Who AI search surfaces for running shoes
Running-shoes retrieval pool is editorial-and-aggregator-led: runrepeat.com surfaces in 4 of 5 queries, 27 unique domains span the 5-query sample, and cross-query overlap is perfect (Jaccard 1.0).
| # | Domain | Type | Queries | Mean pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | runrepeat.com | Aggregator | 4/5 | 2.75 |
| 2 | trailandkale.com | Editorial | 2/5 | 1.5 |
| 3 | runtothefinish.com | Editorial | 2/5 | 2.5 |
| 4 | believeintherun.com | Editorial | 2/5 | 3.5 |
| 5 | doctorsofrunning.com | Editorial | 2/5 | 5 |
| 6 | findmyfootwear.com | Aggregator | 2/5 | 7 |
| 7 | theruntesters.com | Aggregator | 1/5 | 1 |
| 8 | irunfar.com | Aggregator | 1/5 | 1 |
| 9 | brooksrunning.com | Brand | 1/5 | 2 |
| 10 | runnersblueprint.com | Editorial | 1/5 | 2 |
| 11 | rtings.com | Aggregator | 1/5 | 3 |
| 12 | dickssportinggoods.com | Brand | 1/5 | 3 |
“Queries” = how many of the 5 sampled queries surfaced this domain in the top 10 (across 3 samples). Position is the mean rank when present.
By unique-domain count across the 27 domains in this vertical's pool, editorial sites make up 48.1% (13 of 27 domains), aggregators 33.3% (9 domains), and brands 18.5% (5 domains). By pooled appearances, which weight for how often each type actually surfaces, editorial is 48.6% (51 appearances), aggregators 37.1% (39 appearances), and brands 14.3% (15 appearances). Both cuts point in the same direction: editorial and aggregator sites together account for over 80% of the retrieval pool whether measured by unique domains or total appearances. Brand-type domains (18.5% unique, 14.3% pooled) are represented but concentrated in the 1-query tier, with no brand domain reaching multi-query presence in this 5-query sample.
runrepeat.com (aggregator) is the most consistently surfaced domain, appearing in 4 of 5 queries with 12 total appearances and a mean position of 2.75. The next tier is four editorial domains each present in 2 of 5 queries: trailandkale.com (mean position 1.5, appearances 6), runtothefinish.com (mean position 2.5, appearances 6), believeintherun.com (mean position 3.5, appearances 6), and doctorsofrunning.com (mean position 5.0, appearances 6). findmyfootwear.com (aggregator) also surfaces in 2 of 5 queries at mean position 7.0 with 6 appearances. Beyond that multi-query tier, nine additional domains each surface in exactly 1 of 5 queries: the aggregators theruntesters.com (mean 1.0), irunfar.com (mean 1.0), rtings.com (mean 3.0), and solereview.com (mean 4.0); the editorial sites runnersblueprint.com (mean 2.0) and facebook.com (mean 3.0); and three brand-type domains: brooksrunning.com (mean 2.0), dickssportinggoods.com (mean 3.0), and fit2run.com (mean 4.0). All three brand-type domains are classified as 'brand' in the dataset with no sub-classification; each surfaces in exactly 1 of 5 queries.
The retrieval pool for running-shoes queries is controlled by specialist review and aggregator sites you do not own. runrepeat.com surfaces in 4 of 5 queries, so earning a strong featured listing or review score on that one domain carries outsized reach across query types. The four editorial domains at the 2-query tier (trailandkale.com, runtothefinish.com, believeintherun.com, doctorsofrunning.com) each cover a distinct sub-segment: trail, budget, road, and biomechanics/clinical respectively. Targeted outreach to match your product positioning to the right sub-segment outlet is the practical playbook here. All three brand-type domains (brooksrunning.com, dickssportinggoods.com, fit2run.com) surface in 1-query slots, which shows that brand pages and retailer pages can enter the pool for specific queries. The Jaccard score of 1.0 means the same top-10 domains recur across every query pair, so there is a consistent shortlist to target rather than a fragmented long tail.
Methodology & limits: This analysis covers 5 queries sampled from the running-shoes vertical, drawn from a web-search retrieval study. Five queries is a directional snapshot, not a census of what AI search engines surface across the full query space for this category. The numbers describe the candidate pool AI search retrieves, not direct logs of which pages a specific model cited in a given answer. The leaderboard is rated 'strong', meaning the top domains are consistent contributors, but domain-level mean positions for entries with queriesPresent=1 are based on a single query's data and should be read as indicative only.
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Which sites dominate the AI search retrieval pool for running-shoe queries?
Based on a 5-query sample, runrepeat.com (aggregator) surfaces in 4 of 5 queries at a mean position of 2.75 with 12 total appearances, making it the most consistently retrieved domain. The next tier is four editorial domains each present in 2 of 5 queries: trailandkale.com (mean 1.5), runtothefinish.com (mean 2.5), believeintherun.com (mean 3.5), and doctorsofrunning.com (mean 5.0). findmyfootwear.com (aggregator) also reaches 2 of 5 queries. All remaining domains, including the three brand-type entries, surface in exactly 1 of 5 queries.
Do running-shoe brand websites appear in the AI retrieval pool?
Yes, but in small numbers and only in single-query slots based on this snapshot. Brand-type domains make up 18.5% of the 27 unique domains (5 domains) and 14.3% of pooled appearances. Three brand-type domains appear in the leaderboard: brooksrunning.com (queriesPresent 1, mean position 2.0), dickssportinggoods.com (queriesPresent 1, mean position 3.0), and fit2run.com (queriesPresent 1, mean position 4.0). None reached the multi-query presence threshold of 2 or more queries in this 5-query sample. All three are classified as 'brand' in the dataset with no further sub-type distinction.
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