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Nnormal wasn’t a brand that had been on my radar before but within a couple of miles of running in a pair of the Tomir 2.0 GTX I felt comfortable and confident that I would enjoy using these.

I baptised the shoes quickly as I had to contend with some long stretches of wet, sloppy singletrack mud over some undulating ground. To begin with I did try avoiding getting the shoes submerged, mainly to keep the shoes spotless and clean, but there’s no fun in that so I jumped in to really test the capabilities of, not only the sole, but also the Gore-Tex lining.

The Vibram Megagrip gave me instant confidence underfoot, allowing me to keep my head up rather than having to watch where I was placing each foot. Even though the soles were picking up plenty of mud the deep lugs ensured traction was still available and by the end of my run my pace was pretty consistent with my best times.

Nnormal sell this shoe by saying it is “Built for harsh conditions, the Tomir 02 GORE-TEX keeps you high and dry with unwavering protection” and I’ve yet to suffer any issues with the GTX lining, despite the slop, dirt and damp morning grass I’ve put the shoes through – so often the latter can find even the weakest point to any waterproof lining of a shoe, but these have held up strong. I’m actually excited to keep using these in heavy summer showers or even the full test of an English winter.

In terms of sizing I would normally take a UK 8.5 but I felt the size 9 in these were more comfortable. Having had the chance to quickly try the UK 8.5 I could really feel how much tighter and narrower they were compared to the UK 9.

Having previously ran in Brooks and Hoka I was expecting the Nnormal to provide a less spongey feeling, but the EExpure midsole offers plenty of comfort and I had the spring I was used to.

I’m even impressed with how secure the laces stay locked into place. Even after undoing the laces you can’t simply just slide your foot out of it, as you can with so many brands, you have to loosen the laces going through the top couple of eyelets before the shoe even becomes a little loose to get your foot out. I can’t see there being much chance of blisters around the heel with it being this secure.

So far I have had the joy of using the Tomir 2.0 GTX on a mixture of compact mud/gravel, roots and sloppy mud whilst running. They have also been worn for hiking parts of the Cleveland Way and they also felt reliable even at a slower pace. Having previously been a sucker for Inov8 and Hoka footwear over the last 5 years I've always been reluctant to change, as I love the grip of the Inov8s and the comfort of a Hoka but I would certainly keep an eye on Nnormal options for future purchases. These shoes keep the smile on my face when on the move in all types of terrain.

Rob Farquhar
Rob has always enjoyed being on a bike ever since he was a child. He tries to enter at least one mountain bike event a year. Since moving closer to the Yorkshire Dales and now the North York Moors he’s started to do more walking and in late 2024 became the 450th person to complete the Liechtenstein Way. He has completed the Coast To Coast (C2C) on his mountain bike, the Yorkshire 3 Peak challenge twice and has attempted to hike up Ojos Del Salado; the highest peak in Chile. His aim for 2025 is to complete the Cleveland Way over several weekends with his Dad who suffers with mobility issues due to Parkinson's. Rob has been working in the outdoor retail industry since 2012. Read more from Rob Farquhar