If you’ve found yourself on this page, you’re most probably looking for junior running spikes.
At that impressionable age, we’ve all been there where everyone wants the latest and greatest with whatever sport they are doing. You’ll always see someone in the latest running spikes and immediately want to go out and get them.
Trying to find a particular pair of junior running spikes can sometimes feel like you’re stuck in a maze, especially if you’re the parent looking for the running spikes your child wants.
So within this blog post, I will list all the best spikes you will find for each event for any junior athlete.
Click on the buttons below to take you to your chosen event. This will take you down to the section of this page, where it’ll list all the best running spikes you can purchase. I will also have a short description and breakdown of each running spikes. To give the best outlook before deciding on which track spike.
Junior Running Spikes For Sprints
When I was younger and running the 100m, we all know that looking over and seeing someone of the best spikes on the market can sometimes set you up for failure before the gun even goes.
Below I’m going to list all the running spikes I wish I had when I was a junior athlete running the 100m.
Adidas Sprintstar Spikes
The Adidas SprintStar Track & Field Spikes are probably the most popular junior sprint spikes on the market today. These running shoes offer great comfort and support for the price. You just won’t be able to match it.
You’ll have not problems using them for all the sprinting events, including the hurdles.
I’ve seen a few people also use them for Long Jump, but in my view, that’s not advisable due to the lack of support around the heel for jumping events.
Other Worthy Junior Sprint Spikes
I’m now going to list a few of the other Sprint Spikes that are also excellent if you’re looking for junior running spikes.
Just because I haven’t created them within their own individual feature doesn’t mean they are inferior to those listed above.
If you’re an athlete that tends to specialise in just the 100m. I’ve compiled a list of the best sprint spikes for 100m.
Do regularly check back to the site. I will be uploading other blogs which focus on the other sprint events like the 200m and the 400m.
For a wider overview of the best sprints points currently available check this post for the best sprint spikes.
Distance Running Spikes For Juniors
Now I’m going to move onto Distance Spikes for Juniors. There are plenty of options out there, so I’m going to try my best and make it as pain-free as possible for you in choosing your next distance spikes.
The distance events are probably the most popular for new starters to the sport. Most athletes will get into long-distance to keep fit and then find a passion and move on to competing competitively.
Don’t forget you can also use these distance spikes for cross country. The only thing you may need to change dependant on the conditions is the length of the spikes (pins). If it’s softer underfoot, you will want to swap out the default 6mm pins with the spikes. Change with 8-9mm or more, giving you extra traction in the harsher winter weather.
Adidas Distancestar
The upper part of the Adidas Distancestar spikes is made from a breathable mesh which creates great ventilation for your feet.
As the spikes are designed for longer distances, you will obviously be making more contacts with the floor during the shoe’s lifespan. So Adidas has added a toe cap to help with durability.
The height of the heel Is 9 mm, which offers some great support.
New Balance Long Distance Spikes
Now let’s have a look at the New Balance Long Distance Spikes. The spikes have what is called No-Sew Application. This reduced the irritation And helped wrapped round foot for much greater support.
Again, like most of the long-distance spikes available today, the upper part of the spikes come with a breathable mesh, which allows for ventilation to your feet which stops them from becoming overheated.
Like the Adidas Distancestar spikes, they come with a 9mm cushioning on the heel for support.
These New Balance Long Distance spikes are white like the picture above or a blue upper with a red spike plate.
Nike Zoom Rival M 8
The Nike Zoom Rival M 8 are lightweight and offer a single layer of mesh with Flywire cables, giving the runner a locked-in support feeling.
They come with a Rebax Spike plate which provides the owner with great stability with very minimal bulk. This is advantageous as you don’t want to be carrying any extra weight than is necessary.
Nike Zoom Rival M 8 come with seven removable pins, which can be swapped out and changed depending on which discipline you’re competing in.
Many athletes have been known to use these for multiple distances, including hurdles and even Jumping events.
Other Worthy Junior Distance Spikes
Again likely done with the Junior sprints spikes. I am going to list some other very decent distance spikes below.
Hurdle Spikes for Juniors
The fact of the matter is, there is no specialist hurdling running spikes.
The key is looking for the sprint spikes to give you the best support for that particular event.
So, to find the best junior running spikes for hurdles, the features I look out for are.
- Supportive Upper – This will give better protection if hitting the hurdle with the top part of the foot.
- Aggressive Spike plate – Keeping you on your toes in between the hurdles.
- Cushioning around the heel – Hurdlers can catch this part of the foot on the hurdle.
Adidas Adizero Accelerator
When it comes to sprint hurdling, the Adidas Adizero Accelerator Really does have everything covered. The aggressive spike plate I was talking about above helped keep you on your toes in between the hurdles.
Good support on the upper part of the shoe, Meaning it all likelihood less if you were to clip the hurdles whilst racing or training.
For more information on the running spikes, you can check out my Adidas Adizero Accelerator 2018 review.
Junior Allround Spikes
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Now, This is a pretty important section for most junior athletes. This is because most youngsters wouldn’t have completely decided on one event they wish to concentrate on.
You’re likely to compete in many different events, And multi-eventers will tell you that buying specialist spikes for every event can be very expensive.
Any junior athlete or a parent looking to purchase shoes that will suit many events will definitely be favourable.
The main thing you would want to look out for shoes with fantastic support, both on the upper part of the shoe and across the sole.
As the athlete will be most likely competing in many events while using the shoes, you would want to look for ones with cushioning on the heel. This will allow and help for events like long jump, triple jump and high jump.
Adidas Unisex Junior Allroundstar
Any athlete wishing to compete in many different events would have no problem with this shoe.
The upper part of the shoe comes with an air mesh which helps with maximum ventilation. It’s also a synthetic material, so it is very durable.
The heel height is 9mm, which also runs down the entire length of the shoe. This is fantastic news for you athletes who wish to use them for jumping events.
Offering five holes for the pins to be placed in the shoe’s forefront, Means it gives great traction for the shorter sprints.
Adidas Adizero Long Jump Spikes
Many of you will be wondering why I’ve listed specialist long jump spikes in the all-around section.
Simply, they are great to use in many different events.
They will feel comfortable in all of the sprints as well as the jumping events.
I wouldn’t advise running too many long distances in the spikes as the spike plate can be slightly aggressive for the longer running.
The Conclusion of Junior Running Spikes
If you made it this far, you can see that it’s been quite a long post. This is because junior running spikes have a very large scope for finding your ideal track spikes.
Like I suggested in other blog posts, knowing what type of spikes you’re after is half the battle. But many athletes I know, before they even start researching and looking for a new pair of spikes, they already have a pair in mind.
For many of the sprints spikes I have covered in this post, I have tried to keep the junior market in mind. Giving you options for both the higher end more expensive spikes and also the cheaper end of the spectrum. I know how growing athletes can go through spikes like there is no tomorrow.
I’m not going to go into too much detail regarding the spikes in this section, as you can just read what said above. But a few things I would like to leave you with what you’re looking for junior running spikes. I think about not only the events that you’ve got coming up medially but what you could be doing in the future.
That would have a big impact on which bikes you would choose and also save you a lot of money in the long run.
For example, if you’re just starting out in athletics and you haven’t completely decided which event you would like to concentrate on. You definitely will want to be looking at the all-round running spikes. As you can bounce around from one event to the next, finding out what one you will enjoy without having to worry about going out and buying a new pair of spikes each time.
And I would also like to mention the cross country. However, I didn’t have a section just for the cross country spikes. I would like to reiterate that the running spikes I have listed in the distance section. I’ve listed them because they can also be used for cross country.
Great article Dean useful as I coach jumpers. Dave.