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(Photo: Inga Hendrickson)
Remember when a sock was just a sock? Gone are the days when your most pressing decisions were cotton or polyester, above the ankle or below. And if your dogs aren’t equipped with the latest in sock technology (it exists!), you won’t be at your PR-busting best, whether you’re running an ultra or banging out burpees in the gym.
Our favorite has mastered the combination of durability and comfort. The Fits Light Hiker Mini Crew is thick enough for hours of high-wattage abuse without any discomfort—which means it fares perfectly well when kicked up on the ottoman on rest days.
To wit: the Feetures Elite Light Cushion Quarter has a compression zone to stimulate blood flow in the most important areas and nixes the toe seam to boost comfort.
Meanwhile, the Bombas Marls uses a special honeycomb design to help support your arch.
Others take a decidedly minimalist approach, like the Darn Tough Vertex Quarter Ultra Light, which is the company’s slightest option and feels practically like going barefoot.
Then there’s the Smartwool PhD Run Ultra Light Micro, which is so thin that it’s basically a second skin.