Ultimately the phrase 'off-road running shoe' covers everything that's not road or treadmill. Runners frequently have this sort of shoe in addition to a pair of road running shoes. The shoe will have a different outsole compared to a road running shoe that will be made from a different (harder) rubber compound. This is one reason why if you only run on roads you shouldn't buy these shoes - they don't grip tarmac as well as road running shoes. Next is the addition of a rock plate or shield next to the midsole. This protects your foot from rocks and stones. It also makes the shoe a little more rigid compared to road running shoes. Finally there's a more water resistant upper. This is slightly less breathable but more protective than the very lightweight, quick drying mesh material used on road running shoes. Look out for other specific features such as a gusseted tongue (this means that the tongue is stitched or attached along it's length and this helps to keep water and debris away from your foot).

One more point to discuss is how waterproof the shoe is. No shoe is going to be totally waterproof because all shoes have a big hole in the top where your foot goes in. The shoes can and do however have features that stop water from puddles and wet grass getting in. As always there's some trade off with breathability but that's for you to consider in terms of when you're going to use the shoe and where you're going to use it.

Special Offers

Asics Women's Gel Torana 4 RRP:  £60.00 Save: 16% Only £50.00	Brooks Women's Cascadia 5 RRP:  £82.00 Save: 50% Only £41.00
Adidas Women's Kanadia Trail 4 RRP:  £55.00 Save: 10% Only £49.00	Adidas Women's Kanadia Trail 3 RRP:  £50.00 Save: 22% Only £39.00

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Save: 30% Only £45.00 RRP:  £65.00 Adidas Swoop The Swoop is a favourite among both fell runners and trail runners as it offers an excellent blend of grip and cushioning. The "Traxion" outsole provides the excellent grip, and the lacing system ensu...» more info

Save: 22% Only £39.00 RRP:  £50.00 Adidas Women's Kanadia Trail 3 Adidas Women's Kanadia TR 3 • Versatile trail running shoe with an aggressive outsole. • Agile, low profile shoe with a fast, sleek look. • An offroad mud-shedding outsole and gusseted tongue he...» more info

Save: 10% Only £49.00 RRP:  £55.00 Adidas Women's Kanadia Trail 4 Adidas Women's Kanadia TR 4 Arguably the best value for money running shoe available. Updated for Winter 2011/2012 to give improved fit and feel. In brief: • MicroSuede: Stitched on MicroSuede...» more info

Save: 39% Only £50.00 RRP:  £82.00 Adidas Women's Supernova Riot 2 Adidas Supernova Riot 2 A new heel frame gives this trail runner a frsh new look. Trail specific 3D ForMotion cushioning, breathable upper and protective forefoot cage keep feet comfortable and sec...» more info

Save: 16% Only £50.00 RRP:  £60.00 Asics Women's Gel Torana 4 Asics gel Torana 4 (women's specific off-road and trail running shoe) A great looking hardwearing shoe with added arch support from the DuoMax Support System and Trusstic System. The Rearfoot GEL C...» more info

Save: 12% Only £72.00 RRP:  £82.00 Asics Women's Gel Trabuco 13 Asics Women's Gel Trabucco 13 A long-standing favourite of those who take their running off-road the GEL-TRABUCO 13 is the most performance-oriented edition yet. The rugged Wet Grip outsole and SpE...» more info

Save: 10% Only £67.50 RRP:  £75.00 Asics Women's Gel Trail Attack 6 Asics Women's GEL Trail Attack 6 • Rearfoot Gel Cushioning System - Attenuates shock during impact phase and allows for a smooth transition to midstance. • Speva Midsole Material - Improves bounce...» more info

Save: 50% Only £41.00 RRP:  £82.00 Brooks Women's Cascadia 5 Brooks Women's Cascadia 5 Off-road running shoe The Brooks Cascadia 5 offers a rugged, stable, neutral platform for serious trails. Heel and forefoot Hydroflow are combined with the advanced BioMog...» more info

Save: 23% Only £50.00 RRP:  £65.00 Mizuno Wave Harrier 2 Unisex off-road performance shoe. Mizuno Wave Harrier 2 Trail Shoes. These trail shoes are a Low profile, Lightweight, Fast and Grippy solution to your off-road running. Composite double fan wave -...» more info

Save: 30% Only £59.50 RRP:  £85.00 Mizuno Women's Wave cabrakan Mizuno Wave Cabrakan Trail Running Shoes. This is a superb off road package offering traction, protection and cushioning from a full length wave plate with a nano coated water resistant mesh. Smoo...» more info

Save: 20% Only £96.00 RRP:  £120.00 Newton Women's Terra Momentus Newton Women's Terra Momentus Newton's product development team, Danny Abshire and Ian Adamson, drew upon their respective experiences as an ultrarunner and a world champion adventure racer to inco...» more info

Save: 15% Only £65.45 RRP:  £77.00 Saucony Peregrine Saucony Peregrine (unisex) The Saucony Peregrine is the trail running cousin of Sacony’s successful Kinvara : a low-profile, lightweight, minimal running shoe. The Peregrine against most standar...» more info

Save: 10% Only £72.00 RRP:  £80.00 Saucony Women's Xodus 2 Saucony Women's ProGrid Xodus 2 The Xodus has been updated. The first version was a huge success and a revelation in off-road running - it offered a Vibram outsole. Vibram is the trusted brand whe...» more info