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Altra Olympus Altra Lone Peak and Altra King MT Review

Finally I’ll show you the absolute cheapest place to source these online and a neat trick to help you ‘hack’ Altras if you find the transition to zero drop difficult or want to maintain a small drop on your running trainers. (I’ll also explain what zero drop is !!!) 

Altras will be of particular interest to runners that are looking for much more cushioning (due to injuries occuring or increased distances like jumping from marathon distance to ultra distance) and also be a good show for people with wide feet that find many makes uncomfortable.

Common Features of all Altras

All Altras are foot shaped for more comfort

Actually Shaped Like Your Feet !

There are a couple of features that set all Altras apart from other manufacturers. The first is that they are ….wait for it…. foot shaped.  When you think about it this makes a lot of sense. Most running shoes are running shoe shaped which has no bearing on how your feet actually are squeezed into them.  As they are wide and foot shaped your toes don’t get smashed up inside and your feet feel much more comfortable, especially over longer distances. 

What is Zero Drop ?

Secondly Altras are ‘Zero Drop’ . This means that the there is no drop in height from the heel of the shoe down to the forefoot. Traditional shoes may have a drop of up to 12mm which means your weight is slightly being pushed forward into your feet and can cause your toes to smash up against the end of your shoes.  If you’ve ever found flip flops comfy that’s because they are zero drop ….as in fact are all of us when we aren’t weraing shoes !

Zero drop comes with a warning….it doesn’t suit all. Some people can have some achilles or calf pain as they ‘transition’ from traditional shoes to zero drop. The more cushioned the Altra the easier the transition is. If you find that you are getting some tightness in your achilles or calves from Altras then this simple hack using a heel wedge bought on amazon makes a huge difference and can act as a good intermediary for 6 months as you switch to zero drop. 

A 4mm or 6mm heel wedge from ebay can help transition to zero drop Altras.

Wide Toe Box without Zero Drop

If you want the wide fit of an Altra but don’t want the zero drop or get tight achilles then I recommend the Topo Athletic Ultraventures instead. I do a separate review of them here.

Gaiter Attachment

Finally Altras have unique little hooks and gaiter trap velcro to allow you to attach gaiters easily to their shoes. This is great when you run mainly in wet or very muddy conditions. 

Altra Lone Peak Neo Mids with Attached custom running gaiters

Altra Olympus

The Altra Olympus 2.5  is my go to shoe for very big long runs where cushioning and comfort is the most important factor. I’ve crossed the Sahara Desert in the Marathon des Sables in Altra Olympus and set a Fastest Known Time on the 650 mile Monarchs Way in Altra Olympus. 

Monarch’s Way Fastest Known Time set in Altra Olympus 2.5

There is a small sacrifice in grip with these and I would say they are better suited to summer trail running in the UK. They are also good for a combo of road and trail running. Basically If I’m not sure or can’t decide what trainers to take to a run I take these. 

Lee-Stuart Evans in the Marathon des Sables wearing Altra Olympus

I’ve found them to be durable up to about 400 miles of abuse which is better than most competitors.  In the summer they are the main shoe I wear for most running from short 1 hour runs to any long ultras I do provide the terrain isn’t too technical.

Altra Olympus 2.5 on the Monarch’s Way in Charmouth

I always opt for half to 1 size bigger than my normal shoe size to give me further room for expansion over long ultras ( your feet tend to swell) .

Altra Lone Peak

Lone Peaks have more grip than the Olympus and have slightly less cushioning but many of my friends love Lone Peaks all year round for Ultras. There are 2 variants, the standard breathable versions and a version that’s waterproof and breathable. They also have a ankle support version called the ‘mid’.

This is my go to shoe for trail running in very wet conditions and in the winter when its muddy. I like the extra ankle support of the mid too over uneven terrain. Be warned though, there is a trade off with breathability to get the waterproof neo version and so these can be very clammy if you use them in the summer when they aren’t needed. 

I tend to opt for half to 1 size bigger than my normal shoe in Altra Lone Peaks.  In the Arctic I opted for 2 sizes bigger to accommodate 2 pairs of socks. I have done a more in depth review of them here.

Altra King MT

Altra King MT Review

The Altra King MT are the ‘fastest’ trail shoe in their range. They have the least amount of cushioning (so about the same as most normal trail shoes) but still retain the nice comfy wide toebox. They have the most aggressive grip and are suited for shorter faster trail races and obstacle course races. I like the velcro strap to keep the laces tidy. Personally I don’t like to run more than bout 2 hours in total in them on a run due to the minimalist cushioning.  If you are currently using the notorious Salomon Speedcross and find they split at the front and are too tight then these are definitely for you. 

I’ve used the King MT in the Obstacle Course Racing World Championships in Canada last year and they were perfect for tough terrain, steep inclines and huge grip on obstacles. As they are more of a precision shoe Id opt to go for ‘correct size’ so if you are normally a size 8 in your everyday shoes buy a size 8. 

Altra Timp 

I was very excited when this came out recently . I’ve been after a hybrid shoe that has the grip of the Lone Peak but with the Cushioning of the Olympus . I was ready to say that for me this was my holy grail of shoe that I could wear all year round.

Altra Timp worn out after only 100 miles

The Timp has a few things that are different. Firstly the lacing is off centre, a cute gimmick with no purpose I can figure out, which by its nature off sets the gaiter hook and makes attaching gaiters pointless. This is a complete own goal.

Altra Timp with poor build quality and materials.

Verdict

If you are a shorter distance trail  runner and like superb amounts of grip then the King MT will be perfect.

Wet muddy runs in the winter will suit the Lone Peak

and for overall maximum comfort over long distances in drier less muddy conditions the Altra Olympus is the flagship of the fleet.