The recent publication of robust U.S. POS data for performance running footwear has provided more evidence that the run industry delivered another stellar performance in the second quarter, with Adidas, Altra, Asics, Brooks, Nike, Saucony, and Mizuno and Under Armour’s distribution partner in Brazil among brands or company’s reporting healthy running growth globally in the second quarter and first half. Still, two of the industry’s recent fastest-growing brands, Hoka and On, may have disappointed with indications of slower growth, but they also promised accelerated gains in the quarters ahead.
Running footwear sales jumped 13 percent in both dollars and units in the U.S. in the first half, according to Circana’s Retail Tracking Service. Overall, performance footwear sales increased 6 percent in dollars with unit sales also increasing. Cross-training, golf, volleyball, and other activity-based categories also posted gains.
Circana said the gains reflect “consumers continued investing in products that support movement, wellness, and active lifestyles.”
Among other footwear categories, growth in running-inspired styles was not enough to offset an overall decline in sport lifestyle footwear, although sneaker categories continued to account for the majority of footwear industry sales volume. Fashion footwear sales were flat in the half.
Overall, the U.S. footwear industry increased 1 percent in the half, elevated by higher average prices that offset unit declines. Among other footwear categories, growth in running-inspired styles was not enough to offset an overall decline in sport lifestyle footwear, although sneaker categories continued to account for the majority of footwear industry sales volume.
Fashion footwear sales were flat. In fashion footwear, ballerinas posted double-digit dollar growth, while mules, clogs, and pumps also grew. Fashion sandal sales were stable overall, with gains in slides and flip-flops helping offset weakness in larger multi-strap sandal segments. Beyond fashion, select outdoor segments including hiking, lite hiking, and fishing and water boots, posted gains, “demonstrating continued demand for footwear tied to active lifestyles and practical everyday use,” according to Circana.
“Consumers remain highly intentional about their footwear purchases,” said Beth Goldstein, footwear and accessories industry advisor at Circana. “The biggest growth stories in the first half came from categories that blend comfort, versatility, and performance. Fashion trends are generating excitement and momentum, but sneakers remain the largest part of the business by a wide margin. The long-term winners will be the brands that can combine innovation and relevance with the functionality consumers continue to prioritize in how they are living, working, and moving today.”
Similar results were seen in the first quarter, when Circana reported overall dollar sales across U.S. footwear categories grew 1 percent with gains of 5 percent in performance and 2 percent in fashion offsetting a decline in sport lifestyle.
Joey Pointer, president and CEO at Fleet Feet, told SGB Executive, ” At Fleet Feet, running footwear sales remain healthy, driven by strong new products, continued participation in running and walking and customers’ willingness to invest when they see a clear difference in comfort and performance Consumers are being thoughtful about where they spend. They’re comparing options and paying attention to price, but they’ll invest in the right product when it’s paired with a personalized fit, knowledgeable service and a trusted local relationship.”
Matt Powell, a veteran footwear analyst and senior advisor, BCE Consulting, said running footwear styles continue to benefit from casualization trends. He told SGB Executive, “Running shoes worn as sportswear remains the most important fashion trend in sneakers. We believe the category will continue to grow faster than the rest of footwear. Can we finally put the “brown shoes are making a comeback” story to bed?”
Below is a breakout of recent performance by key brands in the running space.
Brooks Running Sees 14 Percent First-Half Growth
Brooks Running, a portfolio company of Berkshire Hathaway, reported 14 percent growth in the first half, supported by 9 percent growth year-over-year in the Americas. International markets reportedly accelerated, with revenue up 39 percent in the EMEA region and 10 percent in APAC.
In a media release, Brooks also said the company logged a “record Q2.”
The performance for the first half was said to build on a “record” first quarter that saw the brand’s Q1 sales climb 23 percent year-over-year, supported by gains of 20 percent in North America, 30 percent on a currency-neutral basis in EMEA, and a 136 percent surge in China year-over-year to start the year. While still exhibiting double-digit growth for the first half, the performance in the second quarter most likely fell far short of the Q1 performance if the H1 period only grew 14 percent.
Brooks shared some figures at the model level for the second quarter. In its 25th year, the Adrenaline GTS reportedly “grew 19 percent year-over-year in Q2, reflecting continued demand for the company’s stability franchise.” Trail running remained a standout category, with trail styles growing a reported “71 percent year-over-year in Q2, fueled by increased demand for Ghost Trail and the Cascadia franchise, which grew 58 percent during the quarter.”
In apparel, Brooks said it continued building momentum through its “Movement and PR Elite” collections, while established franchises such as “Luxe and Chaser” remained strong contributors. In an expanding category for the brand, “accessories grew as reported 29 percent year-over-year in Q2.”
Brooks also claims that according to Upper Quadrant Specialty Run Market Data from April to June 2026, the brand maintained its No. 1 position for the sixth straight month in run specialty, extending its market share for the rolling year.
Hoka Quarterly Growth Slows to 8 Percent, Return to DD Growth Predicted
Deckers Brands reported sales at Hoka in the first fiscal quarter ended June 30 grew 7.7 percent to $703.5 million, in line with guidance calling for an increase in the high-single-digits but slightly below analysts’ consensus targets. The 7.7 percent gain marked a sharp pullback from a 14.5 percent jump seen in its prior fiscal fourth quarter and a 15.9 percent gain for the prior full fiscal year.
Hoka’s gain was driven by a 17 percent surge in direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales, with growth across Europe, China, Japan, and the U.S. Wholesale sales increased only 3 percent as growth in North America offset declines in Europe due to the order-timing shift connected to the opening of a new warehouse in Europe in 2025 that caused shipments arriving earlier than normal in the year-ago period. Deckers continued to reiterated its expectation that Hoka sales would expand low-double-digits for the fiscal year as sales are expected to accelerate in the second half when the shipments in Europe normalize.
Hoka’s growth is expected to be driven by expanded distribution, with reports arriving that Sports Direct started selling Hoka soon after the earnings release arrived.
Stefano Caroti, Deckers’ CEO and president, said on an analyst call, “You’ll definitely see some new partners, again, partners to help elevate and champion the brand, especially in sporting goods in the back half of the year. And expansion given the broader assortment that we have with existing partners, both sporting goods and athletic specialty.”
A second driver of growth is expected to be new launches, including those that expand the brand to more casual consumers. On the call, Deckers officials cited successful recent launches of the Clifton 11 and Clifton Pro as well as the Speedgoat 7, Mach 7, Mafate Speed 2, and Skyward.
Among recent launches, Caroti said Deckers is “very encouraged” by the early consumer response to the Clifton Pro, which was launched two weeks prior. He added that some wholesale accounts are “already placing reorders.” He noted that the Clifton Pro uses a ProGlide+ midsole system and helps make the brand’s Glide and Fly ranges “more intuitive for consumers.” The Clifton Pro launched with selective strategic wholesale segmentation, while the Clifton 11 update is positioned for broader wholesale distribution with both styles available through DTC.
Hoka is also seeing “very encouraging bookings” for the Mach Pro, which is part of the Fly collection and set for spring 2027 release. Caroti said, “The introduction of Hoka brand technologies is helping create more structure and differentiation throughout our innovation pipeline across performance and lifestyle, improving model clarity for consumers, supporting premium price points and expanding the Hoka brand’s addressable market over time.”
On Slightly Lowers FY Top-Line Guidance
On Holding AG’s sales jumped 21.6 percent on a constant-currency (CC) basis in the second quarter to CHF 850.3 million (~$1.08 bn). Earnings also topped analyst targets, but shares fell 20.3 percent on the day results were released as the company lowered its outlook for the year due to weak sell-throughs in its U.S. Wholesale channel.
For the year, On now expects global sales to climb in the low-20 percent range on a constant-currency basis while previously expecting sales growth of “at least 23 percent” on a constant-currency basis. On still kept its earnings guidance for the year, calling for adjusted EBITDA margin in the range 19.5 percent to 20.0 percent as it raised its expectations for gross margins to at least 65.0 percent, up from at least 64.5 percent, to offset the sales shortfall.
By region in the quarter, sales in the Americas grew 4.5 percent (+13.0 percent CC), to CHF 451.6 million as the softer growth at Wholesale was offset by accelerated DTC growth. In the APAC region, sales grew 54.7 percent at constant currency and by 43.1 percent on a reported basis, to CHF 170.5 million. EMEA’s sales were up 20.5 percent at constant currency and 15.4 percent on a reported basis, to CHF 228.2 million.
Globally, DTC increased 34.3 percent at constant currency while Wholesale grew 12. percent on the same basis. The strength in DTC was cited as a sign of continued strong demand.
On an analyst call, Caspar Coppetti, founder and co-CEO, said on the analyst call, “In D2C, we are seeing strong growth ahead of our expectation in each region. It is really a positive momentum that is driven by overall brand heat and brand demand.” However, most of the analysts’ questions on the call explored the below-par results in Americas’ wholesale channel, with management indicating the wholesale sell-throughs in other regions are on plan.
“In wholesale, the sell-out of some of our everyday running franchises tracked below our ambitions in a highly promotional multi-brand marketplace, particularly in the Americas,” said Allemann. “Clearly, this is something we are not pleased with.”
Asked about the variation between the performance of DTC versus wholesale, Coppetti said DTC benefits from having a “very, very loyal customer” and it’s also attracting many younger consumers with one-third of DTC customers under the age of 34. He added, “It’s also a next generation that is coming to us. Of course, they’re coming to us as a premium brand and they’re not looking for price, but they’re looking for innovation, they’re looking for cultural relevance. That’s the primary driver in that channel.”
By comparison, On faces more price-driven competition at the wholesale level. Coppetti said, “In a wholesale channel, of course, you’re more exposed to a very promotional environment. It’s more of a choice that you have. That’s why we feel we have a very strong consumer. We have higher awareness now, 30 percent. We have a young new cohort coming to us, and that’s what drives the DTC growth that you have seen at more than 34 percent.”
On’s management was also faced with questions about its decision to reduce sell-ins into U.S. wholesale to avoid inventory build-up and related markdown pressures. The lean inventory stance is expected to support the launch of new products. On the call, officials highlighted upcoming launches of the CloudX 5 with CleanCloud, Cloudboom Strike 2, Cloudsurfer 3, Cloudsurfer Max 2 and a broader refresh of its everyday running line.
Frank Sluis, on his first quarterly call as the company’s CFO, said, “With sellouts softer in some of our everyday running franchises in a highly promotional environment, we chose to hold back sell-in rather than ship volume that would build inventory in the channel and put our full price integrity at risk. It costs us some wholesale growth, but it protects our partners’ inventory health, our premium positioning, and ensures the best position for launching what we believe are outstanding innovations in 2027.”
Asics North America Sees 19 Percent Q2 Growth in U.S.
Asics North America (ANA) reported that it delivered double-digit revenue growth in the second quarter across its three regions, with gains of 19.4 percent in the U.S., 25.8 percent in Canada, and 30.4 percent in Mexico.
Asics Corp. in its financial statements indicated that sales in North America totaled ¥46,543 million ($293 mm) in the quarter, up 33.8 percent. Operating profits in North America surged 183 percent to ¥12,697 million from ¥4,486 million.
In its statement, ANA said the wholesale channel “remained the primary growth driver” for all three regions and product categories (Performance Run, SportStyle and Core Performance Sports. In the quarter, the U.S. wholesale channel was up 36.6 percent compared to the same period in 2025, while year to date, the channel is up 39.2 percent in the U.S.
Said Koichiro Kodama, president and CEO of Asics North America. “As we continue to grow our business, we know that our wholesale partners are very instrumental in so many aspects, including their trust, collaboration and shared commitment to exceptional customer service.”
The Run Specialty trade channel “continues to see success,” up 14.2 percent across North America in the quarter versus the same period last year. Asics said, “demand for Asics’ innovative running products remain high,” specifically citing Gel-Nimbus, Gel-Kayano and The Blast silo of performance products, which includes Novablast, Sonicblast, Superblast and Megablast shoes. Introduced near the conclusion of the first quarter, the Superblast 3 model helped propel the Blast product line to a 91.7 percent sales increases compared to the second quarter of 2025.
The SportStyle category “sustained its impressive growth” posting a 77.6 percent sales increase in the quarter versus the same period last year, including a 95.7 percent increase in the wholesale channel across all categories, including at boutique and athletic specialty/sporting goods. The Gel-1130 and Gel-NYC footwear models produced triple-digit growth for the second consecutive quarter and were supported by strong sales of the Gel-Cumulus 16 shoe.
Across the Core Performance Sports (tennis and other racket sports, volleyball and wrestling), Asics’ tennis and racket sports footwear were the “primary growth drivers,” assisting in the 20 percent sales increase within the wholesale channel against the same period last year. Sales of the Gel-Resolution, Solution Speed and Gel-Dedicate shoes all grew compared to the same period last year.
Saucony’s Q2 Sales Climb 10 Percent, FY Outlook Raised
Wolverine Worldwide, Inc. reported Saucony’s revenue increased 9.9 percent, or 9.0 percent growth in constant-currency (CC) terms, to $158.6 million in the second quarter, building on top of 40 percent growth in the second quarter last year. The increase was said to be driven by growth in both Wholesale and direct-to-consumer (DTC). He said the brand’s momentum remains strong, and WWW was raising its outlook for the brand to mid-teens growth for the year, which is at the high end of the prior guide for low- to mid-teens growth.
Wholesale growth was said to be led by international markets along with continued gains in the U.S.
Wolverine CEO Chris Hufnagel on an analyst call said that the company continues to believe that Saucony is uniquely positioned as a disruptive challenger brand at the intersection of Performance Running and Lifestyle Running, which he said were two of the fastest growing categories in the market. The gains across are Performance and Lifestyle are being supported by ongoing marketing investments and new products that are resonating with consumers.
In the Performance Running category, Hufnagel said Saucony gained market share at U.S. run specialty in the quarter and showed well in major marathons this spring, ranking in the top-five most worn brands at Boston and London, and “notably second among women at the Boston Marathon.”
“With the brand’s Endorphin collection, its pinnacle offering for elite runners, Saucony launched a new version of its most innovative shoe, the Endorphin Elite 3, and plans to launch an all-new Endorphin model in 2027 that we believe will further elevate innovation performance for serious runners,” the CEO detailed. “In Saucony’s Core 4 franchises, which are targeted towards a more casual runner, the brand introduced the new Triumph 24 and Hurricane 26 in the last couple of months, and they are driving franchise growth on saucony.com in early selling with positive feedback from our Wholesale partners.”
He said Saucony also continues to fuel brand heat in its Lifestyle business with compelling styles and thoughtfully selected collaborators who are helping develop the brand’s relevance on several different dimensions.
“In the second quarter, the brand dropped collaborations with Estudio Niksen, Greyson, two with Engineered Garments, and Minted New York, the last of which was launched in an event hosted at our Covent Garden Pioneer Store in London, generating exceptional brand energy,” Hufnagel explained.
“Earlier this month the brand plans to drop a highly anticipated collaboration with Westside Gunn, building on a partnership that continues to strengthen the brand’s credibility in streetwear and culture. In June, Saucony launched the Ride 1 as part of its extensive Paris Fashion Week presence, including a host of activations with influential collaborators, retailers, and consumers. The brand also introduced the Kinvara 1 and ProGrid Paramount in top of the pyramid distribution, while the ProGrid Omni 9 continued to drive growth globally.”
Altra Again Delivers Double-Digit Q2 Growth
Alta, owned by VF Corp., saw sales again expand double-digits in the VF’s fiscal first quarter ended June 27. The gains marked its sixth straight quarter of double-digit growth.
Bracken Darrell, VF’s president and CEO, said on an analyst call, “Altra continues to deliver, building on a strong performance last year, and progressing towards another year of powerful growth. Franchise styles including Lone Peak, Torin, The Experience Flow and Wild continue to perform well. We are continuing to invest in brand awareness, which remains low but is growing. Altra plays in a very large addressable market. For perspective, we’re a leader in trail running but road running is 10 times as large of a market. Even though we’ve only recently gotten seriously into road running, over the past few quarters, road running has become larger for Altra than trail running for the brand. As I’ve said before, we believe this brand will be a $1 billion-plus brand over time.”
Nike Fifth Consecutive Quarter of Double-Digit Growth in Run
Nike delivered its fifth consecutive quarter of double-digit growth in running in its fiscal fourth quarter ended May 31, adding about $1 billion to its running business over those five quarters.
Elliott Hill, Nike’s president and CEO, said, “ In FY ’26, across Western Europe and North America, we gained 5 points of running market share in statement footwear, more than any other top-five brand.”
Running has been one of the few bright spots for Nike. Nike officials said the growth has benefited from a simplified go-to-market strategy that focuses three core product franchises on distinct performance benefits: Pegasus for responsive everyday energy return, Vomero for maximum plush comfort, and Structure for stable, supportive support.
Among regions in the fourth quarter, running saw double-digit growth in North America and APLA while seeing “continued momentum” in EMEA. Running grew mid-single digits in Greater China despite the overall region showing a 17 percent currency-neutral decline
Adidas Drives 28 Percent Global Q2 Growth in Running
At Adidas, running sales jumped 28 percent in the second quarter, building on gains of 28 percent in the first quarter, 36 percent in the 2025 fourth quarter and 29 percent overall in 2025.
“Running has never been stronger,” said Bjorn Gulden, Adidas’ CEO, on an analyst call.
.Accomplishments in running cited on Adidas’ quarterly analyst call include several from its ambassadors, including Emmanuel Wanyonyi breaking the 1000-meter world record, Noah Lyles breaking the 150-meter world record, Gadise Demissie winning the Rio Marathon, and Ja’kobe Tharp breaking the 110-meter hurdles record. Adidas also noted that the Adidas Supernova Rise 3 Adaptive winning the Innovation Lion Grand Prix at the 20th/2026 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.
Gulden said, “If you then look at the different categories from the consumer point of view, I think it’s far fair to say that we are winning in running. We are winning competitions on the road, on the track. We are sponsoring big events and our running shoes in general are having great sell-throughs, which was not the case three years ago.”
Image courtesy Brooks
