days of OCR, and they have never let go. I'm not sure if it's reputation or just that the shoes are really good. I raced in some Salomon shoes back in 2017 or so, and they were good, but I found different brands over the years that I've liked better. None-the-less, this is what the OCR community says.
Obstacle Course Racing is an awesome mix of running endurance, upper body strength, and grip strength. The events are unique between Spartan Race, Tough Mudder, Savage Race, and more than 100 others. Race day is an amazing experience, but it's the training leading up to the race that determines how your race will ultimately go. We'd love to provide you with the training needed to excel at your next obstacle course race! Click the title above to view our OCR programs.
Question 2: What MODEL of shoe do you currently race/train in for OCR PRIMARILY? If you train in more than one, choose the one you use most or like most. We'd appreciate it if you'd write the Brand followed by the Model. (Ex. VJ Ultra 2 or Saucony Trail 12)(If you only write a Brand here, your input won't be counted because this question is asking about shoe MODEL.)
The Salomon Speedcross has been the top model shoe for OCR in these surveys for years and years. That's the model I used to wear for racing and training. However, our second place spot this year is the Saucony Peregrine, and I love that. I currently train and race in these shoes, and I can't say enough good things about the grip, weight, durability, comfort, and so on. Great shoe. The Altra Lone Peak series and Hoka Speedgoat models seem to do well every year, and of course, VJ Shoes normally has one of their models on the list each year; this year it's the VJ Ultra.
Question 3: What are the TOP 3 things you consider when purchasing your race shoe? SELECT ONLY 3. (We understand that many things go into the choices you make, but please just go with the Top 3 most important for you.)
This doesn't vary much from year to year, Grip is obviously very important on potentially very muddy trails, and on some of the obstacles. Comfort is essential. An uncomfortable shoe will make racing and training miserable. Quality is very important, and for a race that is 99.99% guaranteed to have water, good drainage is also important. I think athletes in OCR know what they are doing when they select shoes for the sport.
Question 4: How much money are you generally comfortable spending on a new pair of shoes for OCR racing/training? (Amounts listed are in USA Dollars)
Generally speaking, on average, without doing ALL the research, most shoes for OCR fall around the $120 - $150 range. You can get older models and some brands at a much lower cost, and some brands and new models are very expensive. In my 8 years of racing competitively, I've found that I can get a really great shoe that will last 400+ miles of tough training (and many races) for $150 or under.
Question 5: When you race, at what level do you TYPICALLY (most often) race?
Open Wave: 51 athletes
Age Group: 38 athletes
Elite/Pro: 11 athletes
I'm really happy with the spread of responses considering this survey went out to thousands of OCR athletes in Facebook groups and it could have been anyone of any fitness level responding. This gives us a pretty good split of the athletes.
That's it for the Best Shoes For OCR 2025! We hope you found this valuable. If so, follow us on our social media platforms (below), and check out some of our other articles. We have over 100 OCR-related articles you can read with training tips, gear, nutrition, and more.
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