Trail runners are some of the most extreme athletes around – and the right shoe makes all the difference to their performance. The norda™ 005 brings together 3 advanced materials including Arnitel® TPE-E to create the lightest, fastest and most stable trail running shoes available.

Trail runners race and train under some of the most extreme conditions. Ultramarathon distances. Vast temperature ranges. A variety of trail conditions in the wild. The right shoe can improve an athlete’s running economy by 3–5%, shaving precious minutes off marathon times. Yet, the foam midsole in their shoes often degrades quickly and lacks the durability and sustainability athletes are looking for.

Lighter. Faster. More Stable.

When Montréal-based norda™ planned the 005 shoe, they wanted to build a super shoe that was the lightest, fastest, and most stable trail runner available. Super shoes are ultra-lightweight running shoes that typically have a very high rebound. In the race to build the lightest shoe, the trend has been midsoles based on very low-density foams that have high rebound. These midsoles are typically made using physical foaming technologies under supercritical conditions.

When pushing the limits of lighter weight, the longevity of the foam is challenged, tending to break down prematurely under repetitive loads. These midsoles often lack the stability of heavier and more dense midsoles, and struggle with effective shock damping on challenging terrain, an extremely important factor in trail running. To compensate for the lack of stability and shock damping, some shoes are designed with a double midsole divided by a stiffener plate. These are typically made of carbon fiber composites, adding rebound and stability at the expense of weight and design complexity. Another way designers compensate for poor damping is to increase the stack height of the midsoles, countering the weight savings of using ultra-low density foams.

Envalior’s Arnitel® TPE-E super foam enabled norda™ to design the 005 without a carbon plate at normal midsole stack height, obtaining benchmark performance in weight, energy return, shock damping, and stability – consistently over a long period of use. norda™ 005 brings together the best three advanced materials to achieve its aim: a virtually indestructible bio-based Dyneema® upper, Envalior’s Arnitel® TPE-E for the foam midsole, and a Vibram Megagrip Elite outsole.

Midsole R&D focuses on the best performance

After a year of partnering with norda™ and the foam manufacturer on midsole research and development, we co-developed the first super shoe without a carbon plate. But we took a different approach. Rather than telling the foam manufacturer what to use, norda™ asked the foam manufacturer and Envalior’s Arnitel® TPE-E foaming experts how they could get the best performing midsole.

The properties intrinsic to Arnitel® TPE-E – a thermoplastic polyester elastomer TPE-E grade engineered to have excellent rebound properties, benchmark fatigue resistance and a lower melting point that enables optimal physical foam processing to make very low density foams – helped norda design the 005 with superior stability, damping and rebound properties that outlast other foams and midsole materials. As a result, the norda™ 005 are a full ounce lighter than competitive options, saving thousands of pounds of energy efficiency over the course of a race.

Midsole performance that outlasts the competition

The midsole for the 005 is made from one of the most advanced physical foam compounds in the world. Foams made from Arnitel® TPE-E demonstrate superior rebound, returning more than 80% of the athlete’s energy without the need for a carbon plate – and the performance does not decrease after the first 50–100 miles, as often seen with other materials. The Arnitel® TPE-E foam allows for a low stack height without losses in durability or protection from what’s on the trail, and low compression set.

The midsole offers more than 80% rebound with double the cushion, support and responsiveness of competitive materials. It provides consistent performance across different trail and climate conditions, and it outlasts competitive midsole materials.

Athletes expect to get 250–500 miles of consistent performance from the 005, significantly outlasting competitive super shoes.

Arnitel® TPE-E also offers easy processing using physical foaming solutions, a low carbon footprint with eco- and bio-based grades, and recycling options that contribute to circular economies.

Trusted by more than 15 footwear brands, Envalior backs all its material sales with advanced computer-aided engineering (CAE) and design support, including the development of specialized grades, when required.

“Our vision was to create a trail runner that would last through multiple race days,” says Nick Martire, CEO of norda™. “So far since the launch in 2025, the norda 005 has already achieved 5 x UTMB major podiums by our elite norda trail team athletes. Partnering with Envalior empowers norda to keep pushing to limits of innovation, and provides our athletes with the most advanced equipment to achieve their full potential."