Cushion for Long Days — Just Stick to the Trail: Nike Wildhorse 10 Review

I grew up running track and cross-country competitively in southern Colorado, when there were no trail running shoes available anywhere, even at specialty running stores. The luxury of choice simply didn’t exist for trail runners back then. As a kid, I ran the trails in daily trainers meant for the road.

I can recall a time when the Salomon XA Pro was the golden standard for running mountain ultras. Mountain ultra trail races were an inglorious place for retired collegiate and professional runners, awkward science teachers and engineers, and silver-haired burnouts to shuffle for eternity. 

Since those days, mountain ultra trail (MUT) running has exploded, encouraging shoe manufacturers to meet the demands of the industry’s rapidly growing MUT sector. The result is an unbelievable amount of shoe choices from big brands like Nike, designed to meet the specific demands of every discipline of off-road running imaginable.

In April 2025, Nike released its completely overhauled ReactX Wildhorse 10. This shoe is designed to “serve a wide spectrum of trail uses — from short neighborhood runs to steep, technical 100Ks.” I tested the Nike Wildhorse 10 over roughly 74 miles and 20,000 feet of vertical gain from the Owens Valley to the High Sierra Crest.

In short: Despite the ReactX Wildhorse 10’s energetic and inspiring feel, the shoe’s off-trail performance is disappointing, limiting its use to gravel paths and non-to-moderately technical trails. I don’t recommend this shoe to anyone who loves steep technical trails and off-trail travel. This isn’t the shoe for forefoot strikers, especially when substantial amounts of steep terrain are mandatory. The shoe is better for mellower terrain and recovery days.

Check out how the Nike Wildhorse 10 stacks up against the competition in GearJunkie’s guide to the best trail running shoes.

Nike Wildhorse 10: Review

Fit

Diving right into fit, I found that the ReactX Wildhorse 10, size EUR 42.5 (U.S. Men’s 9.5), fit me well, which is standard for my foot length. However, historically with Nike running shoes, I’ve run in size EUR 43 (U.S. Men’s 10). I’d recommend that folks familiar with Nike’s sizing consider going down a half size in the Wildhorse 10.  

Shifting to volume, while ReactX Wildhorse 10’s volume throughout the shoe seems to be designed to best accommodate mid- to high-volume foot profiles, the shoe contains a wide range of foot profiles. Take me, for example. I have canted forefeet at a width of 99 mm combined with an extremely low-volume foot profile. In general, I’d say the Wildhorse 10 did a satisfactory job of locking my foot to its frame.

Despite the Wildhorse 10’s adaptable and accommodating fit, I did experience some harsh lace-bite at the top two eyelets while attempting to secure my heel into the shoe’s frame on technical trails. The Wildhorse 10 offers its best containment through the forefoot and midfoot of the shoe, making the heel counter and collar its weakest components regarding fit.

The fit at the heel is less accommodating, making it a better option for deep heels where the calcaneus protrudes out enough to fill in the volume at the rear of the shoe.

Weight

Coming in at a stated weight of 311 g / 10.9 ounces (U.S. Men’s 9), the Nike Wildhorse 10s I tested measured at 343g / 12.1 ounces (U.S. Men’s 9) per shoe. While the Wildhorse 10 certainly isn’t the lightest shoe, it does sit nicely within the maximal trail shoe category. Check out the comparable models listed below, and consider the ratio of weight to stack height:

Switching from the brand’s React foam to its ReactX foam, Nike adds 3 mm of foam to the Wildhorse 10’s midsole while reducing the shoe’s weight by 35 g when compared to its predecessor. The Wildhorse 10 rides well and feels surprisingly nimble despite the 1.5 inches of shoe underfoot on mild to moderate trails. Nike’s Wildhorse 10 distributes weight forward and returns energy best for strides landing anywhere from the midfoot to the heel. 

Upper

The ReactX Wildhorse 10’s upper is designed to deliver outstanding protection and durability, meant to withstand the demands of any ultra-distance. The shoe’s upper comes with an updated toe cap that provides excellent protection from blunt impact. The Wildhorse 10’s engineered mesh upper is designed to be breathable, durable, and comfortable.

While the shoe’s mesh upper is comfortable, the material doesn’t perform well when it comes to ventilation, drainage, and durability. After taking this shoe on one of my favorite trails involving a dozen creek crossings, I can confidently say the Wildhorse does an absolutely horrendous job at draining water from the shoe. After each crossing, I carried shoes full of water for minutes before they finally drained.

The mesh fabric never dried, even with an hour between creek crossings. That same trail (with the creek crossings) starts on a hot, high-desert valley floor. Coming back down into the desert from the high country was pretty miserable in the shoes.

The Wildhorse 10’s engineered mesh upper isn’t very durable. After three runs (approximately 60 miles), the mesh shows significant wear from abrasions on moderate, unmaintained trails involving mild vegetation overgrowth, mellow fields of talus, and gentle slopes of scree. 

Midsole

Nike’s Wildhorse 10 sports a completely overhauled midsole. By switching from the brand’s React foam to its ReactX foam, Nike managed to add 3 mm of cushioning to the Wildhorse 10’s midsole while reducing the shoe’s weight by 35 g when compared to its predecessor. Nike’s React cushioning is a rubberized foam blend of TPE (thermoplastic elastomer) and EVA (ethylene-vinyl acetate).

Although the ZoomX cushioning was available at the time, its manufacturing costs were high, and its availability was limited. Thus, Nike’s React foam was created to compete with the dominating Adidas Boost technology of the time.

While Nike’s React foam offers soft yet resilient cushioning, it lacks responsiveness and energy return when compared to other race performance foams. Since its release, React has become a signature material used in many of Nike’s trail and daily training shoes.

After spending 5 years formulating an impressive midsole blend that balances high-level performance and low environmental impact, Nike released React’s successor, ReactX, in 2023. Compared to React, Nike’s ReactX foam increases energy return by about 13% while reducing its carbon footprint by roughly 43%. The impressive results are achieved through injection molding the right blend of TPE + EVA.

Traditionally, high energy return and responsiveness have been achieved through compression molding. This uses more energy and creates more waste to manufacture when compared to injection molding. Despite its maximal 38mm ReactX foam midsole, the Nike Wildhorse 10 delivers an impressive amount of energy return and ground feel, making for a confident and comfortable ride on mild to moderate trails.

Outsole

The ReactX Wildhorse 10’s outsole is equipped with 4mm multidirectional lugs using Nike’s proprietary All Terrain Compound rubber. Nike’s ATC rubber is designed to deliver grip and durability on steep inclines and in wet weather, similar to Vibram’s Megagrip compound.

While Nike’s proprietary All Terrain Compound is an improved outsole material compared to past iterations of the Wildhorse, the ATC rubber’s performance is disappointing to me.

I tested the Wildhorse 10’s ATC outsole on desert, forest, and alpine trails involving the whole gamut of surfaces and conditions. To be fair, the Wildhorse 10 performs quite well on dry, non-to-moderately technical trails.

However, the shoe’s outsole performs terribly on wet, durable surfaces. For example, shortly after crossing creeks and snow fields, the shoe would slip out on felled trees and rocks.

The Wildhorse 10’s ATC outsole fails to grip smooth rocks even when dry. In this case, when the Wildhorse 10 reached its first alpine use path along a mellow talus field, the shoe’s outsole would slip out on several smooth rocks and boulders.

For me, the ATC rubber alone is a dealbreaker, especially when considering other options in the same shoe category that come equipped with Vibram’s Megagrip compound. 

Lastly, the Nike Wildhorse 10’s lug pattern comes with some durability weaknesses. I managed to rip a handful of lugs throughout the forefoot after just three runs (approximately 60 miles). While the outsole’s 4mm lug depth works great on soft ground, the lugs are narrow, making them prone to ripping when running on steep rocky inclines. 

Durability

Although the Wildhorse 10 is very comfortable with its mesh upper and maximal cushioning, the shoe’s durability is disappointing. After just three runs, the shoe’s mesh upper is blowing out from abrasions on moderate, unmaintained trails involving mild vegetation overgrowth, talus, and scree. The outsole’s lug pattern lacks the material and structure necessary to withstand the lateral force that comes with running on steep rocky inclines.

That being said, the shoe’s midsole is still energetic and protective. Given the shoe’s delicate upper and delicate lug pattern, I’d if kept on gravel paths and nontechnical trails, the Wildhorse 10 might last me 400 miles. The shoe’s upper is certainly the weakest component of the shoe.

Nike Wildhorse 10: Conclusion

For those looking for a maximal on-trail shoe with a generous amount of responsive cushioning and uncompromising protection, Nike’s Wildhorse 10 may be the right shoe for you. The ReactX Wildhorse 10 has an energetic and inspiring feel with a widely accessible and adaptable fit.

The Wildhorse 10’s rocker geometry greatly benefits strides landing from the midfoot to the heel with a secure and controlled stride on moderately technical trails. 

The Wildhorse 10’s performance is disappointing off-trail and is limited to gravel paths and only moderately technical trails. I don’t recommend this shoe to anyone who loves steep technical trails and off-trail environments.

The Wildhorse 10’s rocker geometry and dramatic heel-to-toe drop work against a forefoot strike, making for an unstable ride. This overengages the calves, especially on steep terrain. I also don’t recommend the Wildhorse 10 to forefoot strikers, especially when substantial amounts of steep terrain are mandatory.