The Timp 4 by Altra are neutral trail shoes. The fourth edition of the Timp has an upper made of quick-drying mesh, which surrounds the feet well. The upper is reinforced with overlays for extra strength and protection. The anatomical forefoot provides enough room for the toes to move freely. The lightweight Altra EGO MAX midsole provides effective cushioning and protection. It distributes pressure across your feet as you walk for a smooth stride. The MaxTrac outsole with coarse studs bites into soft surfaces and provides effective grip on paved trails. Altra's unique selling point is the Zero Drop technology. This is also reflected in this model of running shoes. The midsole is equally high at both the heel and the toe, which gives you the most natural running experience. The use of contemporary technology gives you targeted protection and support without getting in the way of your natural running pattern.
The Timp 4 by Altra are neutral trail shoes. The fourth edition of the Timp has an upper made of quick-drying mesh, which surrounds the feet well. The upper is reinforced with overlays for extra strength and protection. The anatomical forefoot provides enough room for the toes to move freely. The lightweight Altra EGO MAX midsole provides effective cushioning and protection. It distributes pressure across your feet as you walk for a smooth stride. The MaxTrac outsole with coarse studs bites into soft surfaces and provides effective grip on paved trails. Altra's unique selling point is the Zero Drop technology. This is also reflected in this model of running shoes. The midsole is equally high at both the heel and the toe, which gives you the most natural running experience. The use of contemporary technology gives you targeted protection and support without getting in the way of your natural running pattern.
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The lowest price for Altra Mens Timp 4 Shoes Black/Blue right now is $148.75 at runningadventureoutdoor.com, compared across 2 retailers.
The all-time low was $148.75 on 15 May 2026. That's the lowest price we've ever tracked ā a great time to buy.
Prices last updated 15 May 2026.
Altra Mens Timp 4 Shoes Black/Blue
The Timp 4 by Altra are neutral trail shoes. The fourth edition of the Timp has an upper made of quick-drying mesh, which surrounds the feet well. The upper is reinforced with overlays for extra strength and protection. The anatomical forefoot provides enough room for the toes to move freely. The lightweight Altra EGO MAX midsole provides effective cushioning and protection. It distributes pressure across your feet as you walk for a smooth stride. The MaxTrac outsole with coarse studs bites into soft surfaces and provides effective grip on paved trails. Altra's unique selling point is the Zero Drop technology. This is also reflected in this model of running shoes. The midsole is equally high at both the heel and the toe, which gives you the most natural running experience. The use of contemporary technology gives you targeted protection and support without getting in the way of your natural running pattern.
The Timp 4 by Altra are neutral trail shoes. The fourth edition of the Timp has an upper made of quick-drying mesh, which surrounds the feet well. The upper is reinforced with overlays for extra strength and protection. The anatomical forefoot provides enough room for the toes to move freely. The lightweight Altra EGO MAX midsole provides effective cushioning and protection. It distributes pressure across your feet as you walk for a smooth stride. The MaxTrac outsole with coarse studs bites into soft surfaces and provides effective grip on paved trails. Altra's unique selling point is the Zero Drop technology. This is also reflected in this model of running shoes. The midsole is equally high at both the heel and the toe, which gives you the most natural running experience. The use of contemporary technology gives you targeted protection and support without getting in the way of your natural running pattern.
Last updated at 15/05/2026 03:59:47
Altra Mens Timp 4 Black, UK Size 9
Delivery $31.46
Mens Altra Timp 4, Black/Blue / 10
Free delivery by Wed
originally posted on altrarunning.com
The fit and comfort of these shoes were excellent. Every other trip to the woods, I swapped them with some Hoka SpeedGoats to decide which pair of shoes I'm taking with me on a multi-day App Trail hike in SW VA next month. The shoes were purchased them in mid-June 2022 and when I stopped wearing the Timps I covered about 150 miles. I noticed that the bottom of the sole was pealing back in the exact same place on both shoes (see pics).Same trails, same person, same distance. The Hokas are in great shape. The Altras are not. I'm sorry to say that even if the dished me $100 toward a new pair I would have taken it, bought a new pair and been happy. I love the fit of the Timps. No love back from Altra. Hokas are still going strong and will be used on this trip.I sent ...Ā MoreThe fit and comfort of these shoes were excellent. Every other trip to the woods, I swapped them with some Hoka SpeedGoats to decide which pair of shoes I'm taking with me on a multi-day App Trail hike in SW VA next month. The shoes were purchased them in mid-June 2022 and when I stopped wearing the Timps I covered about 150 miles. I noticed that the bottom of the sole was pealing back in the exact same place on both shoes (see pics).Same trails, same person, same distance. The Hokas are in great shape. The Altras are not. I'm sorry to say that even if the dished me $100 toward a new pair I would have taken it, bought a new pair and been happy. I love the fit of the Timps. No love back from Altra. Hokas are still going strong and will be used on this trip.I sent images and information to Altra and their response was: "We apologize for the inconvenience but this would be considered wear and tear. Since this is not considered a defect, we are unable to offer you a replacement."
originally posted on REI
These are my first pair of trail runners for backpacking so I am u sure what to expect. I know you exchange durability and support for weight when you switch to trail runners. So with an experience of one pair of shoes I give these three stars.Before getting into the durability history, I will say they are very light and breathe well. Almost too well as I have never had dirtier socks than when using these shoes. I have rolled my ankle in these about four times. Not bad, but concerning. The web mesh sides offer zero support. I think my Tevas have more support.Some of the stitching came loose on their first trip (10 miles), this did not continue to unravel so I consider this a cosmetic thing.The tread has worn pretty fast. They have about 300 miles on them and ...Ā MoreThese are my first pair of trail runners for backpacking so I am u sure what to expect. I know you exchange durability and support for weight when you switch to trail runners. So with an experience of one pair of shoes I give these three stars.Before getting into the durability history, I will say they are very light and breathe well. Almost too well as I have never had dirtier socks than when using these shoes. I have rolled my ankle in these about four times. Not bad, but concerning. The web mesh sides offer zero support. I think my Tevas have more support.Some of the stitching came loose on their first trip (10 miles), this did not continue to unravel so I consider this a cosmetic thing.The tread has worn pretty fast. They have about 300 miles on them and the ālight blueā tread portion is wearing thin in some spots and the lugs are close to done in the ball of the foot.On the last trip, the side mesh has started to become frayed. At this point Iām not sure if I should put them out to pasture and buy new shoes or wait for them to die entirely. Though I have a 100mile trip coming up and Iām not sure I want to finish it with my shoes duct taped together.Pros - They are comfortable. They are not mind numbingly bright like a lot of trail runners. They breathe well.Cons - They seem to wear out fast (no reference data points for me as I am switching from boots that wear forever by comparison). There is no support (though I knew this going in, but these seem pretty bad due to the stretchy ness of the body fabric). My feet have never been dirtier. They were pretty expensive.
originally posted on altrarunning.com
*Disclaimer: Altra provided me with this shoe at a discount as part of their Altra RED team.I've run 150 miles so far in the Timp 4's in dry rocky and wet mountainous terrains. Used in WA Cascade Mtns, CA San Gabriel Mtns, CO Leadville Mtns, and NV Mt Charleston/Lake Tahoe Mtns.Pro - This shoe is Protective for long miles in the mountains and rocky trails. The midsole, outsole, and shoe overlays do a great job!Pro - The shoe fit is very specious. Which I like and find works really well during longer efforts 30+ trail miles because it prevents your discomfort as your feet swell during longer efforts, especially for multi-day events like backpacking or back-to-back ultra runs. It feels like they are a throwback to the original Timp, which I love and completed a ...Ā More*Disclaimer: Altra provided me with this shoe at a discount as part of their Altra RED team.I've run 150 miles so far in the Timp 4's in dry rocky and wet mountainous terrains. Used in WA Cascade Mtns, CA San Gabriel Mtns, CO Leadville Mtns, and NV Mt Charleston/Lake Tahoe Mtns.Pro - This shoe is Protective for long miles in the mountains and rocky trails. The midsole, outsole, and shoe overlays do a great job!Pro - The shoe fit is very specious. Which I like and find works really well during longer efforts 30+ trail miles because it prevents your discomfort as your feet swell during longer efforts, especially for multi-day events like backpacking or back-to-back ultra runs. It feels like they are a throwback to the original Timp, which I love and completed a PCT thru hike in.Pro- The Heel Pull tab is really fun! I'm excited after every run to rip off my shoes so quickly and easily.Con - The shoe fit is inconsistent across versions, which I think is ok in the short-term if Altra can make this change stick and have clear distinctions between their trail line up. (Example: Mont Bs are your slim/racers, Timps are wide/trainers, Lone Peak are versatile/wide/trainers). I found the last two Timp versions to be more secure, tighter, and lighter, therefore a shoe I felt comfortable to race in. Now, I'm re-thinking and making the transition to MB for future trail races, which is good, but I just didn't realize that until I used the newer Timp's for myself.Conclusion: The Timp 4s are a go-to trail daily trainer. They're sturdy and comfortable on long mountainous trail days. They absorb mile after mile and keep ya going strong. As I approach my trail racing season next year, I'll look to other Altras models (MB or Superiors) for racing, but keep the Timp 4s in my line up for all the easy/long trail miles.
| Stack Height | 29 mm |
Altra Mens Timp 4 Black, UK Size 9
Delivery $31.46
Mens Altra Timp 4, Black/Blue / 10
Free delivery by Wed
The fit and comfort of these shoes were excellent. Every other trip to the woods, I swapped them with some Hoka SpeedGoats to decide which pair of shoes I'm taking with me on a multi-day App Trail hike in SW VA next month. The shoes were purchased them in mid-June 2022 and when I stopped wearing the Timps I covered about 150 miles. I noticed that the bottom of the sole was pealing back in the exact same place on both shoes (see pics).Same trails, same person, same distance. The Hokas are in great shape. The Altras are not. I'm sorry to say that even if the dished me $100 toward a new pair I would have taken it, bought a new pair and been happy. I love the fit of the Timps. No love back from Altra. Hokas are still going strong and will be used on this trip.I sent ...Ā MoreThe fit and comfort of these shoes were excellent. Every other trip to the woods, I swapped them with some Hoka SpeedGoats to decide which pair of shoes I'm taking with me on a multi-day App Trail hike in SW VA next month. The shoes were purchased them in mid-June 2022 and when I stopped wearing the Timps I covered about 150 miles. I noticed that the bottom of the sole was pealing back in the exact same place on both shoes (see pics).Same trails, same person, same distance. The Hokas are in great shape. The Altras are not. I'm sorry to say that even if the dished me $100 toward a new pair I would have taken it, bought a new pair and been happy. I love the fit of the Timps. No love back from Altra. Hokas are still going strong and will be used on this trip.I sent images and information to Altra and their response was: "We apologize for the inconvenience but this would be considered wear and tear. Since this is not considered a defect, we are unable to offer you a replacement."
These are my first pair of trail runners for backpacking so I am u sure what to expect. I know you exchange durability and support for weight when you switch to trail runners. So with an experience of one pair of shoes I give these three stars.Before getting into the durability history, I will say they are very light and breathe well. Almost too well as I have never had dirtier socks than when using these shoes. I have rolled my ankle in these about four times. Not bad, but concerning. The web mesh sides offer zero support. I think my Tevas have more support.Some of the stitching came loose on their first trip (10 miles), this did not continue to unravel so I consider this a cosmetic thing.The tread has worn pretty fast. They have about 300 miles on them and ...Ā MoreThese are my first pair of trail runners for backpacking so I am u sure what to expect. I know you exchange durability and support for weight when you switch to trail runners. So with an experience of one pair of shoes I give these three stars.Before getting into the durability history, I will say they are very light and breathe well. Almost too well as I have never had dirtier socks than when using these shoes. I have rolled my ankle in these about four times. Not bad, but concerning. The web mesh sides offer zero support. I think my Tevas have more support.Some of the stitching came loose on their first trip (10 miles), this did not continue to unravel so I consider this a cosmetic thing.The tread has worn pretty fast. They have about 300 miles on them and the ālight blueā tread portion is wearing thin in some spots and the lugs are close to done in the ball of the foot.On the last trip, the side mesh has started to become frayed. At this point Iām not sure if I should put them out to pasture and buy new shoes or wait for them to die entirely. Though I have a 100mile trip coming up and Iām not sure I want to finish it with my shoes duct taped together.Pros - They are comfortable. They are not mind numbingly bright like a lot of trail runners. They breathe well.Cons - They seem to wear out fast (no reference data points for me as I am switching from boots that wear forever by comparison). There is no support (though I knew this going in, but these seem pretty bad due to the stretchy ness of the body fabric). My feet have never been dirtier. They were pretty expensive.
*Disclaimer: Altra provided me with this shoe at a discount as part of their Altra RED team.I've run 150 miles so far in the Timp 4's in dry rocky and wet mountainous terrains. Used in WA Cascade Mtns, CA San Gabriel Mtns, CO Leadville Mtns, and NV Mt Charleston/Lake Tahoe Mtns.Pro - This shoe is Protective for long miles in the mountains and rocky trails. The midsole, outsole, and shoe overlays do a great job!Pro - The shoe fit is very specious. Which I like and find works really well during longer efforts 30+ trail miles because it prevents your discomfort as your feet swell during longer efforts, especially for multi-day events like backpacking or back-to-back ultra runs. It feels like they are a throwback to the original Timp, which I love and completed a ...Ā More*Disclaimer: Altra provided me with this shoe at a discount as part of their Altra RED team.I've run 150 miles so far in the Timp 4's in dry rocky and wet mountainous terrains. Used in WA Cascade Mtns, CA San Gabriel Mtns, CO Leadville Mtns, and NV Mt Charleston/Lake Tahoe Mtns.Pro - This shoe is Protective for long miles in the mountains and rocky trails. The midsole, outsole, and shoe overlays do a great job!Pro - The shoe fit is very specious. Which I like and find works really well during longer efforts 30+ trail miles because it prevents your discomfort as your feet swell during longer efforts, especially for multi-day events like backpacking or back-to-back ultra runs. It feels like they are a throwback to the original Timp, which I love and completed a PCT thru hike in.Pro- The Heel Pull tab is really fun! I'm excited after every run to rip off my shoes so quickly and easily.Con - The shoe fit is inconsistent across versions, which I think is ok in the short-term if Altra can make this change stick and have clear distinctions between their trail line up. (Example: Mont Bs are your slim/racers, Timps are wide/trainers, Lone Peak are versatile/wide/trainers). I found the last two Timp versions to be more secure, tighter, and lighter, therefore a shoe I felt comfortable to race in. Now, I'm re-thinking and making the transition to MB for future trail races, which is good, but I just didn't realize that until I used the newer Timp's for myself.Conclusion: The Timp 4s are a go-to trail daily trainer. They're sturdy and comfortable on long mountainous trail days. They absorb mile after mile and keep ya going strong. As I approach my trail racing season next year, I'll look to other Altras models (MB or Superiors) for racing, but keep the Timp 4s in my line up for all the easy/long trail miles.
I purchased these the week of a big event in my life - my first ultra Spartan race in MT. I only ran with them once before the 50k obstacle coarse and they performed brilliantly on race day. I then used them on trail runs for training and additional shorter distance obstacle races and was still pleased with the product. My last big race of the season was a tough mudder infinity which ended up being 55k for me. Naturally I went with my timps but I always bring a backup pair of shoes on the long races. Unfortunately, after 30k the timps had a huge hole in the inner side wall on one shoe and two small holes on the pinky toe on both shoes. I believe that it was caused by blackberry shoots and other assorted sticks and logs that we were forced to run through. I had zero ...Ā MoreI purchased these the week of a big event in my life - my first ultra Spartan race in MT. I only ran with them once before the 50k obstacle coarse and they performed brilliantly on race day. I then used them on trail runs for training and additional shorter distance obstacle races and was still pleased with the product. My last big race of the season was a tough mudder infinity which ended up being 55k for me. Naturally I went with my timps but I always bring a backup pair of shoes on the long races. Unfortunately, after 30k the timps had a huge hole in the inner side wall on one shoe and two small holes on the pinky toe on both shoes. I believe that it was caused by blackberry shoots and other assorted sticks and logs that we were forced to run through. I had zero issue with any other part of the shoe. I purchased them at REI and being less than a year I returned them for a refund. I donāt regret buying them. I actually miss running in them. My recommendation is to buy them and stick to maintained park trails as much as possible. Could wear them for an obstacle race but risk the indurability of the fabric failing. That being said, they made it through well over 100k of obstacle course before failing so not too shabby.
This was the first time I tried the Timp. I've had the Lone peak before and put a solid 500 mils on them before I started looking for new ones. I prefer a lower arch, usually using zero drop, but most lower profile shoes only last me a couple of months, as I average 60-100 miles a week, depending on my training. However, these were very durable, taking 500 miles of seriously tough trail before the tread became too worn to wear. The drains re a brilliant idea. I was highly skeptical at first, as I doubted they would be very functional. however, I could run right through streams during a trail run and within a few steps on the bank, the shoes would drain the water rather than hold it, saving me the typical weight of a soaked shoe.The biggest issues with the shoes ...Ā MoreThis was the first time I tried the Timp. I've had the Lone peak before and put a solid 500 mils on them before I started looking for new ones. I prefer a lower arch, usually using zero drop, but most lower profile shoes only last me a couple of months, as I average 60-100 miles a week, depending on my training. However, these were very durable, taking 500 miles of seriously tough trail before the tread became too worn to wear. The drains re a brilliant idea. I was highly skeptical at first, as I doubted they would be very functional. however, I could run right through streams during a trail run and within a few steps on the bank, the shoes would drain the water rather than hold it, saving me the typical weight of a soaked shoe.The biggest issues with the shoes were, for one, the mesh covering over the drains on the side shredded almost immediately, within the first week. That material is not ideal for trail terrain. Second, the tongue of the shoe slides to the side, creating an uneven feel. If I didn't stop ever four or five miles to readjust it, I'd get shooting pain along the top of my foot from the disproportioned support. And lastly, the material of the shoe itself ripped after about 10 weeks, the seam along the inside of the shoe. Honestly, I kept running in them for a good month longer without noticing much difference, but a little more durability would be a huge benefit.All in all, I absolutely love Altras. As an ultra-runner, I am a bit of a shoe fanatic and there is no other brand that has satisfied me as Altras do. Nothing else hugs my foot quite like these. I just ordered the Superiors. I have never tried them before, but I am excited to compare. Thank you, Altra, for your dedication to making high quality footwear for trail runners, as that is a category so many other brands dare not attempt.
I used to love Altras; unfortunately, I've been extremely disappointed with their quality lately. I wanted to like these shoes, but they just fell apart so quickly.Starting with the good, the Altra fit is - as always - superb for someone with wide feet and the zero drop makes the ride so balanced. The stack height and cushioning is cushy on these shoes and I feel like I could run forever on them. When they're new, they rip on all terrain. Additionally, the heel is nicely padded and there's no movement back there. Overall, a great feeling shoe.However, the poor durability and design detracts from almost all of this. While I do love big mountain runs, I didn't do any in the pair of Timps I have; I've put in about 170 miles of dry hardpack with maybe 20 miles of ...Ā MoreI used to love Altras; unfortunately, I've been extremely disappointed with their quality lately. I wanted to like these shoes, but they just fell apart so quickly.Starting with the good, the Altra fit is - as always - superb for someone with wide feet and the zero drop makes the ride so balanced. The stack height and cushioning is cushy on these shoes and I feel like I could run forever on them. When they're new, they rip on all terrain. Additionally, the heel is nicely padded and there's no movement back there. Overall, a great feeling shoe.However, the poor durability and design detracts from almost all of this. While I do love big mountain runs, I didn't do any in the pair of Timps I have; I've put in about 170 miles of dry hardpack with maybe 20 miles of sidewalk running to and from the trailhead. And with that little of mileage on mellow trails, my shoes are completely falling apart. The forefoot lugs have completely worn down and don't do anything on trails anymore, causing my feet to slip everywhere. As someone in the PNW noted the same issues, they also don't work well on the dry trails of the mountain West once the forefoot lugs wear down.The largest disappointment is that the sides of the upper are disentegrating, which affects the way the fit and gets worse each time I wear them. They've been relegating to road shoes for the few times I run on roads because they're useless on trails now. I'm not sure if this issue is due to the narrower fit (why??) which causes the outer metatarsal area to rub against the shoe. An additional bit that I noticed is that the ride is extremely unstable due to the draining vents in the midsole - they form what feel like tubes going through the foot and the edges collapse when cornering sometimes and it's resulted in me nearly breaking my ankles several times. I'm not sure if it's my build ~185lbs 6'3", but it's something to be weary of. Regardless, I won't be buying Altras anymore. It seems their shoes are going in the wrong direction (lightweight at the cost of durability with poor user testing).
This is the fourth pair of altars I have owned. This is the third pair of TIMPS I have owned. The craftsmanship of the TIMP 4's is not the standard I am accustomed to. I purchased these for a trip in which I wore them every day for two weeks. My trip included a couple of days just walking around town, a few days of day hiking, and a week of backpacking (all I northern New Mexico). To say the shoes were failing by the end of the trip would be an understatement... I wish I would have taken pictures before I returned them to REI. Both shoes had tears in the rubber part of the sole under the ball of the foot. Both shoes had almost all of the "mesh" on the inside of the side of the sole coming off. Both shoes had the sole pealing back where the front meet the shoe over ...Ā MoreThis is the fourth pair of altars I have owned. This is the third pair of TIMPS I have owned. The craftsmanship of the TIMP 4's is not the standard I am accustomed to. I purchased these for a trip in which I wore them every day for two weeks. My trip included a couple of days just walking around town, a few days of day hiking, and a week of backpacking (all I northern New Mexico). To say the shoes were failing by the end of the trip would be an understatement... I wish I would have taken pictures before I returned them to REI. Both shoes had tears in the rubber part of the sole under the ball of the foot. Both shoes had almost all of the "mesh" on the inside of the side of the sole coming off. Both shoes had the sole pealing back where the front meet the shoe over the toes. The worst part was the right shoes sole started separating from the shoe all together. All this after just two weeks that covered about 50 miles. I am an Altra fan, but these do not hold up at all!
First impression was great. I have a B with foot, but toes that are sensitive to being compressed. The standard footshape fit is great, and provides a natural fit in the toe box while providing a secure but comfortable fit through the mid foot and in the heel. I broke it in for a month on local trails in anticipation of a long weekend of hiking around Mineral King.After couple light trail runs and a couple hikes, about 25 miles total, everything was great. But after 50 miles in 3 days, they were in shreds. The netting on the midsole in the front of the shoe has ripped off. The upper is significantly wearing and there is a already a hole in one shoe. There are three pieces of tread peeling off the shoe.75 miles of trail and these things are beater shoes rn that I ...Ā MoreFirst impression was great. I have a B with foot, but toes that are sensitive to being compressed. The standard footshape fit is great, and provides a natural fit in the toe box while providing a secure but comfortable fit through the mid foot and in the heel. I broke it in for a month on local trails in anticipation of a long weekend of hiking around Mineral King.After couple light trail runs and a couple hikes, about 25 miles total, everything was great. But after 50 miles in 3 days, they were in shreds. The netting on the midsole in the front of the shoe has ripped off. The upper is significantly wearing and there is a already a hole in one shoe. There are three pieces of tread peeling off the shoe.75 miles of trail and these things are beater shoes rn that I wouldnāt trust or rely on for a truly demanding hike ā for a $160 Trail shoe, I feel like thatās a problem.
Purchased these on 27/05/23 from an ALTRA authorised dealer (Made to Run St Helens) for use on Total Warrior 01/07/23 @ Branham Park. The good; I broke them in over June and I suffered no injuries/blisters wearing them for the event. The bad; After Total Warrior I washed the shoes by hand (warm water) and dried them naturally in a warm area. I put the laces back in and then went to put the insoles back in. On doing so I felt the inside top of the toe guard rubber material hanging down over the big toe, and the second one to that in the left shoe (the right was fine). The rubberised toe guard appears to be constructed by adding a thin rubber strip to the inside/outside toe area and glueing the shoe material between these thin strips. I can't wear them now as the ...Ā MorePurchased these on 27/05/23 from an ALTRA authorised dealer (Made to Run St Helens) for use on Total Warrior 01/07/23 @ Branham Park. The good; I broke them in over June and I suffered no injuries/blisters wearing them for the event. The bad; After Total Warrior I washed the shoes by hand (warm water) and dried them naturally in a warm area. I put the laces back in and then went to put the insoles back in. On doing so I felt the inside top of the toe guard rubber material hanging down over the big toe, and the second one to that in the left shoe (the right was fine). The rubberised toe guard appears to be constructed by adding a thin rubber strip to the inside/outside toe area and glueing the shoe material between these thin strips. I can't wear them now as the rubber inside keeps catching under my toenails (very uncomfortable). The other issue is the edge of the tongue cuts into the skin unless you wear a thicker sock that goes above the tongue to protect your skin (which I had to do). It's such a shame I had high hopes for these, but the construction seems unreliable. a basic product run test would have highlighted the issue with the tongues cutting into the skin. Given the cost of these shoes its very disappointing that they're not up to the job having only completed 23 miles in them.
I wanted to like these shoes so badly. Altras are the only shoes that fit my ridiculously wide feet and preference for zero-drops. I had a pair of Lone Peaks that got shredded from too much scrambling, so I was a little cautious about getting them again. I liked them a lot when I tested out a pair so I went for it anyway.The good: nice cushioning - they eliminated my shin splints from Hokas, seems like a lot of specific complaints have been addressed re: the side wall and foot platform. The shoes also have nice springy-ness that make downhills enjoyable and, of course, fit my 13 wide feet.The bad: first thing I noticed is that the lugs directly under the ball of the foot/toe area are shallower and less aggressive than the rest of the lugs. Since you primarily ...Ā MoreI wanted to like these shoes so badly. Altras are the only shoes that fit my ridiculously wide feet and preference for zero-drops. I had a pair of Lone Peaks that got shredded from too much scrambling, so I was a little cautious about getting them again. I liked them a lot when I tested out a pair so I went for it anyway.The good: nice cushioning - they eliminated my shin splints from Hokas, seems like a lot of specific complaints have been addressed re: the side wall and foot platform. The shoes also have nice springy-ness that make downhills enjoyable and, of course, fit my 13 wide feet.The bad: first thing I noticed is that the lugs directly under the ball of the foot/toe area are shallower and less aggressive than the rest of the lugs. Since you primarily run more under-toe with zero drop shoes, this means that those lugs wear out quite quickly. For me this noticeably reduced my efficiency in almost every terrain after about 50 miles on the shoe. The other lugs have barely any wear on them after 176 miles, but the the toe lugs do basically nothing and I end up slipping on steep climbs and descents.Additionally, the padding in the foot bed is structured in a way that at least the front of the foot is made up of tubes (you can see this with the ādrainsā in the side of the sole). For my height and weight, this made me feel extremely unstable, as my toes would sink down on the outside of the foot where the padding was less stable - I almost rolled my ankle a feels times with the unpredictability of the support. This may not be an issue for lighter and shorter runners, but I donāt like it.Finally, the overall build quality isnāt very great. The sidewall protector thatās built in is holding up very nicely, but it suddenly drops to nothing along the bridge of your foot?? Taking these on a few rockier runs, these areas are the exact areas that got cut up. The smaller cuts then ended up propagating across the side of the shoe leaving a gaping hole. Very frustrating as the shoe is going to just continue falling apart.Related to getting scraped up in rocks, rockier terrain does not suit these shoes well. My feet would start hurting if things got too pointy; you can feel every rock you step on in these.Overall, Iām not a fan. Iāve put less than 200 miles on my current pair and theyāre already falling apart. Iāve done maybe 2 or 3 runs that involved significant rocky portions of scrambling, so I wouldnāt expect this much wear to be showing already. Back to finding the unicorn.
| Stack Height | 29 mm |
