What’s Fueling Growth in Running Industry and How Long Can It Last?

During a year in which athletic brand performance has been uneven, there is one undeniable bright spot: running.

Regardless of a company’s overall fortunes, the category is performing strongly for almost everyone. U.S. footwear sales were down 1 percent in the first half of 2025, but performance running grew by 7 percent. And running-inspired styles helped the sport lifestyle category increase by 3 percent, according to Circana’s Retail Tracking Service.

Ahead of The Running Event, industry players shared a sense of optimism on the staying power for the category and the feeling that there’s ample room for shared success. The phrase “a rising tide lifts all boats” was thrown around as often as “hit the wall” in the debrief for a marathon.

“Our industry is a running race — not boxing — so you don’t win by beating the other one up,” said Ben Hodge, senior vice president of product and merchandising for Adidas North America. “I want the best competitors, and I want to make sure they’re running [personal records]. I just want to run a world record.”

The gains in the category are ultimately coming from two customers: actual runners, a crowd that’s been growing since the pandemic, and people who wear running shoes in their daily lives, a group that’s responsible for significantly more sales.

“The fashion side of the business is way bigger than the performance side,” said Matt Powell, senior advisor for BCE Consulting. “That’s set us off on a trajectory where, if you make an interesting looking performance running shoe, people are going to buy it to wear on the street.”

Keeping the running category hot will require catering to both consumer groups without isolating either. Runners are a safe bet to stick with the sport, while those adopting the aesthetic and comfort of the shoes could easily be pulled away to something else.

According to Powell, that means the boom times for running lifestyle sneakers could be numbered. “[But] I don’t think it’s anywhere near-term that we’re looking at this category turning down,” he added.

What’s Hot

After its most recent earnings report, Asics raised its full-year guidance based on strength across its performance running, sportstyle and Onitsuka Tiger categories. Eight of the last nine quarters have been profitable in North America, and running is up double-digits from the year prior.

“The consistent demand for Asics footwear products across the region speaks to our relentless pursuit of developing technically advanced performance running products while remaining very aware of broader cultural and lifestyle trends to support the sportstyle category,” Koichiro Kodama, president and chief executive officer of Asics North America, said in a statement.

Riding an even more prolific hot streak is Brooks, which has now reported its ninth consecutive quarter of year-over-year growth. Data from Circana found that the brand has the No. 1 market share in U.S. retail and three of the six top-selling performance running shoes. Brooks also reports strong growth for its performance apparel and has designs on the sneaker zeitgeist through its recently relaunched lifestyle line.

“Our products are appropriate for anyone that moves,” Brooks Running chief executive officer Dan Sheridan said. “Nothing in this business is an accident, and we’ve been able to execute consistently for 25 years. It starts with being obsessed for your customer, and we have 1,400 people around the world that get up every single day and all we think about is runners.”

Nike, meanwhile, reported its running division grew by 20 percent in the first quarter of fiscal 2026. One of the primary catalysts is the max-cushioned Vomero franchise, which has been redesigned and split into three models: the Vomero 18, Vomero Plus and Vomero Premium, the latter of which has the tallest stack height of any running shoe in Nike history. Early in the year, prior to the launch of the Vomero Plus and Vomero Premium, the Vomero 18 was already generating more than $100 million in sales.

Seema Simmons, vice president and general manager of Nike Running in North America, said the company’s research has found that women are driving the running boom more than men. The female runner’s number one demand: maximum cushioning.

“We were created by obsessing over what runners need, and that’s what we continue to do today, 50 years later,” Simmons said. “We have a commitment to innovation, and it starts with thinking through how we serve them on their training journey and race day, making sure they have product for any type of run that they want.”

No company can claim more credit in driving the max-cushioned movement than Hoka, which burst onto the scene with its thick midsoles in the 2010s, when minimalist styles were still the rage. Today, the Bondi, Clifton and Arahi franchises are leading the way for Hoka as it comes off the largest quarter in its history in fiscal Q1 2026. The former two franchises, in fact, are the top two sellers in the U.S. market overall, according to sales data from Circana.

The Bondi, now on its ninth iteration, is the plushest of the trio. Offering more stability is the Arahi 8, and the Clifton sits somewhere in the middle with a more neutral experience.

Colin Ingram, Hoka’s vice president of global product, explained that today’s runners like variety. “As much as everybody would love to have the one-stop shop, [it’s good to have] the ability to buy into multiple on-foot experiences. You get something out of each one, there’s a specific end goal out of wearing a more up-tempo shoe or something more protective for longer, cruiser miles,” he said. “The ability to switch shoes also refreshes their relationship with the sport as well. Not only is it a performance benefit but a mental stimulant as well.”

If there is a true do-all shoe, it may just be the Adidas Adizero Evo SL. Borrowing heavily from the Adizero Pro Evo super shoe franchise but foregoing the plate, it is arguably one of the year’s biggest breakout hits since its wide release in March.

Runners are turning to the Evo SL for daily training, tempo and long runs, and it’s popping up heavily for everyday wear, too. Its origins are quite different from the Ultraboost 10 years ago, as the Evo SL repackages many elements from Adidas’ super shoes, and the Ultraboost served as the wide introduction for Boost and led to cloud-like cushioning cascading through the industry.

But in similar fashion, the Evo SL has emerged as Adidas’ best-selling running shoe because of its performance bonafides and adoption for lifestyle. Overall, Adidas running sales grew by 25 percent in the second quarter ending in July.

“The ability of our brand to connect with culture and our ability to help the athlete be the best — brands can do one but almost no brand can do [both] to the strength that Adidas has done,” Hodge said. “We use the best of sporting technology, and we blend that through what works in fashion.”

Hodge previewed new Evo SL colorways coming out this year and in 2026 that should only strengthen its position in lifestyle, with more complex lines added and reflective finishes.

They lean right into the playbook Powell thinks is key for endurance. “For a brand to sustain itself once it’s tipped over into fashion, they have to develop a totally different go-to-market strategy,” he said. “It isn’t dry, once-a-year, three colors [for] men, three colors [for] women. It’s much more about small drops, mashups, new colorways, new materials.”

Few have balanced fashion and performance as well as New Balance, as its retro running models have been dominant through the 2020s and its FuelCell Rebel v5 has drawn rave reviews since its debut in June.

Kevin FitzPatrick, New Balance’s vice president of running and outdoor, said the company is seeing double-digit growth globally for running and a great deal of new customer acquisition.

“We’re focused on introducing new experiences to the consumer,” FitzPatrick said. “We still believe that having a balanced portfolio is critical, so we’re not obsessing over one trend in footwear versus another. Because there are so many new people running, and every runner has individual needs, they’re going to start seeing us focus on that individual and introduce a lot of new, innovative products starting in [spring] 2026.”

Weeks after this interview, and after this story went to print, New Balance introduced Infinion, a new supercritical foam that will debuted on the 1080v15.

As for Altra Running, brand president Jen McLaren said runners should turn to it for foot health. Defying the trend throughout the industry, the VF Corp.- owned brand has largely focused on shoes with zero drop from heel to toe, to mimic the barefoot, or natural, running experience. The biggest drop you’ll find in its lineup is just 4 millimeters, and McLaren points to wide toe boxes and balanced cushioning as further evidence that Altra prioritizes health over speed.

“We’re not trying to be the biggest brand in running,” McLaren told FN. “We’re building the most trusted one.”

The Sales Strategy

At Philadelphia Runner, co-owner Ross Martinson said Nike has helped bring in the more fashion-oriented customer with both the Vomero Premium and Pegasus Premium. The latter model, which launched early in the year, hasn’t been highly reviewed for running but has an abundance of colorways channeling what’s popular in sneaker culture.

“There was a certain period where we couldn’t keep an all-white Hoka in stock,” said Martinson. “That was not somebody coming to buy the shoe [for performance]. We want shoes that are for running and walking, but we also want to sell to every customer who comes in.”

Customers are no longer turning to specialty retail as they once did for Hoka or On, as both now have much broader distribution, including their own storefronts. But Powell believes there’s an appetite in the market for the next Hoka or On, be it Salomon or a newer name such as Norda or Nnormal.

Powell added that understanding the impact of color is essential for specialty run stores, which aren’t enjoying gains in the category as uniformly as vendors. In the first half of 2025, in fact, the Running Industry Association found that sales were flat for specialty retailers. Experts say actual runners still turn to specialty stores, but more needs to be done to capture lifestyle shoppers while they’re still attracted to running shoes.

When it comes to marketing to the running community, that’s a complex matter. Runners have different
motivations: Some are in it for progression and competition, while others are chasing fun and community. Messaging centered around the former can be intimidating to newcomers, so leaning into the latter has proven to be a successful method to hook those not so concerned about their 5K time.

In recent years, brands have highlighted inclusivity in running, and multiple brands said that continues to be a focus. How they go about it just may look a little different. One of Nike’s biggest initiatives this year was its multi-city “After Dark” half-marathon series catering to women. Of those who participated, 40 percent were running a half-marathon for the first time.

Hoka tries to make the purposes of its products easily digestible, and its “Together, We Fly Higher” campaign put a spotlight on the various people who offer support to a runner.

Puma, meanwhile, is leaning into the joy of running with new initiatives such as unsanctioned races (see story here for more).

Hodge said Adidas has found that among the 65 million consumers who make up Gen Z in America, 20 million identify as athletes. And no matter what form their athleticism takes, there’s a strong chance they’re spending more time in the gym than in any other setting.

“The most democratic footwear to wear in the gym is a runner,” he said. “The ratio of people running a marathon or a Hyrox event or training for a sport may change, but I just don’t see [the number of] people pulling on a running shoe declining.”