The grip never dipped, and while the foam trampoline did compress noticeably over the miles, it was still springy and protective to the final jabby rock. This might read as contradictory to my point about the Olympus 5’s heft not really mattering much considering its intended use as an ultra-ultra-distance shoe, but weight is no longer inconsequential after a certain point.

Altra focused most of their attention on the Olympus 5’s upper when revamping the shoe, and for the purposes of affecting fit, I think the subtle changes they made can be considered improvements. A number of Altra shoes in the last few years have shipped with laces that were way too long, not the case here. While some runners have issues with the geometry of zero drop, this shoe really feels like there’s a slight difference.Aside from my blisters, my feet were as happy as they’d ever been during a thru-hike, especially if we’re talking about how they felt in shoes over 500 miles old. There are a few overlays that cover the toe cap, laces, and lateral sides that give a little extra support to an already durable mesh. g seems to be the upper limit a shoe can support while still managing to feel runnable; an ounce more and I fear most of my outings in the Olympus 5 would be slowed to a walk. A lower drop (0mm - 5mm) promotes running on mid-foot and fore-foot, while higher drops (8mm - 12mm) are more traditional and meant to support a heel-striking gait.

It makes it look like a higher stack than it actually is, and it really helps the stability of the shoe. With thousands of happy miles hiked in cheaper shoes, the question I set out to answer during my review period was, “what does one get for the added expense? uses a compression-molded EVA foam in the midsole, which feels a bit firmer than the Quantic midsoles on shoes like the Superior 4. kind of follows the trend set by the Altra Timp — it doesn’t feel quite as plush as you might expect from its substantial stack height.Footshape: Making shoes that actually fit the anatomical shape of a human foot is what Altra is all about. There are ten “lugs” in the exposed midsole section (I put in quotes because they don’t really do much besides look the part) and thus far they are wearing down some - but every other part of the shoe seems just fine. With all that amount of cushioning, we expected that the Altra Olympus 5 would be far from a minimalist shoe in terms of flexibility. All I am saying is that they are both huge shoes and are very similar in properties and performance.