The Running Event brings together almost every major brand under one roof to show off the upcoming year’s lineup to both retailers and press alike. We had the opportunity to attend and it was awesome to see what some folks have in store for the running community this coming year. We will breakdown each brand in a moment, but it’s important to look at the pervasive trends before diving deeper. TRENDS Male ...
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The Altra Torin platform Has been one of the staple models in the Altra lineup. It has evolved so much over the last several iterations that it’s almost staggering. With the 3.5, Altra introduced a knit and mesh version of the shoe and as they went into the 4.0 they stuck with the mesh model. They did something else interesting though and that was to introduce a plush and non-plush ...
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The Paradigm 4.0 from Altra was one of our favorite shoes in a long time, so we were very excited about the release of the 4.5 as to what might’ve changed. To be honest, we were entirely underwhelmed and not because the 4.5 isn’t solid, more because it’s essentially the exact same shoe. Sure, very minor modifications have been made, but overall it’s almost identical even visually to its predecessor. Construction: ...
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The Altra Kayenta is like nothing we have really seen from Altra before. Visually it makes you think of the Torin, but really it’s in a new class by itself. Compared to what Altra has come forward with before in the low weight and high-performance category, this is a dramatic improvement. Packing 23mm of cushioning into a below six-ounce shoe is truly an accomplishment. Also as a bonus, this upper ...
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The original Altra Escalante was one of our favorite updates to come out how Altra in a while. The addition of the EGO midsole immediately improved performance and the feel of that upper, no matter who we put it on, they just seemed to love it. The Escalante Racer is really just a scaled-down version of that show, lacking some of the trimmings. It does still have that awesome EGO ...
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What will go down as probably one of my favorite redesigns aesthetically came at the end of 2018, The Altra TIMP gets a huge update for its second iteration, 1.5. The original TIMP suffered from a couple issues including the fact it felt a little too close to the Olympus in their model lineup and didn't define itself enough across the category. Sure the lugs were a little thicker and ...
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This is one that everyone has been waiting for. A perennial favorite among trail runners, the all new Altra Superior 4. We are and have always been Altra fans and this stems from any number of things they do well whether it is their engagement with the trail running community or the thoughtfulness they put in to the actual shoe design. That being said, we are always wary of their ...
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Altra continues to refine their trail lineup this season with an update to their medium cushioned and constant crowd favorite, the Lone Peak. We got a chance to not only look at the new 4.0 version, but also the new RSM version which stands for Rain, Snow, and Mud. Altra does also make this in a full hiking model with a higher ankle, but not something to really run in. ...
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Altra continues to iterate on their lineup and it has never been more prevalent than with their recent updates to the Olympus platform with the 3.0. This super cushioned trail shoe which just screams ultra level distances has always been a fan favorite for those who prefer comfort over ground feel. With the 3.0, Altra is going all in and has made a ton of changes and also is doing ...
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When Altra introduced the Escalante last year, it is safe to say everyone was a little skeptical. They were departing from their traditional mesh/overlay driven upper, they had swapped their entire midsole with this whole new thing called EGO... I mean, what were they thinking? Then everyone got their hands on it and minds were blown. The shoe was super light, responsive, and so comfortable. The question was, how were ...
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