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Muddy or dusty trails require a completely different approach. If a trail’s surface is likely to shift, then deep, aggressive lugs keep a runner from skidding out of control when stopping or turning. Aggressive outsoles tend to be heavier, so remember: Burlier isn’t always better.

Protection

The same roots and rocks that warrant more stability in a trail shoe also call for more protection. Typical trail shoes include a thin rock plate that provides push-through protection from rocks and other debris. Trail shoe manufacturers have developed various rock plate patterns—ranging from rock plates that mirror the bones in your forefoot to ones that resembles trail switchbacks—that don’t significantly interfere with a shoe’s flexibility.

A trail shoe offers more than underfoot protection. Toe bumpers have turned countless would-be broken toes into mere awkward stumbles. While less frequently encountered, jutting rocks and roots can also tear at the instep and outside of the foot, which is where protective overlays work their magic.

Some trail shoes also feature a gusseted tongue or “scree guard” that prevents small debris from entering the shoe from around the tongue. Other shoes provide attachment points for gaiters—small fabric skirts that surround shoe uppers and extend over the ankle to prevent debris from entering through the ankle collar. These simple additions can be invaluable for preventing blisters that result from the increased friction of debris inside a shoe.

Adapted from the article “Do I Really Need a Trail Shoe?,” which originally appeared on Running.Competitor.com.

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When a run lasts many hours, wet feet can be debilitating. Trying to skirt every puddle and rock-hop across every stream is both frustrating and dangerous. In a steady rain, it’s impossible to keep your feet dry, as shoes with waterproof membranes simply fill with water over time, turning them into fish bowls. Membrane shoes do, however, help your feet stay dry longer in light precipitation, when there’s snow or slush on the ground, or when a storm is over, leaving only puddles. On the other hand, if stream crossings during your run infrequently but completely wet your feet in an otherwise relatively dry environment, opt for shoes that drain well and dry fast.

Open-mesh shoes are great for letting your feet breathe on a warm day. That same mesh also lets in dust and debris, though, a particular problem in arid environments. Therefore, a dusty or sandy course warrants choosing a shoe that lacks open mesh in favor of tighter mesh or fabric. A gusseted tongue, where a flap of fabric connects both sides of the tongue with the remainder of the shoe’s upper, can help keep pebbles, twigs, and leaves from entering the front of your shoe. If you’re worried about debris entering the top of your shoe, you can wear a low-cut, breathable gaiter made specifically for running.

Of course, there’s the option of wearing little or no shoe. In recent years, barefoot running and minimalism have taken the running world by storm. Ultrarunning is no different. If you look around at an ultra, you’ll see numerous runners in minimalist shoes akin to road racing shoes and a few runners wearing barely there shoes, if any at all. I’m not going to tell you which shoes you should or shouldn’t wear. However, as with the rest of this chapter, I want to make you aware of the barefoot and minimalist running options. Even more so, I want to encourage those considering or involved in barefoot or minimalist running to do so thoughtfully and with restraint. I am not an expert on barefoot or minimalist running,* but Michael Sandler and Jessica Lee, publishers of RunBare.com and co-authors of Barefoot Running, are. In the appendix, Sandler and Lee outline the benefits of barefoot running, how to safely transition to it, and when it is appropriate to wear certain shoes.

* I do incorporate less structured, low heel-to-toe angle “minimalist”-style shoes into