The Three Best Cross Country Spikes
Are you trying to drop time this cross country season? If so, it’s time to get serious about your goals. In a competition that involves a lot of mud and obstacles, you’ll need every advantage you can get. The best advantage you can give yourself is by investing in a pair of cross country spikes. Luckily for you, we’ve poured hours of research and experience into this so that you don’t have to.
Nike Zoom Rival XC
The Nike Zoom Rivals are consistently ranked as one of the best cross country spikes. Several elite cross country runners recommend this shoe – one of them even saying “they will forever be my favorite cross country spikes”. These shoes are incredibly lightweight and still provide enough support on the base of the shoe that if you were to step on a branch or an object, your foot would not immediately feel the impact.
They offer a four-spike plate, which is aggressive but allows for great traction against any surface you might encounter on the course. Many reviewers talk about how lightweight this shoe is. It weighs about 7.0oz. The responsiveness of the cushion makes it easier to endure difficultly in cross country courses. A friend of mine switched to these in high school and absolutely loved them. As a matter of fact, he PR’d at the next race after getting them. And if any of the spikes make sense to purchase, it’s these. They’re reliable, comfortable, and fast for every race.
These are some of the most superior spikes on the market. It features a REVlite midsole and an air mesh Fantom Fit with the no-sew upper. The shoe provides some of the best traction and bounces in the game. These shoes are true to fit – so you’ll feel comfortable purchasing your regular size.
Saucony Kilkenny XC
The Saucony Kilkenny XC’s are the best overall entry-level cross country spikes in the market. If you are looking to invest in cross country spikes, this is our top recommendation. The reason we chose this one is simple: its premium look and ability to perform at high speeds and flexibility in any type of terrain. These shoes also fair nicely as backup spikes for the track & field season. I would recommend using different spikes for the track season, but there’s nothing stopping you from using these XC’s.
Like most cross country spikes, these come equipped with four spike plates at the bottom of the shoe. It’s made entirely of flexible mesh that gives you a fantastic responsive feel throughout your race. Several reviewers that speak highly of this shoe talk about the advantages of the price point and comfortability. It consistently remains one of the most economic choices for cross country spikes and will help get you a reliable performance on meet day.
All of the reviews are positive and rank this shoe highly. One of the reviewers said, “the Saucony Kilkenny XC5’s can come as a tight fit, but [it does the job]… Nevertheless, I’m satisfied”. If shoe size is a concern for you, I recommend using Amazon Wardrobe, which can help you fully determine what fits most comfortably for you.
If you were to chose any cross country shoe to race with this weekend, this should be one. The Saucony Kilkenny’s are our #1 recommended cross country shoe for your next XC/Track season.
Nike Matumbos
The Nike Matumbo 3’s are not cross country spikes, but elite distance runners often use these shoes for both the cross country and track season. These are often regarded as one of the fastest shoes in the market. They are extremely lightweight, only weighing in at about 3.9 oz. It comes with reliable support and great comfortability. Like the Kilkenny XC’s, these are also priced reasonably and are very durable and reliable. The Matumbo 3’s include a horseshoe-shaped spike plate. This innovative technology allows you to increase propulsion, but the downside to this is that the spikes are non-removable ¼ pyramid pins.
The soleplate is grippy and responsive – meaning you can use it in cold/warm temperatures or on the track/XC course. They have a similar upper to the Nike Pegasus series, which is extremely durable. At the heel, they even have additional steel fibers that come with even more grip. Nike does not disappoint with the Matumbo 3’s.
A Division 1 cross country runner described these shoes to be “really light. It felt like I wasn’t even wearing a shoe!” As a result, this shoe has been co-signed by several professional distance runners including Mo Farah, a two-time gold medalist for Great Britain in both the 5K and 10K.
Without a doubt, these should be in every long-distance runner’s arsenal. These are incredibly versatile, lightweight, responsive and everything you’d ever want in cross country spikes.
Benefits of Cross Country Shoes
- You’ll run faster. Unlike track spikes, cross country spikes offer support for the heel. They also enhance running speed ability through technology that allows for breathability and comfort.
- They’re lightweight. When you’re in the middle of the race, the last thing you want is for your shoes to slow you down. On average, cross country spikes weigh less than 5 oz each.
- You won’t be afraid of slipping. With three-eighth inch spikes, your cross country shoes will give you enough traction to have a stable footing on any course. Without cross country spikes, you will have nothing to dig into the ground.
- Pro tip: if you have wet spikes, don’t throw them into the washer. Instead, crumple up old newspapers and stuff them inside your shoes. Leave it overnight to soak up the water.
- They last for several seasons. With proper care, cross country shoes can last for multiple seasons. After every race, it’s important to make sure to clean your spikes. It’s also important to not tighten your spikes too tightly.
- They are versatile. If you do use them on the track, you need to make sure you’re using the right spikes. Using the wrong spike length on the track is cause for disqualification and not effective on courses. However, if you’re looking for advice on finding the right track spikes for your other events, check out our blog post: “The Ultimate Guide to Track Spikes for Every Single Event”.
- Professional athletes swear by them. Mo Farah, Ryan Dohner and other professional athletes use cross country spikes to fight against top-notch competitors. If they’re using every natural advantage to drop time, you should too.
Frequently Asked Questions About Spikes for Cross Country
There are several differences between cross country spikes and track spikes. However, the main difference is that XC spikes are much more lightweight and will likely come with longer spike sizes. Some long-distance track spikes, like the Matumbo 3’s or the New Balance XC v5, can be used in XC races.
It depends. Do you want to have a fundamental difference in your race that makes it both easier and safer to run? Do you want to improve exponentially this season? If you answered yes to both of these questions, it would be a great investment to get one.
We highly recommend purchasing from our list above. These spikes will keep you grounded and help elevate your game to a whole new level. Overall, we’d recommend our first choice: the Saucony Kilkenny XC. However, if you’d like to buy them locally, you can go to a local running store near you.
Great question! You can usually thrive when you are surrounded by others who want to succeed too. This is why we suggest getting a training partner or joining a local club team. If you’re in high school or college, even better! Furthermore, even joining an online community like the r/CrossCountry subreddit on Reddit. Just know that the cross country community is a tight-knit family. It’s always a joy to have new people to run with. You’ll make great friends and mentors. People will give you advice (just as we are with which shoes to get) and you need to listen to get better!
The most important aspect of any running shoe is comfortability. This was found and proven by Dr. Nigg, author of “Biomechanics of Sports Shoes”. With this in mind, know that both track spikes and cross country spikes alike will have a snug fit. Therefore, it would be best to order a size above your regular size. For people with wider feet, this would definitely be recommended.
It is also recommended that you pay close attention to the way you tie your shoes. It sounds pretty intuitive, but if you race with a loose shoe you’ll likely have it rub against your skin.
Imagine you’re at the starting line with your team for the first meet of the year. The course is intense, and it rained yesterday. You can feel the water seeping through your running shoes and now you’re worried about that weighing you down. The gun fires and you immediately slip. You get back up and continue the race, but people are already ahead of you. For the rest of the race, you’re worried about slipping.
Now, I’m not saying that XC spikes are waterproof. As a matter of fact, if that’s what the brand is marketing, you should probably stay away cause they’re focusing on the wrong things.
We would certainly recommend that you use cross country spikes with socks. Please. Your team will certainly hate you if you got sweaty feet and carry your shoes everywhere. It’ll also cause blisters. So please, use socks.
Conclusion
In conclusion, cross country spikes are very necessary to perform with the top dogs. It doesn’t matter if you’re a high school, NCAA, or professional athlete, you’re going to need spikes to be able to compete. It’s time to elevate your game and grab yourself a new pair of spikes. You’ll be thanking yourself all season long.
