In May, Colorado's Rachel Entrekin crossed the Cocodona 250 finish line in 56 hours, 9 minutes and 48 seconds — the first woman ever to win that race outright, ahead of the entire men's field, and a new overall course record (Canadian Running Magazine has the full result). She ran it in an early, unreleased pair of the norda 055 — weeks before the shoe was available to anyone else (HiConsumption and Highsnobiety both reported on the shoe's role in that run). That's the shoe landing in Singapore this week — exclusively at RDRC.
norda's founder, Nick Martire, has described the 055 as "a specific tool for a specific purpose" rather than a yearly refresh of last year's model. That earlier shoe, the 005, was built to be as light as possible — a stripped-down race-day shoe already being called one of the best trail shoes of the modern era. The 055 takes the opposite brief: built for the biggest mountains, the longest days, and the terrain that eats lesser shoes alive.
Rachel Entrekin at the Cocodona 250 in the norda 055.
norda 055 — Strato. The debut colourway, and the only one landing at RDRC this week.
"I had more fun testing this shoe than maybe any other shoe, ever."
— Alex Elizabeth, ultra runner and first female to set a supported FKT on the 310-mile Superior Hiking Trail, reviewing the 055 for Believe in the Run
What's actually new here
The upper combines bio-circular Dyneema with nylon — a fiber norda uses because it's tough enough to shrug off scree and roots without adding weight, woven in a pattern built for breathability and fast water drainage. That last part matters more here than in most places norda sells this shoe: a MacRitchie or Bukit Timah trail can go from dry to flooded before you've finished a single loop.
This is also the first norda with a one-piece knit collar built into the shoe, which the brand's own product copy describes as a "second skin" fit, working alongside the norda Fit Lock lacing system for lockdown.
Underfoot is a 100% Arnitel TPEE midsole, which norda's own materials describe as delivering benchmark rebound and stable mechanical properties across conditions and climates — resilience rated above 75%. That phrase isn't just marketing copy here: in Singapore, "conditions and climates" usually means 34°C and thick humidity by mid-morning, the kind of heat that leaves a lot of cheaper foams soft and dead by kilometre five. The outsole is a bespoke norda x Vibram Megagrip Elite build with Litebase construction and 5mm lugs — a combination HiConsumption reports is roughly 30% lighter than a standard Megagrip setup, without giving up grip on wet rock or loose scree.
Stack sits at 39mm heel / 33mm toe, a 6mm drop, at 304g for a men's US9 — noticeably more cushion and protection than the 005, without tipping into "clunky."
Not the 005's little brother — its opposite number
If you've run in norda's 001, 001A, 002 or 003, the 055 will feel like a different brand made it. Those shoes (and the 005) chased minimal weight and a low-profile feel. The 055 goes the other way on purpose: taller stack, deeper lugs, a more armoured build, aimed at all-mountain and ultra-distance efforts — think UTMB and Hardrock 100 rather than a fast local 10K on trail.
The 055's knit sock collar is norda's answer to creating a smooth, non-chafing and secure fit that is rugged enough to stay the distance and keep the trail grit outside your shoe. It's a one-piece knit collar — a first for norda — that wraps the ankle like a sock rather than the padded, separate collar norda used on earlier models. norda calls it a "second skin" fit. Paired with the brand's Fit Lock system and a more structured heel, it keeps dirt, grit, and trail debris from getting into the shoe while holding your heel and ankle snug, which matters a lot on technical terrain where your foot is constantly shifting.
Why this makes sense on our trails
Singapore's trail network — MacRitchie, Bukit Timah, Chestnut — isn't big on vertical, but it's unforgiving in its own way: root-laced singletrack, sudden downpours, mud that shows up out of nowhere, and humidity that punishes anything that doesn't drain or breathe. A shoe built to survive Death Valley heat and a 250-mile Arizona desert race isn't overkill for that — it's the same underlying problem (extreme conditions, all-day wear) in a different climate. Megagrip Elite's wet-rock traction and the Dyneema upper's drainage are the two specs that translate most directly to a rainy MacRitchie loop.
Proven at Cocodona 250
Cocodona 250 runs 253.8 miles from Black Canyon City to Flagstaff, Arizona, with close to 40,000 feet of climbing — the kind of race where simply finishing is its own achievement. Entrekin did more than finish. She broke away early, held off a hard-closing Kilian Korth through the second half, and pushed through overnight rain and snow on the Mount Elden climb near the finish to seal the win (COROS's detailed race breakdown has the full story). It was her third straight Cocodona title, and by far her biggest: an outright win, ahead of the men's field as well as the women's, in 56 hours, 9 minutes and 48 seconds. norda has confirmed she raced the entire way in an early, unreleased pair of the 055, and extended her contract with the brand through 2029 shortly after. The result speaks for itself — 56-plus hours on Entrekin's feet, on one of the sport's hardest courses, in a shoe nobody else could buy yet.
Get in early
The norda 055 launched globally on 9 July in the Strato colourway — the only colourway available at launch, anywhere. RDRC is bringing it into Singapore as one of the first stockists in the region, and stock lands in-store on 15 July 2026. Sizes are already going fast on pre-order.
If you've been waiting for a norda that can go the distance — literally — this is the one. norda built this launch around a single question: what do you run for?