Nike is stepping into the fast-growing outdoor recreation market with the launch of a new trail running shoe. The sportswear giant will debut its Ultrafly trail runner under its outdoor sub-brand ACG (All Conditions Gear) at the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc ultramarathon in France on Monday. The move marks a major effort to reposition ACG from a niche fashion line into a performance-driven trail running brand.
The push aligns with CEO Elliott Hill’s broader strategy to refocus Nike on its core sports categories, particularly running, as smaller rivals continue to chip away at its dominance. Outdoor activities such as trail running, hiking, and camping have surged in popularity since the pandemic, especially in China, where consumer demand for outdoor gear has grown sharply.
Despite this trend, Nike has been playing catch-up. Competitors like Salomon and Hoka have gained significant traction in trail running, while Nike’s global sportswear market share has slipped from 29% in 2021 to 26% in 2025. Analysts note that outdoor-focused brands have leveraged trail running to fuel rapid growth, an area Nike is now aggressively pursuing.
Nike-sponsored athletes, including Anthony Costales, will compete in the Ultrafly, which will officially reach retail stores in spring 2026. A revamped ACG-branded version of the Zegama trail runner will follow later the same year.
The challenge for Nike is repositioning ACG. Once launched in 1989 with a focus on hiking and biking, ACG has recently been associated more with “gorpcore” fashion than serious performance gear. Often relegated to a small retail footprint in Nike stores, the brand has not been a growth driver in recent years.
To change that, Nike established ACG as a sub-brand in October and placed Angela Dong, vice president for Greater China, in charge of its expansion. CEO Hill has highlighted China as Nike’s biggest growth opportunity, aiming to inspire the nation’s 1.3 billion consumers to embrace sport and fitness through lifestyle and performance gear.
Market data supports this focus: sales of outdoor apparel in China nearly doubled between 2019 and 2025, while outdoor footwear rose 65% in the same period, according to Euromonitor International. Yet Nike has faced challenges, with double-digit sales declines in China for three consecutive quarters due to strong competition and weak consumer spending amid economic pressures and youth unemployment.
Nike’s strategy to launch at a Hoka-sponsored event may be an attempt to capture attention from its rival while signaling its ability to compete at scale. “It’s Nike flexing its financial muscle,” said retail analyst Jessica Ramirez, co-founder of the Consumer Collective. Whether this outdoor push can restore growth in China and help Nike reclaim market share remains to be seen.
