Trail Running Blisters and Foot Care
Trail running · Skin is gear

Mile twenty. The hot spot you ignored at mile eight.

Trail miles land on the feet first: sweat in the sock, grit through the mesh, toes driven into the toebox on every descent. Then the chafe, the sun and the legs. Here is the trail runner's foot kit, from the night before to the finish line.

Pack the run vest Find your way in
Skin is gear
Why trail feet blister

Heat, wet and a lot of steps.

A blister is skin that got rubbed while it was soft. Feet sweat into the sock, creek crossings soak it, and grit works in through the mesh. Every climb pushes the heel against the back of the shoe, every descent drives the toes forward. By the back half of a long run the skin has had hours of heat, wet and friction, and the hot spot from early on has opened.

Most of the fix happens before the start. Dry feet the night before so the socks stay drier longer. Tape the spots you already know about. Stop at the first hot spot, not the second. Close what opened that night, and give the legs the recovery they earned. Our home trails run along the Deschutes and up the back side of Smith Rock.

A long run, mile by mile

From the night before to the finish.

Where trail runners' feet and legs go wrong over a long day, and what goes on at each stop.

The night before · 9 PMDry feet start dry.

Performance on the soles, heels and between the toes before bed. The socks stay drier through the first creek crossing.

Performance
Start line · 6 AMTape what you know.

Tape the heel, the ball of the foot or the toe that always rubs. File down any callus with an edge.

Rhinos' Own Adhesive tape80/100 Skin File
Aid station · 10 AMStop at the first hot spot.

Shoe off, grit out, dry the skin, retape. Split stick on anything already open.

SplitRhinos' Own Adhesive tape
The ridge · NoonSun and water.

Sun hoodie for the exposed miles, zinc on the lips, Pocket Water in the vest.

Sun Hoodie - Bamboo - SPF 50Reef Safe SPF 15 Zinc Lip Balm – Gentle Vanilla ScentPocket Water
The finish · 4 PMFeet and legs.

Split+ whipped balm on blisters and chafe. Massage Cream on the calves, quads and feet. Ten minutes on the roller.

Split+Massage CreamRAD Roller - Helix
Find your way in

Tell us what happens. We'll point.

No score and no wrong answers. Pick what sounds like you, and every answer opens another door: a fix, a page, a longer read.

The pack

What's in the run vest.

Travel sizes in the vest. Full sizes waiting at the finish.

Rhino Foot Kit
All of it, one boxRhino Foot Kit

The foot routine in one box, for the runner putting in the miles.

The whole routineRhino Foot Kit$56.85$44.95
10 items · pick a size, hit Add
Feet, the night beforePerformance$8.95
Known hot spotsRhinos' Own Adhesive tape$3.95
Aid station blistersSplit$4.95
Whipped balm, blisters and chafeSplit+$8.95
Calluses flat80/100 Skin File$2.00
Calves and quadsMassage Cream$8.95
Ten minutes afterRAD Roller - Helix$49.00
Exposed milesSun Hoodie - Bamboo - SPF 50$19.95
LipsReef Safe SPF 15 Zinc Lip Balm – Gentle Vanilla Scent$4.95
In the vestPocket Water$12.95
The crew

The people who test this on the trail.

Ultrarunners, trail racers, weekend long-run regulars. They tell us what blistered.

Run trails, use Rhino, want in? Tap to apply.

Seen on the trail

Show us the miles.

The ridge, the aid station, the muddy shoes. This wall is yours.

Trail runner in the mountains — Rhino skin care for endurance athletes.@rhinoskinsolutionsRunner on the road — Rhino skin care for runners.@rhinoskinsolutionsRunner on the trail — Rhino skin care for runners.@rhinoskinsolutionsHeaven sun hoodie in the Moab desert.@rhinoskinsolutionsRhino bamboo sun hoodie on a female model, front view.@rhinoskinsolutionsRhino bamboo sun hoodie on a male model, front view.@rhinoskinsolutions@rhinoskinsolutionsBare feet close-up — Rhino skin care for feet.@rhinoskinsolutionsTag us
#SkinIsGear

Post it, tag @rhinoskinsolutions and #SkinIsGear. We pull the best ones onto this wall every week.

Field reports

From the comments.

Runner reviews land here as they come in.
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Made in
Redmond
Oregon

We make everything in our own facility in Redmond, Oregon, on 100% on-site solar, with trails leaving town in every direction.

Made in Redmond

Where it comes from.

How Rhino started
Made in Redmond
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Join the Rhino crew.

Ultras, trail races, fastpacking. If you are putting in the miles, apply.

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Trail kitPack the run vest

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