Cross Country Spikes 2025 | Our Top Picks

The cross country season is upon us! Jacob and Hayden take a look at the top spikes for cross country for fall of 2025.

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CHAPTERS:
0:00 Intro
0:15 Trainers vs. Spikes
1:12 Entry Spike 1
1:58 Entry Spike 2
2:51 Entry Spike 3
3:28 Entry Spike 4
3:55 Advanced Spike 1
5:30 Advanced Spike 2
7:02 Advanced Spike 3
7:28 Spike Types
7:43 Performance Socks
9:05 Spike Sizing
9:38 Outro

Hey, guys. I’m Hayden I’m Jacob. Welcome back to Fitness Tested. And today we’ll be reviewing our favorite
cross country spikes of 2025. So at Fitness Sports here
we have a ton of running shoes. So trainers are used for your practices,
for your long runs, for your workouts. We made a whole separate video
on our favorite cross country trainers. But our spikes, Jacob,
what do you think about our spikes? Why do we need spikes in cross country? Yeah. So spikes are what you’re going
to pull out for race day. So your daily trainers use that for all
your mileage on the roads, on the trails. But when it comes to race day, you need a
good pair of cross country spikes. And the big reason for that
is the weight savings you get from it. And also the traction. They’re going to have specialized traction
in spikes like the Dragonfly XC at the bottom. And you also have your specialized spikes. So you’re going to have put in
just for better grip and just have that lightweight feel for race day,
you know, to throw down some good PRs. For sure. okay. So let’s get into our favorite entry
level spikes. So this is the Nike Rival XC. This is Nike’s
entry level spike comes in at $70. If you’ve never worn a spike before
I think this is great because it feels sort of like a shoe
in the — in the sense that it’s comfortable, but it’s also going
to give you a lot of grip on the cross country course. It’s not as responsive
as, Nike’s and other brands’ advanced level spike, but obviously it’s because
it’s going to be a little bit heavier. It’s going to feel more like a shoe. So for that reason, I think it’s great if it’s your first cross country spike, if it’s your first time
racing cross country. And $70 price point. So that’s really good for a spike. Yeah. We got another entry level
spike from New Balance, the FuelCell XC7 v5. So these are going to have
all the characteristics of an XC spike with the reinforced upper,
that more grippy outsole. You know, for the muddy conditions
you can get on a cross country course. Obviously the spike holes for those
three-eighth inch spikes for race day. And, for the foam
it uses the FuelCell foam. It is going to be a different blend
than in their race day shoes. Like with the super trainers. Because they really do mix it up
in terms of the blend of the peba in each of their midsoles, but
is going to be more of that lightweight, responsive midsole for the XC7s. And this is great for any entry level
cross country runner looking to throw down a PR for race day. The next entry level spike we have for you is the Saucony Havok XC. So, this guys
obviously a Saucony entry level spike. I really like it because the bottom of it
is super durable and grippy. Which if you’re someone that likes
a little bit more grip on the grass on the cross course,
this is a good spike for you. It’s obviously going to have
those six spike holes as well. But this guy I think is great. If you like a little bit more grip. It’s going to feel more like a shoe obviously compared to some advanced level
spikes. But great cross spike right here. Yeah. And another notable one from Saucony
are the Saucony Kilkenny. And those are going to be a little bit,
less aggressive plate, slightly slightly more foam underfoot. So a little bit heavier. But that’s going to be better for,
more of the entry level. These are slightly more advanced,
but still good for entry level spike. You know, both of that $85 price range. All right, so now Hayden and I are going to dive into the more advanced
level cross-country spikes. What I’ve got here are the Dragonfly XC. They are still on the first iteration
of these shoes. They’ve been out for the past couple years
or so and, Yeah, because Nike originally released
the Dragonfly, just the regular Dragonfly
for all of the track events. And most people also just used that
for all their cross country races, too. And then they release the Dragonfly XC. Which the difference between the Dragonfly
XC and the regular Dragonflies The primary differences are the upper,
which for the Dragonfly XC, it’s going to be a lot more reinforced in
some of those high wear areas on the side. You know, just so a lot of time on the cross country course,
it can get pretty messy. And some sloped hills
where you can roll your ankle. So it’s more reinforced for that reason, also more reinforced at the toes
because you can tend to bust the toes on those tough cross country courses. And the other big differentiator,
with the Dragonfly XC is the grip on the bottom. It is going to have different grip. It’s going to have the same spike hole. Actually, it’s a different spike hole setup with six spikes
opposed to the now four. In the Dragonfly 2, so it is just a lot
better gauged for the cross country course in terms of the grip
being more reinforced. It is going to use all of that same
set up in the midsole with the ZoomX foam and the, the plate
running through the midsole as well. For that light, snappy ride. Yeah. So obviously I’ve got the Nike Dragonfly 2
in my hand, like Jacob was saying. So both spikes you’re going to have,
yeah, the same midsole, same plastic plate running throughout. But this guy is a little bit lighter
and I think, like if you’re running on like, cross country courses
that are like just a golf course or pretty smooth grass, like,
you’re not running on rocks, you’re not running through through
like rough terrain. I think this guy will work great,
especially with how light it is. I think it’s it’s comfortable
for me on the cross course. One thing that,
which I referenced in a video earlier, the biggest difference
between the Dragonfly 1 and the Dragonfly 2 here
is how comfortable the shoe is. Especially the arch area. They made a lot more comfortable, and there was just a lot of things
that people complained about. The Dragonfly 1, in terms of fit
causing blisters. It was causing
some irritation in the shoe, and I feel like they really nailed it with the Dragonfly 2 which helps a lot
on the cross course when you are like it is unstable,
you need that extra comfortability. So I think that really helps. Yeah. Comfortability bro?? What did I just say? So on the cross course,
I think this fit upgrade from the Dragonfly 1 to the Dragonfly 2 makes a big difference because you are
a little unstable on the grass. So that’s why
I really do like this spike. If you’re on courses that don’t work,
that aren’t super technical. But both great options. Both come in at 170. Another honorable mention, for the cross country spikes for 2025
would be the On Cloudspike XC, which this is a newer one that On released to be more specialized
for cross country opposed to track. This is gonna use more of their advanced
foam with the Helion foam. And it’s going to be lightweight ready
to roll for race day and more for that advanced cross country runner. So, all these spikes will come with three-eighth spikes, which is kind of
the standard in cross country. If your course is super muddy
or there’s bad conditions, I would say you can put in, a little bit
of a longer spike or like a pyramid. So I think that’ll work
well for traction. So some people like going
no socks on the track, but I think on the cross country course,
I like wearing socks because obviously you’re going through
a lot more through that grass, like it’s a rougher terrain. So you need to be a little bit easier
on your, on your feet. A thin sock like a Feetures
Ultra Light is going to be perfect for cross country course in a spike. I think it’s also fun to kind of have
like a specialty sock for only your races kind of makes it more special. So this is what I wear in my cross
country races. This is the Feetures Ultra Light.
We’ve got some fun colors here. Obviously
we’ve got like some regular colors, like a white, a black or like a gray,
but some fun colors here. So yeah, I mean, the big thing that’s going to help
with too is going to be blister proof, which you can be very prone to blisters
with all the rubbing, for race day. And then the other key
part is the sweat wicking aspect. These are going to have the sweat
wicking materials with, primarily nylon 95% nylon, 5% spandex material, in these. So that helps a lot, especially on the
hot, humid, summer days on the course. It can be pretty hot in August
for the runners. Yeah. And, like, even, like, just like,
if you’re on, like, a wet course, it’s not going to hold water
like a cotton sock does. So it’s going to keep you relatively dry
as much as it can it more lightweight. I mean, yeah, with the cotton sock too. It’s going to just soak up
the water like a sponge. And it would be like weighing
an extra pound just with the water
soaked up in your sock. And yeah, with the thinner sock too. And also just in general for cross country spikes,
you will want to adjust your typical fit. So my standard fit for a daily
trainer is a size ten. You want to have the finger length room. And then with the cross
country spikes for race day, you want to have as snug of fit
as possible. Not too snug. Not too loose. So I usually go down a half size, down
to nine and a half, and also with combination
of the thinner sock too. You just want to be very secure, snug
fit to have the ideal race day fit and performance. I’m Hayden,
I’m Jacob, this was Fitness Tested. Thank you guys for watching. Today,
you learned all about our favorite cross country spikes here at Fitness Sports. If you guys want to learn about our favorite cross country trainers,
check out this video right here. Good luck to all you cross country runners
this year. If you want to perform
at your best on race day, make sure to grab
a good pair of XC spikes.