I had to blink the first time I landed on the product page for the Nike ACG Ultrafly Trail. I’d seen lots of promotional assets ahead of the release (see here and here), where the trainer is caked with mud. But in the end, it’s hi-vis orange — and like any other brand-new shoe, being sold without a stain or scratch.
As subconscious advertising schemes go, this one is a Swoosh-worthy doozy. I can’t say I’m pining for the neon version of Nike’s new shoes (which retail for $260, by the way). But at the same time: I’d love one of those battle-tested pairs.
Nike understands the obstacles between me and those mucked-up shoes. I’ve simply got to buy a pair and go for four or five trail runs. Ideally some in inclement weather. Only then can I add my submission to a feed of dusty user-generated content, and earn a distinctly 2026 badge of honor.
This year — and for the foreseeable future — I’d expect dirty shoes to sell shoes. Look to content from French running brand Satisfy, or Kilian Jornet’s label Nnormal. Weather-beaten trainers are increasingly becoming an aesthetic. They also perfectly capture the current moment in running culture: everybody’s got trail fever.
As I reported last year from the foothills of Chamonix, on scene for Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB), trail running has absolutely exploded in recent years. Last year’s State of Trail Running report detailed 12% year-over-year growth since 2010, fueling a now-$20-billion sector. There are nearly 15 million trail runners around the world, and that number is only going up.
How did we get here? It’s an inevitable tributary of the larger running boom. Look to AllTrails, Strava, improved GPS watches, FKTs, influencers. The list goes on. I’d also suggest a less buzzy etymology: people are really burnt out, for a million different reasons, and like running in the woods and mountains. They now have better gear and tech to do so.
Dirty shoes are for “athletes who choose wild,” to quote directly from Nike’s press release. That framing can be aspirational or oppositional, depending on how a customer chooses to perceive it. For the former: I love the quiet of the woods. The challenge of leaping over rocks and roots. I can’t wait to get these things dirty. For the latter: I’ve had enough of bougie run clubs and people wearing pristine Salomons in the Whole Foods checkout line. I can’t wait to get these things dirty.
If it seems like ACG is all of a sudden everywhere, that’s because it is; Nike made its sub-label (which stands for All Conditions Gear) a big part of these Winter Games, and recently launched a dedicated shopping hub, with tons of outdoor products. Nike is clearly all-in on outdoor performance and hoping to steal back some cultural oxygen from On, HOKA and Salomon. The Ultrafly is a fitting spearhead.
It is a racing shoe, I should mention. Will everyone who buys a pair sign up for an ultra? Probably not. But plenty of runners will make sure they don’t neon for long — and post the proof.
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