In this Norda 055 review, Sam Lohse draws on his footwear industry background and extensive trail running shoes testing experience to evaluate one of trail running’s most anticipated shoes, recently worn by Rachel Entrekin during her victory at the 2026 Cocodona 250.
Disclaimer: Shoes provided by Norda for review. This article contains affiliate links.
You could argue that the Norda 001 pushed/changed/elevated trail run footwear more than any model in the past 10 years. Not necessarily because of performance (although the shoe does perform), but because of the specificity and intention behind the design and technology.
The bar was raised in terms of what we could expect from reliability and durability. Other brands took notice, and everyone pushed towards higher quality footwear.
Fast forward 5 years, Norda has now released 4 different trail models. With each release, they’ve continued the focus on intention and utility; all 4 models serve a different purpose and are uniquely positioned to suit a runner’s pursuits.
The 005 was the brand’s first race model and was universally loved for the minimalist and ultralight approach.
Their fourth and latest release, Norda 055, builds upon the Norda’s race category with a shoe that follows the “more is more” philosophy, aiming to address some of the wishlist changes customers sought from the minimalist 005. While the 005 was built for lightweight speed, Norda 055 is bombproofed while still delivering a race-ready midsole experience.
As is often the case with Norda, this shoe comes with a high price tag, but a performance that makes other shoes feel like they need to catch up.
MIDSOLE
The 055 returns with the same material as the 005, an Arnitel TPEE (developed by Norda and Arnitel) that sits at a 38mm heel stack with a 7mm drop. This Arnitel TPEE is a uniquely good foam and hard to compare with anything else on the market; oddly, the closest midsole experience to Norda’s Arnitel is the La Sportiva Prodigio Pro, in my humble opinion.
It provides strikingly good energy return sans-plate, and doesn’t break down at nearly the rate most race-ready PEBA-based midsoles seem to.
With 38mm of stack beneath you, this midsole is going to be slightly denser than the 005, which means a slightly different ride. Fortunately, the density means that this shoe only gets better as you put more miles in it.
As you stack days on the shoe, ground feel and stability will increase while you continue to receive that bounce and pep to keep your stride energized. This midsole is undoubtedly one of the best in the market. While I do think the stack height can lead to some instability early on, increased wear will lead to improvement to an already stellar ride.
UPPER
Norda’s uppers have long been a contentious (possibly the only contentious) part of the shoe. The basis of all Norda uppers is a material called Dyneema, an ultralight but extremely durable fabric that became ubiquitous within the fast-packing world.
Dyneema unlocked longevity and heavy durability for Norda, but did come with some caveats. The 001 seemed to cause heel rub to a fair amount of users, where the minimal Dyneema upper was a bit too stiff to provide enough comfort (I personally do not have this issue, but know many who do).
The 002 and 005 both improved upon this issue, but some still found the 005 to be too lacking in structure for a race shoe.
In comes the Norda 055, still anchored by a Dyneema upper but this time including a knit tongue and anchor collar. Not only does this upper change provide a more robust and secure fit, it also keeps debris out. I have found this upper to be super comfy and was excited about it ever since I put the shoe on at TRE last December.
The 055 is much more beefy than the 005, but what you trade for in weight you make up for in comfort.
OUTSOLE
The outsole is and will continue to be a place that is hard to find anything wrong with on Norda shoes. Like the 005, the 055 uses a Vibram Megagrip Elite, used on only a handful of shoes in the market, which combines Vibram’s highest end grip with their Litebase material to ensure a super controlled and light ride.
I did have some concern with the minimality of the 005’s outsole pattern, but the 055 seamlessly addresses that with a beefed up lug pattenr akin to the 001A.
CLOSING
While Norda continues to make waves in run performance, they somehow manage to balance their grip in lifestyle just as well. What makes the shoe unique is that despite all the build around each model, the final product still looks good enough to wear anywhere.
While performance is a definite differentiator, I find that the cultural impact of the brand may be what ultimately keeps it at the forefront for years to come – and I mean that with no slight and as a compliment.
Is Norda 055 a good shoe? I would recommend it to anyone familiar or not with Norda, and for anyone who can afford to pick up what’s the ultimate definition of a trail workhorse.
