Over the summer, I was introduced to a Canadian running brand, norda. I fell in love with the way the shoes looked, the company ethos, and the promise that unlike other shoes on the market, these trail shoes were built to last, with nearly indestructible uppers and trail-friendly but durable soles. They come with a hefty price tag—$295 CAD—but if their claims of long-lasting durability were true, the price would actually end up being cheaper compared to buying new trail shoes after only a couple months of wear and tear, especially with the mileage I put on them. So, are they worth the spend? After five months of use, here are my thoughts.
Trail Performance
If you’ve ever run in the Blue Mountain area here in Ontario on a wet day, you know our trails can get slick. The rocks, roots and mud are brutal, and normally, you just would stay home. Unless it’s a race day, which is what happened this July at the Summit 700 race at Blue Mountain. I’ve won the race in the past by a narrow margin, but the slipping and sliding in this year’s iteration was bananas. (Literally, like running on banana peels.) But rather than slipping down the trails, wearing the Norda 001s FOR THE FIRST TIME (not a recommended idea, but I was desperate for something with traction) was shockingly good. The soles gripped the rocks and roots, and kept me in place in the muddiest of sections.
And yes, wearing shoes for the first time on race day is a potentially horrible idea. The race is 20 kilometers up and down a mountain. Blisters were certainly a potential race-ending issue. But… NOTHING. Not a single blister or hot spot, just shoes that kept me upright while everyone else slid down the mountain. I won—by nearly 20 minutes.
Long Run Feels
OK, they can do short, hard runs, but can they go long? Yes, yes they can. I held off on doing this review for a while because I didn’t use the Nordas for Leadville this summer. I had another pair of shoes I’d been using for longer and thought they made more sense given the terrain and how long I’d had them. I was afraid to do long runs in the Nordas until after Leadville just because I was being very particular starting after Summit 700, in the final weeks ahead of the race. Leadville also isn’t super technical, so while I wore trail shoes, I didn’t wear new trail shoes with fresh lugs, I wore slightly beat up trail shoes that were broken in. (Of course, I did slip and sprain my ankle on the one section where I slid and crashed, so maybe the Nordas would have saved me. But I digress.)
Anyway, all that to say, this review has taken me a while because I needed to heal from a sprained ankle to the point where I could put serious miles on the Nordas, not just be able to say that they were great for a short trail race. Now, I’ve done a few couple hour runs, and quite a few back-to-back days in them. I can officially give them the highest praise I ever give a sneaker, which is: I didn’t notice them at all.
If you’re a runner, you know how positive that assessment is.
Style / Aesthetic / Packability
If you know me, you know a major bonus of these shoes was the fact that they have an all black version (Stealth Black) and the branding on them is minimal. That meant that on this last two week trip we did to Italy, Atlanta and Boston, they were THE ONLY SHOES I BROUGHT. (Aside from cycling shoes.) I wore them wandering around Florence in casual clothes, out to super fancy dinners while wearing a silk maxidress, teaching classes wearing trousers and a button down shirt, and of course, on a lot of runs on road, trail and treadmill. They never looked out of place. (It’s helpful that chunky sneakers are trendy right now, but even if they weren’t, these shoes are subtle enough that they go with anything.)
They also wipe clean very easily, thanks to the ultra-thin Dyneema upper, and dry very fast, so even if they got muddy on a run, they could be cleaned up and dry within an hour. That was hugely helpful! And while I wore them on the plane in this case, they’re actually way more packable than most sneakers because the part of the upper where the back of your ankle rests actually is soft and malleable rather than rigid. This means less blisters, but it also means they’re really easy to pack!
Durability
Despite using these shoes to walk around the streets of Florence, run on the roads in Rome, and do a lot of trail/road combo running pretty much everywhere, the Vibram soles are still looking brand new after probably 300 miles of running/walking on mixed surfaces. The uppers look like they did the day I got them. While I’m sure they’ll eventually start showing signs of aging, thus far, they’re still looking brand new.
Overall
Honestly, I am a Norda convert. 10/10 recommend them—yes, they’re pricey. But they’ve already outlasted any of my other trail shoes in terms of the soles and the uppers, and despite a lot of miles, they look like new.
In final note: If you’re ordering, pay attention to the sizing: They suggest going a size up, and I completely agree with that. When you get them, make sure the size feels right for you. They may take a minute to get used to, as they’re built a bit different from other sneakers. The toe box is a titch wider, which I love, but it does feel a little weird the first time you wear them.
I also love Norda’s whole collection, and for Canadians especially, they have WINTER TRAIL SHOES WITH BUILT IN SPIKES! Obsessed. Also really loving the laceless version as a potential around-town dog walking shoe, which sounds like a weird thing but is absolutely a useful shoe to have. Check out the 001s and the whole collection here.
