Here are 5 new running shoe brands we're excited about

The running shoe market is grinding through another shake-up, and Believe in the Run just flagged five emerging brands worth watching. If you've been doing laps in the same rotation for three cycles, pay attention. Two of these newcomers actually stand out for reasons that matter when you're hauling miles on broken terrain, not just cruising Instagram aesthetics.

January and Hylo: the two I'd put on the list

January is tiny. One shoe — the Scignal — and it's not even in open sales yet. Pre-orders ship mid-August. But the details are worth noting: dual-density supercritical KineXion foam underfoot, honeycomb tongue, fully padded collar, reflective heel elements. The colorways pull directly from San Francisco Bay terrain — blues, greens, oranges. Woman-co-founded, BIPOC owned. Small footprint, literally and figuratively. Keep an eye on this one.

Hylo's been at it longer — the Impact dropped back in March 2024 — but their new Axis model doubles down on eco-minded construction with 50% bio-based materials per pair. The outsole screams "Run Like The World Depends On It." The tech might still trail dinosaur-bone foams in raw performance, but the direction is real. With environmental restoration technologies gaining serious momentum on the global stage, brands betting hard on sustainable materials aren't just virtue-signaling — they're positioning for where regulation and supply chains are actually headed.

What this means for your trail kit

Here's the thing: new brands aren't automatically better. You don't swap gear for novelty — you swap it for function. But when a fresh label brings a genuinely different foam compound or construction philosophy to market, it forces the big dogs to respond. That pressure benefits every runner grinding out vertical gain on Saturday morning.

Watch how January's KineXion stacks up once reviewers start putting serious trail miles on it. Watch whether Hylo's bio-based approach can survive the abrasion and torque of technical descents without falling apart at mile 200. That's where the real data lives — not in a spec sheet, not in a launch event.

The gym shoe problem nobody talks about

Separate but relevant: New York Post ran a piece on the biggest footwear mistake in the gym, and it lands squarely in our lane. Running shoes — with their cushioned, elevated soles — destroy stability during strength work. Less force transfer, compromised squat mechanics, increased load on the kinetic chain from ankles through the lower back. If you're cross-training and hauling the same pair from trailhead to weight room, you're stacking injury risk for no reason. A flat, firm shoe for lifting. Your trail runners for running. It's not complicated — it's just discipline.

The brands reshaping the market right now are either pushing performance boundaries or rethinking materials entirely. Either way, the signal is clear: the shoe on your foot matters more than the logo on the tongue. Choose function over hype, and replace the pair the moment it stops holding you up.