The Fastest Trail Shoes at the 2025 UTMB Mont-Blanc

In typical fashion, the 2025 UTMB did not disappoint. With nearly a whole week of racing, culminating in the 176-kilometer main event, runners not only had to contend with the grueling course but also with adverse weather conditions to such an extent that the OCC, TDS, and UTMB courses were modified for safety reasons. As such, the fastest shoes at the 2025 UTMB needed to contend with wilder, more varied conditions than in recent years.

In reaction to the forecast, the UTMB course was rerouted overnight to skip the Pyramides Calcaires due to hail, wind, and snow. Roughly 2 kilometers and 200 meters of vertical climb were removed. Great Britain’s Tom Evans, representing a freshly minted Asics sponsorship, took home his first UTMB win after two consecutive DNFs. A decisive move in brutal conditions on the Grand Col Ferret climb put enough space between him and American Ben Dhiman (second place) and countryman Josh Wade (third place).

On the women’s side, Kiwi Ruth Croft stayed patient early on to take control over three-time winner American Courtney Dauwalter and France’s Camille Bruyas before the Champex-Lac aid station. From there, Croft continued to put space between her and second place, becoming the first woman to win all three UTMB World Series Finals: OCC (2015), CCC (2018), and UTMB (2025). Bruyas and Katharina Hartmuth (GER) took second and third place, respectively.

As if the UTMB course weren’t tough enough, brutal conditions pushed each runner’s footwear to the limit. When the stakes are this high, professional runners leave nothing to chance. These are the shoes the top 10 men and women trusted to carry them through.

Fastest Shoes at the 2025 UTMB – Men

Tom Evans (1st place) and Ben Dhiman (2nd Place) – Asics Metaspeed Fuji Version 2 Prototype (Coming 2026)

Both Asics-sponsored athletes, Evans and Dhiman, were wearing a prototype of the Asics Metaspeed Fuji Version 2, Evans told Outside Run in a post-race interview.

When I reached out to Asics for more details, they told me both Evans and Dhiman were involved in the development of the shoe, and it would be released next year. To be honest, I was surprised to see any Asics trail shoe on the podium, let alone first and second. Saying this from years of testing experience, currently, Asics trail options fall well short compared to their road running lineup.

Their marquee trail racer, the Metaspeed Fuji Trail, is a modified trail version of their carbon-plated road racer. I’ve personally tested it, and it’s treacherous in technical terrain. But if innovation on their road side is any indication of what’s to come in trail shoes, I can assure you whatever Evans and Dhiman wore is going to be special.

I’d be curious to find out what foam they are using in the midsole. A-TPU is becoming the go-to foam, over PEBA, for high-end racers for its better energy return, softer feel, and durability. Asics began using it in their road racers this year, so it makes sense that they would use it in their high-end trail products for 2026.

Josh Wade (3rd Place) – The North Face Summit Vectiv Pro 3 (Limited-Edition Flora Alpina Edition)

British runner, Josh Wade, rounded out the podium in third place, wearing The North Face’s performance trail shoe, the Summit Vectiv Pro 3. A lesser-known fact about The North Face is that they were the first to incorporate a carbon fiber plate into a trail running shoe.

We loved it so much that the Summit Vectiv Pro became our Gear Of The Year award winner that year. Now in its third iteration, the Pro 3 retains the award-winning performance, but with better stability. The North Face went all-in on UTMB this year, debuting a new, limited-edition Flora Alpina silhouette that Wade and other TNF athletes wore. The flowered-themed print pays homage to alpine flowers and is available on the Summit Vectiv Pro 3, Enduris 4, and select apparel.

Fastest Shoes at the 2025 UTMB – Women

Ruth Croft (1st Place) – Adidas Agravic Speed Ultra

At Western States, Adidas dominated the men’s and women’s podium; however, UTMB told a different story. While Adidas may not have had as many top-10 finishers, they did solidify one of the most notable wins in history, with Croft becoming the first woman to win all three UTMB World Series Finals: OCC (2015), CCC (2018), and UTMB.

Her weapon of choice was none other than the Adidas Agravic Speed Ultra, and we can understand why. The Agravic Speed Ultra remains one of the few plated trail shoes that closely mimics the economic benefits of its road-plated counterparts. It remains our top pick for trail racers. (For more on the gear Croft used to run to victory at the 2025 UTMB, check out our exclusive story unpacking her race kit.)

What’s surprising to me is that many of her teammates were wearing the new Speed Ultra 2 prototypes (like Cody Lind, for example), while Croft opted to stick with the original. (Very) early testing on the Speed Ultra 2 protos from folks on the ground in Chamonix revealed an extremely speedy, but not particularly stable, shoe that might have played a factor in Croft’s decision—especially given the conditions and technical nature of the UTMB course compared to Western States. Still, not a bad choice if it gets you the W.

Camille Bruyas (2nd Place) – Salomon S/Lab Ultra Glide 1.5

Carbon-plated trail shoes dominated the top 10 across both men’s and women’s fields, but there’s still plenty of debate about whether a plate actually helps. Salomon is one brand that believes it doesn’t. In an internal treadmill study, they tested 10 amateur runners to examine the effects of longitudinal bending stiffness (essentially, an embedded plate) during uphill running and on uneven terrain. Their findings? Stiff plates offer no real benefits in technical trail scenarios where paces are generally slower. Based on these results, Salomon developed the S/Lab Ultra Glide, a highly cushioned race shoe without a plate, worn by Bruyas.

The shoe features a uniquely wavy outsole designed to diffuse impact, reduce fatigue, and improve comfort. The first version came close to perfect, but issues with the heel counter rubbing led Salomon to release an early update, hence the “1.5” version, which fixed the problem.

Katharina Hartmuth (3rd Place) – Hoka Mafate 5

Like Bruyas, Hartmuth went with a non-plated shoe, the Mafate 5. Released very recently, it’s pinned as Hoka’s pinnacle product for technical trail and mountain running. It’s not a flashy shoe, but instead a solid workhorse shoe with an aggressive 5mm lug but a somewhat-surprising choice given the spring release of the carbon-plated Mafate X.

However, if conditions are sloppy (which they were), these are probably Hoka’s best shoe, and I have to imagine that was a factor for Hartmuth on race day. Hoka did say that Hartmuth would also use the Tecton X 2, but it’s unclear if that plan ever came to fruition.

The Fastest Shoes at the 2025 UTMB Mont-Blanc: Final Thoughts

Asics caught my attention, and they should catch yours too. As I’ve mentioned, Asics is dominating the road-shoe game. In my opinion, they’re the most innovative brand out there right now. But when it comes to trail running, their lineup has lagged far behind the major players. That might be about to change. With the top two men both wearing an Asics prototype on the biggest stage in trail running (in objectively terrible conditions that would have subjectively spelled disaster with the previous version of the Asics Metaspeed Fujis), it’s clear that whatever they’re cooking up is worth watching.

Beyond that, there wasn’t much that felt groundbreaking. Hoka was the most common brand in the top 10—split between the new Rocket X Trail and the Tecton X 3. The athlete village, where brands showed off their latest and greatest, was more exciting than what competitors were actually wearing—most of the top 10 men and women stuck to models you can already buy.

Fastest Shoes at the 2025 UTMB – Top 10

Men’s Top 10

Women’s Top 10