WSER 2026 Shoes

The 2026 Western States Endurance Run (WSER 100) was a historic, record-breaking year with unseasonably cool weather and two new course records by Jenn Lichter and Vincent Bouillard.

The footwear on display at the front of the pack read like an unreleased product roadmap—prototypes completely dominated the podiums for both the men and women.

Here are the specific shoes worn by the Top 10 Men and Top 10 Women finishers at the 2026 Western States 100:

Top 10 Men's Shoes

Rank

Finisher

Shoe Brand & Model Worn

1

Vincent Bouillard

Hoka Tecton X Prototype (Custom refined version)

2

Francesco Puppi

Hoka Tecton X 3

3

Ryan Montgomery

La Sportiva Prodigio Pro

4

Thomas Cardin

Kiprun Kipsummit Race

5

Zach Miller

The North Face Vectiv Pro 4 (Prototype)

6

Adam Peterman

Hoka Rocket X Trail

7

Jeff Mogavero

On Cloudultra Pro

8

Canyon Woodward

Mount 2 Coast M1 (Custom)

9

Will Murray

Brooks Cascadia Elite / Cascadia 19

10

Hiroki Kai

Hoka

Top 10 Women's Shoes

Rank

Finisher

Shoe Brand & Model Worn

1

Jenn Lichter

Nike Kigerfly (Prototype) / Nike ACG Ultrafly

2

Riley Brady

Nike Kigerfly (Prototype)

3

Marianne Hogan

Salomon S/Lab Ultraglide 1.5 (Prototype variant)

4

Caitlin Fielder

Adidas Terrex Prototype

5

Lotti Brinks

Hoka Tecton X Prototype

6

Tara Dower

Altra Mont Blanc Carbon (Modified; no BOA system)

7

Fuzhao Xiang

Arc'teryx Sylan Pro 2 / Norvan LD4

8

Fiona Pascall

Adidas Terrex Prototype

9

Hau Ha

Kailas Fuga EX Pro

10

Hannah Allgood

Adidas Terrex

Key Footwear Trends from the Race:

• The "Kigerfly" Explodes: Nike's unreleased trail super-shoe prototype swept the top two positions in the women's field under Jenn Lichter and Riley Brady.

• Hoka Dominates the Men's Podium: Hoka secured a 1-2 finish on the men's side. Winner Vincent Bouillard ran in a highly personalized Tecton X proto, while second-place Francesco Puppi relied on the newly available retail Tecton X 3.

• Plates & Super-Foams are Mandated: Nearly every shoe in the top flights featured carbon or composite plates paired with ultra-responsive, high-stack midsoles, proving that "road super-shoe" tech has officially fully integrated into premium trail racing.