What running shoes do pro triathletes use?
What running shoes are pro triathletes wearing in the 2025 season? We find out…
The world of pro triathlon is a relentless pursuit of marginal gains, where every piece of equipment is scrutinised for its potential to shave precious seconds off race times. Among the most crucial elements of a triathlete’s arsenal are their running shoes.
Elite running shoes are meticulously engineered tools designed to maximise run efficiency, energy return, and speed. These days, super shoes have some hefty tech, and it’s continually evolving.
Understanding what running shoes the pros are choosing offers an insight into the pointy end of tri, and act as great endorsements if you’re looking for a super speedy race day run shoe.
Most of the pros have shoe sponsors but beyond simple brand loyalty, the selection of a running shoe at the elite level involves a complex interplay of factors.
Course conditions, individual biomechanics, preferred cushioning levels, and the course distance all contribute to which shoe the athletes may choose.
Alex Yee (GBR)
Four-time Olympic medallist Alex Yee is sponsored by New Balance and races in the carbon-fibre New Balance SuperComp Elite v4 ($249.99/£259.99). We actually tested the earlier SuperComp v3 and rated them 91% for their great stability, agility, and incredible speed.
Yee, who has proved himself to be one of the best short-course runners in triathlon, is currently gearing up to run his first TCS London Marathon this year. Recent running races have seen Yee possibly sporting an all-white New Balance prototype, could this be the v5?
Cassandre Beaugrand (FRA)
Just last month, current Olympic champion Beaugrand wore the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 4 ($250/£220) to take the French national record for the 5km distance, with a new time of 14min 53sec.
Though Adidas say they’re best suited to distances of over 20km, Beaugrand smashed the national record in the carbon-plated, rockered shoe. The record-breaking shoe was also worn by Patrick Lange when he took the Ironman world title.
The super lightweight Adios (200g for UK8.5) has a 39/33mm stack and is designed with a Continental rubber outsole for complete traction.
Hayden Wilde (NZ)
In February of this year, Wilde announced he was parting ways with long-time sponsor Nike. He’d been running in Nike shoes for the past 10 years, donning the whippy Nike Alphafly 3 ($285/£284.99) supershoe for the Ironman 70.3 Worlds in Taupo last year in his home country.
In the past, Wilde has also been known to use the Nike Invincible 3 ($180/£174.99) cushioned road shoe for his training runs.
Starting as he means to go on, Wilde took the tape at the first WTCS race of the year in Abu Dhabi in a new pair of Asics kicks, looking much like the Asics Metaspeed Sky Paris ($250/£220), which is a huge race popular among his fellow elite triathletes.
Georgia Taylor-Brown (GBR)
Like her compatriot Yee, Georgia Taylor-Brown races in the New Balance SuperComp Elite v4 ($249.99/£259.99). Taylor-Brown has recently been dabbling in cross country racing, using the New Balance FuelCell XC7 V5 ($69.99/£90) racing spikes for the 8km 2025 National XC Championships.
Kristian Blummenfelt (NOR)
Previous Ironman and Olympic champion, Blummenfelt is known for pushing the boundaries of the impossible when it comes to triathlon and endurance.
On socials, he’s a big supporter of On Running shoes and has been part of the early development process of the new racing supershoe.
Blummenfelt placed his bets on the On Cloudboom Strike LightSpray ($330) for the run leg of October’s Kona Ironman World Championships. The ultra-cushioned Strike is ideally designed for triathletes, being easy to pull on in transition with its lace-free, second skin fit. The shoe is currently advertised as ‘for members only’ on the On Running website.
Otherwise, Blummenfelt has worn various On shoes in training, including the Cloudsurfer ($110/£120) and the Cloudboom Echo 3 ($160/£150).
Lucy Charles-Barclay (GBR)
Previous Ironman world champion and all-around long-course star, Lucy Charles-Barclay runs in Asics shoes for all her racing and training.
For training, it’s the Asics Gel Kayano 31 ($165/£180), while she takes to the trails in the Asics Metafuji Trail ($250/£220).
Meanwhile, for the racing Charles-Barclay prefers the Asics Metaspeed Sky Paris ($250/£220) and took the 2023 world title in the Asics Metaspeed Sky+ ($250/£224.99).
Charles-Barclay has also brought out a collection in collaboration with Asics, the headliner of which is the SuperBlast 2 ($200/£199.99) inspired by the athlete’s mermaid tendencies.
Leo Bergere (FRA)
The 2022 World Champion and Olympic bronze medallist, Leo Bergere is an Asics sponsored athlete, with his winning shoe being the same popular Asics Metaspeed Sky Paris ($250/£220) worn by Charles-Barclay.
During training, he’s also been seen to wear the bouncy Asics Novablast 4 (Asics Novablast 5 $140/£135).
Flora Duffy (BER)
Decorated short-course star Flora Duffy is supported by Asics and wears the Asics Metaspeed Sky Paris ($250/£220) for racing. Otherwise, during training she’s been known to wear the now discontinued Asics Novablast 3 LE, part of the Novablast ($140£135) range.
Vincent Luis (FRA)
Girona-based pro Vincent Luis is a long-time Nike athlete, having recently announced the continuation of their partnership up until the end of his career and beyond.
In training, he’s been seen to wear the Nike Air Zoom Vomero 17 ($160/£144.99), while throughout the 2024 WTCS season, he’s been seen to wear the Nike Vaporfly 3 ($260/£244.99) road racing shoes.
This year, he’s announced a departure from the blue carpet to pursue long-distance racing for the remainder of his career.
Anne Haug (GER)
Haug raced the T100 Lake Las Vegas in the Nike Vaporfly 3 Electric ($260/£249.99) at the end of last season, going on to take the tape once again in the 2024 Challenge Roth sporting the popular Nike Alphafly 3 ($285/£289.99) racing shoes.
Magnus Ditlev (SWE)
Having snagged second place at the Ironman World Champs last year, taken his third win at Challenge Roth, and smashed some T100 racing, Ditlev will surely be looking to continue that momentum into 2025.
Leading up to the race in sweaty Hawaii, Ditlev had been seen training in the Hoka Rocket X2 ($250/£220). While the week before landing on the big island, Ditlev shared his long-run shoe of choice on socials as the “trusty” Nike Alphafly 1.
Ditlev also finished 2nd in the PTO rankings last season, wearing the Nike Zoom Fly 4 for some of the races and wore the Nike Air Zoom Alphafly NEXT% ($285/£284.99) for his win in Roth.
Currently, Ditlev has been seen taking on the volcanic roads of Lanzarote training in the New Balance Fresh Foam X 1080v14 ($164.99/£160).
Fenella Langridge (GBR)
A sponsored On Running athlete, Langridge has been known to wear the same On Cloudboom Strike LightSpray ($330) and On Cloudboom Strike ($280/£260) for speed training sessions. While Langdridge ran the first race of the Ironman Pro Series last year in the cushioned yet snappy On Cloudboom Zone ($210/£200).
Patrick Lange (GER)
The reigning Ironman World Champion, Lange ran to victory in Kona last October in a pair of the carbon-infused Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 4 ($250/£220).
Kat Matthews (GBR)
Matthews wore the Asics Metaspeed Sky+ ($250/£224.99) when she became the first woman to break eight hours for the Iron-distance triathlon in 2022. Matthews wore the Metaspeed Sky Paris ($250/£220) for her win at Ironman Taupo in December.
Sarah True (USA)
Nike Air Zoom Alphafly NEXT% Flyknit 2 for her bronze place at Ironman 70.3 Chattanoonga in May, levelling up all round to the Alphafly 3 ($285/284.99) for her win at Ironman Chattanoonga only a few months later.
Rachel Klamer (NED)
Supported by Asics for the run, Klamer recently wore the Metaspeed Edge Paris ($250/£220) during a 10km road race back home in the Netherlands, where she set a new course record.
Kate Milsom
Freelance sports journalist 
