How Norda Created the ‘Lamborghini’ of Super Shoes for Trail Running
By Peter Verry
The Norda 005 trail running super shoe.
CREDIT: Courtesy of L'éloi for Norda
Super shoes have long been synonymous with the pavement. Norda is taking them off road.
After entering the market in July 2021 with the 001 trail runner, Norda — the premium performance brand founded by industry veterans Nick Martire and Willa Leus-Martire — is expanding its product range with the 005, marking its super shoe category debut.
“We are trail runners. We live on a farm, we step out the door and into dirt,” Nick Martire, co-founder and chief executive officer of Norda, told FN. “We created Norda because trail shoes were always an afterthought, and we wanted a premium product. We started on this mission three-and-a-half years ago, and here is the culmination.”
Norda co-founder Willa Leus-Martire added, “We’re building out a footwear ecosystem. The 001 is designed for long runnable distances, the 002 is for more technical terrain. Then we introduced the 003, which is an approach shoe that you can run in, walk in, hike in. The 005 is the shoe you reach for on race day.”
Rather appropriately, Norda will reveal the 005 at Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc, more commonly referred to as UTMB, the annual ultramarathon event held in Chamonix, France. It is scheduled to take place from Aug. 26 to Sept. 1.
Aside from a personal connection to Chamonix (it’s where the husband-and-wife duo got engaged), Nick Martire and Willa Leus-Martire said they look at UTMB as the global meeting of runners, and is where the brand will hold its annual distributors meeting.
What’s more, Norda sponsored athletes Arden Young and Mat Seidel will wear the 005 during the UTMB race and CCC (Courmayeur/Champex/Chamonix), another one of the seven races featured at the event.
The Making of a “Lamborghini” Trail Running Shoe
A detailed look at the Norda 005.
When coming up with ideas for the 005, the duo landed on one rather lofty goal.
“We wanted to make the lightest, fastest, most stable trail shoe ever. We wanted to make the Lamborghini, if you will, for the trails,” Nick Martire said.
To accomplish this, Norda created the 005 uppers with Dyneema, a bio-based material that is durable, lightweight and breathable. Nick Martire said they made six different iterations of the upper over two years before getting it right.
“Dyneema is very important because lightness equals higher performance because you’re carrying less weight on your body. Also, when you’re running on the trail and you’re bashing your foot into rocks and roots, it’s extremely protective,” Nick Martire explained. “And the weave is quite wide so it’s very breathable and water drains.”
The uppers also feature Norda’s fit lock system, which is its interior foot binding technology that engages through the laces and is designed to keep the wearer’s foot in place.
Norda further bolstered the uppers with large pods on the collars for both a tighter fit and to reduce debris from getting inside the shoe, and added smooth microsuede with perforation to the tongues to reduce heat. And the laces — which are also made using Dyneema, chosen for its abrasion resistance and stretch — are 4 millimeters instead of 5 millimeters to reduce weight.
Underfoot, the Norda 005 features midsoles made from Arnitel, a high-performance a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE). This was chosen to offer the wearer both speed and energy return.
Also, Norda created a Sole Plate in collaboration with Vibram for the 005. This outsole is made with Vibram’s Megagrip Elite compound and features 4 millimeter lugs, which Norda explained were added to allow for an easier transition from more technical trails to unpaved roads.
Nick Martire said Norda’s athletes have put 400 or 500 miles in each pair of their 005s over the last year, including multiple races. “We say Norda doesn’t hit a sweet spot until you’ve hit 50 miles, and then you’re gold,” he said. “When you use this foam in 100 percent purity, it doesn’t lose its resiliency.”
Although Norda is offering a look at the 005 to both runners and industry insiders alike at UTMB, the trail running super shoe won’t hit retail until spring 2025.
Perfect Timing
Norda founders Willa Leus-Martire (L) and Nick Martire.
Norda has expanded its product offering as trail running participation continues to rise.
According to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association 2024 Topline Participation Report, trail running participation increased 12.3 percent from 2022 to 2023 and grew 25.6 percent over the past three years.
Norda’s sales, too, have grown. After an initial 300 percent increase year-over-year, Nick Martire said Norda has grown 100-200 percent consistently.
“It’s our commitment to footwear. We’ve held steadfast to footwear and complementary equipment. There’s noise out there about building out an apparel collection to go with our shoes. We’re not going there yet,” Willa Leus-Martire explained. “We’re committed to building out our footwear system and creating quality footwear.”
Aside from its shoes, Norda has sparingly released equipment and apparel, only offering items that it deems necessary for the most ardent trail runners. This includes the Toolbox, a duffel bag made entirely Dyneema, which became available for purchase in July.
“It’s easy to get distracted, but we’re a footwear company and 95 percent of our energy is going to be in footwear. In addition to that, we’ve started our equipment strategy, and that starts with the Toolbox, our duffel bag,” Nick Martire said. “We’ve released a hydration pack and within this year, you’ll see Norda performance socks, you’ll see a hat. We’re focused on key evergreen pieces of equipment. It took us two years to make a sock. We’re maniacal. It has to be the finest.”
Fans of Norda will likely notice the brand revealed the 005 trail running super shoe and skipped 004. Although sparse on details, Nick Martire labeled the 004 as “the partner of the race day shoe” and stated it is for “pre or post run.” “We had to come out with the race day premium shoe first, so the 004 has been pushed back,” he said.
The duo confirmed Norda will release the 004 next summer.
In addition to expanding its product range, Norda has also secured several new retail partners to bolster its presence internationally.
For instance, Norda and China-based sportswear retailer Topsports International Holdings Limited (Topsports) announced a strategic partnership on Monday. With the partnership, Topsports is now the exclusive operator in the Chinese market and will oversee all “essential operations,” including brand communication, market development, online and offline retail operations and consumer engagement.
“Trail running is a highly potential segment in the sports industry. Norda specializes in trail running gear of outstanding performance and design. We believe that Norda’s unmatched expertise in product innovation and Topsports’ profound success in the retail market and consumer operations will form a powerful synergy,” Topsports CEO Yu Wu said in a statement. “We look forward to this partnership initiating a new chapter in the brand’s development in the Chinese market.”
Norda has also signed partnerships with Artcrafts in Italy, Enduro Supply in the United Arab Emirates, All Seasons in France and Benelux (effective spring 2025) and Chapters Brand Group in the U.K. (effective spring 2025).
Original story published by Footwear News.