ALTRAMen's Olympus 5 Trail Running Shoe

I've been a runner and hiker most of my life but my feet are shot. I'm taking drastic measures to correct problems without having surgery or injections. Going to zero down shoes with a wide natural toe is not the drastic part, it's the easy part. I'm also transitioning to bare foot shoes when I'm not at work. This is going to take a while to undo what I've done but so far it seems to be helping. Most people take this journey way too fast so I'm taking people's advice and going slow.These are my first Altras after researching many brands and I like them. Very comfortable. The cushion is good yet not squishy like Hoka, but most of all it's a zero down shoe with plenty of room for my toes to move. Hopefully I can reverse my Morton's Neuroma and abductor digili minimi pain. If your feet hurt then life can be tough. The heel is more snug then I expected (I have very thin feet with no fat) so be warmed.I would have preferred to have gotten the all black but it was $52 more than the black and gray. Couldn't justify it. I did find this color on sale so make sure if you're not picky on what color you need that you look at the different versions. These shoes are not cheap so even $109 in this economy is quite a bit. Eventually I'll be using these for mountain hikes but for a while I'll be using these at work simply as a good pair of shoes. They might look a little funny to some because of the larger toe box but frankly I could care less what people think. At least I can see my feet.Made of good quality materials and even though it doesn't look like it it's quite a light shoe.Definitely worth trying. If these are your first is zero down shoes then take it easy at first. If you're using them to eventually transfer over to barefoot shoes, take it easy, this is not a race.Go up half or a whole size on these. They run small.

This is my second pair of Olympus 5's, and I'd like to buy up a few more so that I won't have to deal with the changes that shoe manufacturers inevitably make. These shoes are PERFECT. No break-in required. The toe box is PERFECT. The cushion is PERFECT. Please Altra, leave this shoe AS IS. I've read some reviews that the Olympus 4 model was excellent as well (I didn't discover these until Olympus 5), but not the same praise for the Olympus 6. It seems that every time I find a shoe that is the perfect size, grip, width, toe box, and cushion, the very next iteration is a complete bust. I don't understand why when something ain't broke, the manufacturers want to tweak it here and there, OR change the plant where it's been made. You don't have to get it made cheaper - pay to keep it exactly the same in the same plant, and just give us more and different color options! We'll pay the freakin' inflated price in order to have THE SAME SHOE! Let me repeat that for the guys in the back - we'll pay more next year and the year after if we have to, to KEEP THE SAME PERFECT SHOE!! Don't tweak anything, just add color choices, please. I'll be an Altra Olympus 5 buyer for life if you'll just listen. If you want to make new iterations, do that - but KEEP making the Olympus 5 as a classic!

I still have the Lone Peak but they are both weatherproof so that means they get hot during the summer. These Altras are for my foot shape wide on the forefoot with high arch.I did not expect them to be supple and much more confident descending on pebbly loose tracks in New Mexico. When I was going off track down this gully, I though my foot got stuck as I was going low to clear the tree limbs. It was just gripping on a rock so well. I was surprise how plush it was and it only meant I can go on longer. Yeah it may impede speed on harder packed flat trails but the descent performance was awesome, so probably you can make up time then. I am just a a late 50's maintenance runner, not racing. My favorite trails go from 1 to 2 k elevation 5 - 8 miles. I also run on flat trails, the mud performace is not so great but not as good as the Lone Peak all weather. I do like road or track and for that I just have budget shoes but if I need to get a track specific one those, I am going to stick with Altras so I preserve the tread on these. I will use the Lone Peaks when the weather gets colder.Rock garden's and boulders performance is great but not sure how fast they'll wear or if the grip will get weaker. Honestly they are too grippy now,. I have a picture how they look after 2 6 mile runs on rough terrain with ascent and descent. The midsoles and soft material could wear out quicklyThe only other negative is that the laces are not so great, They do the job but they are short, plus they feel low quality.Also we will have to see How the thinnest material will hold. The Lone Peal all weather just has this tough although thin feel about them.For what this shoe can do in performance, I give it 5 stars. For someone that races or an avid runner, I expect them to get shoes every season, so durability may not even be a criteria.

Went from the Altra Lone Peak to these - more comfortable for my feet, but strained my knees. I had put 40 miles on them in 10-mile increments to break them in, but later after a 50 continuous mile run my knees were shot. I attribute this to the thicker cushioning making a more unstable platform. i could feel my calves and thighs working harder on uneven uphills, though flat running was fine. I don't fault the shoes for this, as I bought them knowing this was a risk with the thicker foam and they're otherwise great. I'll probably alternate w the Lone Peaks until my knees adapt since my feet were less sore in these on the longer run than past 50-mile stretches.-1 star only because the toe rubber is peeling off after less than 100 miles but I'll just use some glue so no big deal. BTW for people complaining about durability, these are trail shoes and made to be light, so therefore less durable than say, a hiking boot, so a little perspective is appropriate. You do expect the soles to stay on better though.