Best Beginner Track and Field Spikes

Welcome to your first track and field season! Whether you’re sprinting, jumping, throwing, or still figuring out your event, choosing the right beginner track spikes is key to your success.

The best spikes for beginners should balance comfort, fit, and performance without breaking the bank. In this guide, we break down your top options and how the right shoes can help you hit those personal records while enjoying every moment.

First- let's make sure we’re all here for the right reasons. If you’re gearing up for your first track season, there’s a lot to learn about this sport. First and foremost- different states will have different types of events (javelin, anybody?), different “playoff” structures (Regionals and Areas and Sectionals, oh my), and different rules about footwear.

Before investing in a pair of spikes, consult your coach or your governing body’s rulebook to ensure you’re actually allowed to race in spikes. As an example, some High School regions are not allowed to compete in SPIKES and must, instead, compete in FLATS. Little nuances like this will save you from investing time and money in equipment that you don't need, so read up some, and ask questions. Don’t get disqualified from your first race.

After verifying that you’re allowed to race in spikes, you'll need to narrow down the types of spikes you’re looking at.

On our website, you’ll see multiple track spike categories, full of increasingly specialized, increasingly expensive, "elite" spikes. Here’s why, for your first season, we recommend that you steer clear of the most expensive, specialized, options.

To gain competitive edges, brands often go to extreme lengths to cut as much weight as possible from their elite spikes. They conduct in-depth research to understand how their athletes’ feet strike the ground and then cut all the foam and protection they can from everywhere else. They measure exactly how much torsional rigidity their spike plates need to snap back after bending for optimized responsiveness, and their plates will be unyielding unless you are literally generating Olympic levels of force to bend them.

Your foot strike, as a new athlete, will not be the same as a gold medalist’s, and elite spikes do not accommodate learning curves. That’s not their purpose.

Initially, you will be more prone to heel striking. Your foot will land in a variety of ways, and you will need a shoe with the proper cushioning and stability to protect you while you’re developing. In the beginning, some self-awareness and context will go a long way to keeping you happy, healthy, and progressing appropriately.

When choosing your first pair of track spikes, fit and comfort should always come first. Your spikes should feel secure without feeling painful, with enough cushion and stability to protect your feet while your form is still developing

From there, just cover the basics: make sure your league allows spikes, use the standard 1/4 inch (6 - 7mm) pins, and avoid super stiff, stripped-down models at first. Right now, the goal is to experiment, learn, and enjoy the process.

Next, let's talk about how your events factor into your choice.

It is unlikely that you’ll enter your first track and field season knowing what event you’ll specialize in.

Instead, it is highly common, and a lot of fun, for new track and field athletes to journey between events, to sample different competitions, and to discover where your strengths really lie. As you’re testing the waters of 200-meter sprints, versus long hurdles, versus 1600 distance races, it doesn’t make sense to have a shoe that’s finely tuned for one over the other.

As such, we recommend versatile, multi-purpose spikes for your first season. Multi-purpose spikes have enough padding to last through endurance races, the spike pins and traction needed to confidently leap over hurdles, and they are light weight enough that they won’t slow you down in your sprints.

Maybe you know that you’re a fast-twitch kind of a runner. Endurance challenges aren’t your thing, and those hurdles look intimidating. In that case, maybe you already know that it's the sprints for you.

Even with that focus, you’re still likely to dabble in a range of competitions. Beginning sprinters will often compete in both the 100 meter (single straightaway) and 200 meter (back curve, plus straightaway) races. They should also have the ability to stretch out to a 400 meter race (full lap), which has some endurance elements to it, but which still emphasizes fast turnovers and speed above all else.

Because of the short duration of these races, even introductory sprint spikes opt to be slim on cushioning, high on rigidity. But the right introductory track spike will give you good traction for popping out of your starting blocks and accelerating, with light weight uppers so you can feel like you’re flying.

Some of our favorite introductory sprint spikes include...

Maybe you value tactical races. You want to outsmart your opponents with a well-timed surge, good positioning, and a fast opening lap that nobody was expecting. Or maybe you’re a Steve Prefontaine type. You know you can endure more pain than anybody else, and that’s how you can beat anybody else. Either way, welcome to distance.

At the introductory level, distance races typically center around 800 meter (2 lap), 1600 meter (4 lap), and 3200 meter (8 lap) races. Sometimes the faster distance crew will mix it up with the sprinters in the 400 meters. But the name of the game with distance spikes is balancing light weights with the comfort and protection needed to tackle lots of laps.

Distance spikes will still have traction elements like grippy outsoles and spike receptacles, but their biggest emphasis will be on their (relatively) cushioned foam midsoles and their softer upper materials.

Some of our favorite introductory distance spikes include...

Never skip arm day. The shot put, hammer, & discus events are the ultimate displays of throwing power.

For each throwing event, competitors practice a range of techniques, involving spins, thrusts, leaps...you name it. As you’re practicing these techniques for the first time, you’ll need shoes that can slide in certain instances, rotate in others, and stay firmly planted during still others. Having the wrong shoes on feet, which zig when you’re trying to zag, can mean the difference between a few extra meters in a throw or a season-ending rolled ankle.

Fortunately, there are plenty of shoe options available that have been designed to facilitate the whole range of throwing demands. For beginners, we recommend a textured outsole throwing shoe which will better allow the new athlete to control their footwork safely. These include...

We hope that these recommendations help you discover a love for the sport of track and field, and kick off a never-ending streak of personal bests and confidence. If you want to learn more about the various track and field events, check out our detailed guides to the sport.

In the meantime, I think I heard them make first call for your event. Better start getting those laces right!