XiamenJune 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — In recent years, driven by the global consumers’ increasing demand for comfort, functionality, and everyday wear adaptability in sports shoes, as well as the evolution of midsole materials and manufacturing processes toward high performance, lightweight, and sustainability, the global sports shoe market has maintained overall sales growth. By sales volume, the global sports shoe market has grown from 4.57 billion pairs in 2021 to 5.30 billion pairs in 2025. In the Chinese market, the increasing popularization of marathon and road running events has further propelled the expansion of the professional racing shoe and related running gear market.
Overview of the Running Shoe Market Background
Running shoes refer to sports shoes specifically designed for running, featuring good cushioning, support, stability, breathability, and other performance attributes. Their core value lies in protecting joints, enhancing running efficiency, and adapting to diverse scenarios. They are categorized by function into stability shoes, racing shoes, and cushioning shoes; by application scenario into road running shoes, treadmill and indoor sports running shoes, trail shoes, and other categories.
The global running shoe industry has evolved through three stages: the professional sports-oriented period (before the 1980s to 2000), where products mainly served competitive sports with a focus on functional enhancement; the technology iteration and mass expansion period (2000–2015), featuring upgrades in core technologies such as cushioning, support, and lightweighting, as running became popular among the general fitness population; and the scenario segmentation and brand upgrade period (from 2020 to present), where consumer demand has shifted toward professional segmentation and technology platform innovation, driving the industry toward high performance, multi-scenario adaptation, and brand differentiation.
In line with global trends, China’s running shoe industry has also undergone an upgrade from basic functionality to professionalization, scenario adaptation, and branding. After 2000, international brands accelerated their entry into the Chinese market, while local brands such as Xtep, Anta, and Li-Ning grew successively, ushering the Chinese running shoe market into a phase of technology iteration and mass expansion.
Overview of Running Shoe Market Drivers and Development Trends
With the popularization of healthy lifestyles and the continued development of marathon and road running events, demand in the running shoe market continues to be unleashed. In 2024, a total of 749 road running events were held nationwide, with a cumulative participation scale exceeding 7.04 million person-times; in 2025, the events saw quality improvements and quantity reductions, with 594 events held throughout the year and a participation scale of 6.399 million person-times. The proliferation of events has expanded the base of runners, driving sustained demand for professional running shoes, functional apparel, and supporting equipment.
Competition in the running shoe industry is shifting from basic functionality to comprehensive competition in technology platforms, product matrices, and scenario adaptation capabilities. Marathon events serve as important verification scenarios for the product strength of professional running shoes. In recent years, the wear rate, exposure, and reputation of domestic running shoes at marathon events have continuously improved. More and more runners are choosing domestic professional running shoes for training and competition, reflecting the growing recognition of local brands in terms of racing performance, wearing experience, and product stability.
Image source: Xtep
Xtep Builds a Comprehensive Professional Running Ecosystem, Fully Covering the Needs of Elite and Mass Runners
Image source: Xtep
Since establishing its running strategy in 2007, Xtep has continuously deepened its focus on the running track. With technology R&D as the core, runner needs as the guide, and professional services as support, it has built an industry-leading professional running ecosystem covering all scenarios and adapting to all populations, becoming a leading brand in China’s running field.
Xtep adheres to technology-driven, independent R&D, accumulating four core running technologies: XTEP FIT technology, which has collected over 300,000 Chinese foot shape data points, establishing China’s largest foot shape database, to create shoe lasts better suited to Chinese feet; XTEP DURA technology, which pioneered the use of marathon-grade CPU material, combined with AI gait analysis to design outsole patterns, achieving over 2,000 kilometers of wear-resistant and slip-resistant endurance; XTEP ACE+ technology, which uses supercritical foaming process, with a “soft upper, tough lower” dual-density golden combination design, delivering excellent resilient and bouncy feel, helping runners run faster; and Xtep’s unique XTEP POWER technology matrix, which innovatively applies aerospace materials such as PI fiber and basalt fiber to running shoes, solving the industry pain point of carbon fiber materials being prone to brittleness, providing runners with stronger propulsion and more lasting stability. The synergy of these four technology platforms forms the technical foundation of Xtep’s professional running shoes.
In terms of product matrix, with the Champion Series as the core, Xtep has built a full-line running shoe product range covering elite racing, advanced training, and mass jogging. Among them, the 160X Champion Edition running shoe series has undergone multiple iterations. As of 2025, it has helped 141 Chinese athletes win 620 marathon championships, becoming one of the most representative domestic racing shoes on the marathon track. At the Tokyo Marathon on March 1, 2026, Xtep running spokesperson Feng Peiyou, wearing the Xtep 160X 7.0 PRO Dreamer colorway boots, broke the men’s marathon national record with a time of 2 hours, 5 minutes, and 58 seconds, ushering Chinese marathons into the “205 era.” Together with the world’s first flexible carbon plate running shoe 360X, the all-around competitive training “Little Cannon” 260X, and the cushioning flagship running shoe Qingyun, these shoes form a full population coverage from elite racing to mass running. It is worth mentioning that from 2023 to 2025, Xtep running shoes have ranked first in wear rate among Chinese marathon running shoes for three consecutive years.
In addition, Xtep continues to support China’s road running cause, having sponsored over 1,000 marathon events nationwide, making it the brand that has sponsored the most marathon events in China. Xtep has established 71 running clubs, serving over 2.5 million Xtep Runner Club members. At the same time, through the “National Racing, Mass Running” program (jointly launched with the Chinese Athletics Association since 2019) and its own IP like the “321 Running Festival,” Xtep has built a one-stop runner service system covering professional equipment, training courses, community activities, and event services.
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1. Quoted from Frost & Sullivan’s 2025 Global Running Shoe Market Independent Research Report |