Norda - 001

I love my Norda runners. They can handle literally anything. They have models with gortex and carbide spikes if that’s something you fancy. I have the basic 001 and they work great in the winter. They take a while to soften up (100-200km), but then last literally forever. They do recommend a half size up and it fits perfectly length wise. Probably not for those with extra narrow feet. But regular to wide and they’re awesome

Low or Zero drop shoes like Altra can more problematic for people with calf/Achilles issues. The zero drop is stable, but keeps your calf in a more stretched position. But super high drop shoes are very unstable. Some where in the middle may be your sweet spot. I love my Norda 001, feels like what the Hoka SpeedGoat should be. 5mm drop, wide toe box, moderate stack height, basically indestructible.

I love my Norda 001s. If you got the budget for it I’ve heard crazy things about the 005. If you like the fit of adidas and ASICS they make some trail shoes that really have some pop to them. Good to keep in mind that for technical terrain less shoe = more fun. For easy terrain more shoe = more fun.

I had the same problem with my Hoka Speedgoat’s. I switched to Norda 001 and never looked back. They feel like someone took a Speedgoat, sent it to a lab and it came back much improved. They’ve got a roomy fit, especially in the midfoot where my fat arch usually hangs over the side. Also a good sized toe box. Somehow with all that room the lock down is still good and secure. Not to mention I’ve already clocked 3x the distance that would kill a pair of Hokas. The midsole is insanely durable, it needs 100-200km or so to break in and soften up but then it’s good for 1000+ kms. The upper is literally made out of iron, no rips, tears, anything. Plus Vibram Megagrip Litebase outsole, need I say more? Can’t recommend them enough. Yes they’re expense but when you break down the cost per wear they’re actually cheaper than most shoes because they last for so long.

Toe box/forefoot is roomy. I have a large bunion that fit fine after dyneema break in. They look like they'll last forever. Comparing my 001s to SG5s at the same mileage is startling. The foam on the 001a is tempting for longer days but I have a lot of miles left on the originals.

My Norda 001 show no wear at 150 miles of running on rocks in the Southwest. You can say they were expensive but looking at them next to my Speedgoats it's obvious they will last for three of those, making them a bargain. Also, I got them on archive sale, so there's that.

I love the 5s and bought many pairs. I'm not heavy and barely got 300 miles on them in Southern California on our harder dirt and rock trails. I bit the bullet and bought some Norda 001s this year and the wear difference is astounding. Where the SG5s are already showing a lot of stress at 150-200 miles the Nordas look brand new. It's not hyperbole to say I may get 2.5-3x an SG5 out of one pair of the Nordas which evens out the price.

Norda 001s last forever.

I have two solutions - finding NOS 5s and this may be unpopular, but Norda 001s. I wear out the SG5s pretty fast, about 300 miles and I am sub 140 lbs. Comparing the Nordas to the SG5 at identical miles is mind blowing. They still look new and the SG5s already show where they will break down. You may be able to get deals on the 001s now that the 1A is out. imo, it's worth it - I am going to get three SG5 lifecycles out of one pair.

Ugh. I’m on my third run (first long run) with the 001’s and I thought I was in love with these shoes until I could feel the sole of the shoe squish like a wet sponge underfoot. Water drainage on my Topos (all of them) were fantastic.

There’s a thin line to (literally) walk on this. Your most stable shoe is going to be low/zero drop and low cushion, but obviously everyone can’t run in those style of shoes so getting the right balance just takes some experimenting. I will say, after years of running in Altras and Topos, I wanted something with a bit more cushion and I’m very impressed with the Norda 001s. I’ve talked to a few people who ran in higher drop/cushion shoes and are really happy with the Norda’s. They say the shoes are more stable without sacrificing the comfort of a higher drop, cushier shoe.

Norda 005's are door to trail, the available colourway is quite susceptible to dirt but they are great all around. I am partial to the Norda 001 in Vermillion but they can be a bit sticky and heavy on road. And if your casual wear is closer to neutral colours, then this won't do. Some adidas Terrex shoes can also serve here, depending on what colourway you like.

The G+ spiked version is a overkill for road running, unless it's a consistently thick ice road (unlikely, but Canada is huge so idk). The 001/001a would be better. I recommend looking at trail shoe options, even the "road-to-trail" options that are popping up.

Used Mafate’s for 2 years. Just retired mine a few weeks ago for the Nordas 001. Feels like a huge upgrade but I’m noticing a small hotspot on the Achilles. Gonna test them out for a few hundred miles and see how it goes…

My other two finalists were Norda 001 and Inov8 Trailtalon. I ordered all three shoes, and ran a few circles around my house. My initial favorite was the Topos. The Nordas I wasn't sold on the upper, and was nervous about the ankle rub reviews. The Trailtalons, to me, didn't feel like as wide of a toebox as advertised, and the outer sole felt very narrow. Then I had a professional gait analysis and I brought all three shoes for her to watch me run in. I put on the Topos first, she watched me run, and she said "that's the shoe for you - we don't even need to try the other two." I had a list of requirements, and studying up on about 17 brands and \~50 models of trail shoes, I couldn't find one pair that checked all my boxes. I filled four pages in my journal on my studies, and scrubbed [runrepeat.com](http://runrepeat.com) until I decided that what I wanted didn't exist. So I settled on giving up the rock plate. FWIW, I did also buy a pair of Topo Traverse - which adds a rock plate and has a lower stack than the MTN Racer - but I haven't ran in them yet. Plan to use them on a mountain hiking trip in a couple weeks. Also, Topo changed up the shape of the heel cup from the MTN Racer 3 to 4. I haven't tried the 4s yet, but with a new pair of 3s on the shelf, I'm good for the 2025 fall season.

White Gum Norda 001 look and feel fantastic in a museum, restaurant, trail. They clean up very well with the Dyneema upper

White Gum Norda 001 look and feel fantastic in a museum, restaurant, trail. They clean up very well with the Dyneema upper

Norda 001 in white gum….honestly, phenomenal all-around shoe. I live in Los Angeles and they have been my daily for 2 years. They transition seamlessly from morning run to morning coffee to sightseeing to an upscale lunch to the beach to mountains to hiking to running. I’ve worn them on dates with my wife, traveling to the Congo, traveling to Alaska, to visiting many national parks. And they clean up very well. Couldn’t recommend more highly.

I love traveling light and I’ve had a pair of white Norda 001s that I’ve traveled to Congo, Rome, Cabo San Lucas, Alaska, and a ton of beach cities in…they are my daily’s at work, clean up really well, and I’m wearing them right now at my son’s baseball practice. The sweet spot is you *like* wearing them and they perform at the level you need for a race. That is subjective to every one but when you can find it one that checks both boxes, you’ll realize it’s a great idea

I am wore an 11 in every set of Altras I had. I wesr a 12 in 002. Though, they are snug when they are new, after ~100k they break in quite well. I do not wesr the 001 or the 003, the upper design for those 2 models is the same, and it pulls on my achilles (and hypothetically, also fits slightly larger). I found Nordas recommendation to upsize 1 full size for the 002 to be perfect.

I went from being a full on Altra wearer to Topo and Norda. I found the quality of Altra has declined dramatically from when I started using them, and I had 5 or 6 pairs of superiors, and a couple pairs of torins both die well under 200km. I swapped to Norda and Topo at the start of the summer last year. I think my first pair of Norda 002's have about 1400 km on them - still wearable, though the tread is mostly gone. I use them as road runners mostly now, but I also have been wearing them with Kathoola micro spikes for shoulder season running. I have another pair already purchased and a pair a full size up from both of these for upsizing into in the middle of my races. They do fit small. I went up a full size from altra, and I was already slightly upsized. I don't like the 001 or the new 005 as they pull on my achilles, but I find the 002 has no issues on that front. The new 005 seems sick though, its a high stack and super cushy, but I don't like the heel cup of that upper design. I would fully support making the switch over, but I would also heavily recommend that you try them on in person before you buy. Depending on where you are, there might be a demo fleet of shoes available to take out for a test run or 3 (SkiUphill/RunUphill had a full fleet of all sizes available last year) and I would seriously recommend trying them out, as they are not cheap. They are however extremely durable, and the dyneema upper is as sturdy as they claim. Given the only slight price difference between them and altra, it makes absolute sense for me to use Norda. Hope that helps a bit. Good running!

Norda 001 for longer runs. Norda 002 for technical stuff. Normal tomir for boring stuff 🤣🤣🤣

These shoes are great except on sandy tracks. I bought a pair in Tasmania on holiday. The first time I used them on the Cape to Cape coastal track in Western Australia they filled up with sand within 3 km. Got in through the upper. Very disappointing as they felt great until the space around the toes was obliterated. As for size I went from a Speedgoat 5 wide US9.5 to Prodigio Pro US10.5. Not as wide as the SG5 wide but tolerable for my foot. I’ll be using these in NZ later in year and on local gravel but definitely not on the coastal runs. If the Prodigio Max has a different upper I will be tempted to buy a pair. I’ve just bought a pair of Norda 001. With my orthotic the Norda doesn’t feel as good as the Prodigio Pro but I haven’t run in the Norda yet.