Top 4 Best Spikes for this Cross Country Season

Overview of Top 5 Options

For cross country my main point in choosing your spike is just to choose what you will be most confident in. Courses and runners vary a lot so there is no one best option, but some shoes will consistently deliver solid performance regardless. As an overarching rule, most “super spikes” built for track will perform well on a cross country course, as you will see with my choices below. If a certain spike works super well for your distance events on the track, there is no reason it won’t work on the XC course. One good way to tell if a spike is going to perform for XC is to see what professional and NIL athletes are wearing in their races. If they race in a shoe, they are confident it will perform. Just make sure that you use longer cross country needles instead of the 1/4" pyramids that are included with most track spikes.

Dragonfly (1 or XC) - Tried and True

The Dragonfly has really become the gold standard for a distance spike. At pretty much all xc races I’ve been to, the vast majority of runners, myself included, will be wearing the Dragonfly’s. With the introduction of the XC version Nike seems to have created an even better option for the course, but in practice there is little difference between the versions. Most pro athletes still wear the OG Dragonflys despite the XC version existing (See picture below). While it does have a bit more support and a softer outsole, it is also heavier, so unless you are running on super rocky courses consistently, I would go with whichever one is cheaper. With the introduction of the Dragonfly 2 both can be found on sale pretty easily, making it my favorite pick for XC season next year.

Ride - The Nike Dragonfly has a lot of ground feel and is fairly rigid thanks to its full length Pebax Plate, It won’t feel as cushioned as some other options, but will still give lots of pop and energy return. 

What about version 2? - The new Dragonfly is currently extremely hard to get, only features 4 spikes, and is more expensive so it is not a top pick for me.

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On Cloudspike 10000m - The Preppy New Comer

In my opinion, the On Cloudspike 10000m is basically a suped up Dragonfly with more comfort, more support, and more pop. Because of this, I will likely be racing most of next year in these as they just feel more solid than the Dragonfly to me. I don’t have any negatives about the Cloudspike 10000m and am excited to put up some fast times in them next year.

Ride - The Cloudspike will feel a bit more cushioned and bouncy than the Dragonfly, but will also lack a bit of ground feel. The full length carbon fiber plate It is very rigid so will have a bit more pop while also being more aggressive

‍Adidas Adizero Avanti Tyo - The All Rounder

These are probably one of my favorite options for XC due to the soft bottom and relaxed feel of the spike. These spike will perform amazing on pretty much any course and have amazing durability so I don’t think you can really go wrong here. I’m hesitant to put these as my favorite but I did race an entire XC season in these 2 years ago and plan to bring them out for a race or two next year. If you are running on lots of rocky courses these could be your best bet. If you of choose these make sure to go at least a half size down as they do run long.

Ride - In terms of ride they are very soft and cushioned underfoot, but they do not have a ton of pop due to its lack of rigidity and energy rod setup. They are also the least aggressive of the group feeling more like a minimalistic super shoe.

What about version 2? - At the time of writing version two just came out and does not have the same soft bottom. However they seem to be more in line with the Dragonfly and Cloudspike compared to the original.

‍Hoka Cielo Flyx - Interesting but a Wild Card

I haven't gotten the chance to fully put these threw their paces, but they seem to be an exciting option for xc season. Although the upper is a bit narrow, the 25mm of stack heigh creates tons of bounce and cushion, making them a great option for longer distances. Notably Kole Mathison, Hoka NIL and CU Boulder Athlete, chose to race world’s in these giving me a decent amount of confidence in their performance. However I haven’t seen a ton of others running in them so watch out for my review on Supwell Track to hear my thoughts after better testing.

Ride - The Hoka Cielo FlyX is the bounciest and softest of the group, but is also the heaviest. On the track it is great for settling into slower paces but its higher stack height could cause some stability issues on the course. It is also fairly rigid featuring a composite plate.

Notable Mentions

Brooks Hyperion LD

The Brooks Hyperion LD is one of my favorite track spikes at the moment and the first off the list for me. It is still and amazing option for XC, but the upper on this one is the main thing holding it back for cross country. It is extremely breathable and could let a ton of dirt and water into your shoe which is not great. For me I also get the feeling the that the outsole will not be super well suited for XC, but that might just be me.

‍Nike Air Zoom Victory 2

Very interested to try this one out for cross country. The past model was may to aggressive and unstable for XC but with pros like Sifan Hassan take it up to 10k, it could prove to be a pretty good option, but is also pretty expensive for a shoe that’s just going to get torn up on the course.

‍Hoka Cielo LD

This spike honestly was really on my radar before I started doing research for this article. However in looking at what the pros wear, these seam to pop up a lot. They look to be extremely cushioned and also on sale a lot so could be a pretty good option for XC. 

‍Nike Victory XC 5

The Nike Victory is definitely a usable option for XC. If you get a great deal on it by all means I would totally recommend it, but it has been out for quite a while now and is technically not a super spike. If you want something with a similar vibe but more super, I would go with the New Balance XC-X or Adidas Adizero Avanti Tyo.

‍New Balance XC-X

In all honesty I have never gotten to try this shoe personally, but it seems to be more of an a XC spike designed with super shoe technology. Haven't seen a ton of people wearing them and don't seem to interesting but could be an interesting option if your into it.

‍New Balance Track Spikes

Unfortunately, although New Balance spikes on the track are amazing with options such as the MD-X V3 and LD-X showing up on tons of podiums, they do not feature removable spikes making them hard to recommend for XC. Cross courses wears out spikes a lot so not being able to remove them is a big downside for me.

‍Super Shoes!

For pretty much all grasses courses a good pair of super shoes will work amazing. If the conditions are dry and similar to a golf course these will likely be your best bet. I was a big fan of the Vaporfly 2s but that was a bit ago and better options have probably come out by now.

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