The more rockered midsoles aim to smooth your heel-to-toe transitions, cutting the calf muscle fatigue over uneven ground and on longer runs. They’re also often lighter than technical trail shoes, thanks to the smaller lugs, less pronounced rock plates, and lower levels of upper reinforcement. That serves up more agility than heftier trail shoes, so you can move faster and lighter over runnable ground. Do Gravel Shoes Feel Different From “Regular” Trail Shoes? “Yes and no,” says Bodin. A lot depends on the brand. Some companies, like Craft, have many gravel-specific options. Others, like Salomon and Hoka, use their redesigned road running shoes for their gravel category. Gravel shoes also have limits, warns Bodin. “In my experience, most gravel shoes will be limited when they reach a moderately technical trail-running scenario. Again, because the bulk of the gravel shoe experience is focused on the overall ride on smoother terrain, performance declines when there are more turns or more challenging terrain with rocks and roots.” Do You Really Need a Gravel Shoe? Like everything in running …