Altra Olympus 5 Womens Trail Running Shoes - Black/Black - 8

I will preface this by saying I am not a runner - I got these shoes to protect my toes while working with excited kiddos who have difficulty with spatial awareness and motor control. I've been stood on and jumped on, and my toes are fine thanks to these shoes!An unexpected benefit: these shoes have made corrections to my gait. The curved forefoot forces me to push off with my toes (instead of just pulling myself along), which helps me walk twice as fast. I'm able to move with ease and keep up with people who are walking at an average pace, which I've not been able to do in years.The drawback is these shoes aren't super comfy. They feel too short in the toes. If I half size up, the insole hits in all the wrong places, so I settle for dealing with my big toe ... MoreI will preface this by saying I am not a runner - I got these shoes to protect my toes while working with excited kiddos who have difficulty with spatial awareness and motor control. I've been stood on and jumped on, and my toes are fine thanks to these shoes!An unexpected benefit: these shoes have made corrections to my gait. The curved forefoot forces me to push off with my toes (instead of just pulling myself along), which helps me walk twice as fast. I'm able to move with ease and keep up with people who are walking at an average pace, which I've not been able to do in years.The drawback is these shoes aren't super comfy. They feel too short in the toes. If I half size up, the insole hits in all the wrong places, so I settle for dealing with my big toe hitting the hard top of the shoe. The bottoms of my feet are also not delighted in these shoes, especially when I'm sitting and not putting my full weight on my feet.That said, I call these my "magic shoes" because they allow me to do things with more speed and less fatigue. The stack height also helps me sit at tables with my feet fully on the floor, which helps my back. If they were just a tad longer, they'd be perfect.

I want to start with this review in no way reflects badly on Elliot's. I love our local Elliot's. I've been shopping there for twenty years at least. The employees are exemplary in their knowledge. All the employees have always, always been so nice and kind to me. So please don't take this as a reflection on them because I love Elliot's.I've purchased two pairs of Altras and the soles started peeling off within a couple months. I purchased a second pair Altras and it was the Olympus 5. I only got another pair because I trusted the Vibram soles and once again the grips on the soles started peeling off just like the last pair. These shoes are very comfortable but it's not worth paying near $300 per pair every two months. I wore these shoes a total of six times. I use ... MoreI want to start with this review in no way reflects badly on Elliot's. I love our local Elliot's. I've been shopping there for twenty years at least. The employees are exemplary in their knowledge. All the employees have always, always been so nice and kind to me. So please don't take this as a reflection on them because I love Elliot's.I've purchased two pairs of Altras and the soles started peeling off within a couple months. I purchased a second pair Altras and it was the Olympus 5. I only got another pair because I trusted the Vibram soles and once again the grips on the soles started peeling off just like the last pair. These shoes are very comfortable but it's not worth paying near $300 per pair every two months. I wore these shoes a total of six times. I use them for light exercise meaning walking around my neighborhood for an hour while my son rides his bike. I measure my steps on my watch and these shoes have only walked 20 miles max. I'm very disappointed in the quality of the soles of both pairs of Altra's. I'll never purchase another pair. While I can say the shoes seemed to stay together for the two months I had them, the soles are a huge disappointment.

I wore the Olypus 4 last spring when I walked the Portuguese Camino from Porto to Santiago, we walked 226 miles (averaging 15 miles per day) in all types of terrain. I bought them in January 2022, trained in them (averaged 50+ miles per week) then wore them on the the Camino. These shoes did not disappoint and held up the whole trip, I'm still wearing them in spite of my big toe finally trying to poke through the upper mesh. I bought the Olympus 5 last month, I absolutely love them, especially the new heel tab. The Vibram soles on these shoes are wonderful. I will be walking the French Camino (about 475 miles) in May 2023, have never stopped training after returning from last years Camino, with thanks to these great shoes. Oh yes, I'm 79 (F) not sure if any other ... MoreI wore the Olypus 4 last spring when I walked the Portuguese Camino from Porto to Santiago, we walked 226 miles (averaging 15 miles per day) in all types of terrain. I bought them in January 2022, trained in them (averaged 50+ miles per week) then wore them on the the Camino. These shoes did not disappoint and held up the whole trip, I'm still wearing them in spite of my big toe finally trying to poke through the upper mesh. I bought the Olympus 5 last month, I absolutely love them, especially the new heel tab. The Vibram soles on these shoes are wonderful. I will be walking the French Camino (about 475 miles) in May 2023, have never stopped training after returning from last years Camino, with thanks to these great shoes. Oh yes, I'm 79 (F) not sure if any other shoe out there would have enabled me to walk as much as I do thanks to the structure of these shoes and the cushiony sole and the high and wide toe box. I will be purchasing a 2nd pair of the Olympus 5. Thank you Altra!!