Altra Zero Drop Footwear

I am sold on the Torin. I had run in the original Instinct and the Instinct 1.5's and was really sold on them until I began to develop a slight neuroma. The Torins are still a zero drop model but have much more padding than the Instinct. I've now run over 200 miles in mine and have NO ISSUES! I have absolutely no complaints with this shoe. My neuroma is gone and my PF is under control! My intent is to run my next marathon in them.

This is by far one of the best running shoes I have ever worn!! I am a big fan of Altra and their "Zero Drop" shoes. I was always a little bummed that, as a triathlete, I would have to modify their shoes to meet the demands of triathlon (mostly transitions) so I was super jazzed to hear that they had the courage to commit to a full fledged tri shoe and man they got it right! My biggest complaint with most Tri specific shoes is that they can become complicated with gimmicks or fad systems (lacing, materials, etc) but true to their credo Altra lets my feet do what the were designed to do with out getting in the way. The 3 Sums fit my feet like a glove with socks on (I ordered a half size larger) and with bare feet I have plenty of room for my foot to spread out and accommodate any swelling from long miles (I do Iron & half Iron distance races). If I were primarily doing Sprint Triathlon up to Olympics then I would probably stick to my true size. There is still lots of space in the toebox for your toes to spread out. While these are "minimalist" shoes they do have some cushion and after a long bike ride this is welcome relief. You will need to follow Altra's guidelines if you are making the move to minimal or zero drop shoes from regular shoes and carefully rotate them into your running schedule. I am a ChiRunner and made the move from other minimal shoes so I have not had any problems. I already use the Yankz lacing system although I don't run with tight laces. With their slipper construction I suspect that the 3 Sums would work without any laces (there is no tongue thank you very much) but Yankz are the best quick lace system out there so I was glad to see them and not some proprietary goofiness. Altra included this amazing little strap over the tongue that holds my Road ID and foot pod!! I have never seen anything like that. Somebody did their homework!! Inside the shoe there are no seams or rough spots. The 3 Sum fits so well I caught myself looking down to make sure I had shoes on! There are pull tabs on the front and back which are handy but always concern me in case they rubbed blisters on my ankles (are you listening Zoot) but so far they have not bothered me at all (I do use Bodyglide on my ankles and feet) and really help when trying to pull shoes on wet/sweaty feet. If you are not used to Altras they can seem frighteningly orthopedic since they are so wide in the toebox (they are all foot shaped) but the feel and comfort is worth the clown shoe look. The ghastly tequila sunrise color helps camouflage this a bit. The ride of the 3 Sums is very stable and I never had anything but absolute comfort. These are definitely my new favorite running shoes. Some people have expressed concern over the drainage holes in the sole. These are designed to let any excess water drain out but some people complain that they actually let water in! This has never bothered me and doesn't bother me on this shoe. I run barefoot mostly so I don't care if I step in a puddle and get my feet wet-what I want is for the water to get out after a few steps and that is what this feature does. The 3 Sums don't seem as well ventilated as some other racing flats and minimalist shoes but I am leery of those mesh fabrics that let air in but seem like they would fall apart after a few months. The 3 Sums construction seems rock solid. At this much a pop they had better last a long time. My only complaint so far and it is very, very picky is that the soles do slip a little it in the rain but this is only when running on the stripes of the road and other slippery surfaces. Again, I always prefer a shoe that lets my feet do what they do. If you havent learned what surfaces get slippery in the rain when you are running then gravity will be your best teacher here. Please also note my pair are new and may gain more traction after a little wear on the sole. Overall, I can't believe how lucky I am to have found a shoe this great. I will be ordering more of these shoes when I can save up the dough. If you are a fan of Altra, a minimalist shoe fan or especially if you are a triathlete you owe it to yourself to check these shoes out!

I ordered a 1/2 size up & they're so short - I really like them & I'm going to try another whole size larger.

Altra approaches running shoes much differently than other brands. In the Provision, the support is a removable insert that lies under the sock liner. Its great to remove once in a while on shorter runs or if you have one foot that requires a little more support than the other. The fit on the 1.5 is more like a traditional running shoe, so be aware they run shorter than previous Altra models. I love the seamless upper and the zero drop approach to footwear.

I liked the shoe but the material on the shoe tears apart after only a short while. After wearing the shoe for only a few weeks a small tear began to develop on both sides of the shoe. The shoe is still usable but it should not be falling apart so quickly. After two months of use the tears on the shoe become quite large.

I have some Altra Torins I like for road running and a friend recommended these for trail running so I bought them intending to use them for an upcoming trail marathon. I took them on the marathon course for a 25 mile training run and it was a disaster. The toe box on these felt much too large and my feet were sliding around the whole time making me feel unstable. With the bright red color I started to feel like I was wearing Ronald Mcdonald shoes. The wide toe box kept catching on rocks and roots and I stumbled at least 10 times and had 3 serious falls. I had never fallen before on the same trail while running in my old inov-8 trail shoes. I injured my knee badly on one head over heels fall. I replaced these with a new pair of inov-8 Trailroc's and completed the trail marathon a week later with no stumbles or falls despite slick rainy conditions. I contacted Altra and learned the hard way that the 30 day no-questions-asked satisfaction guarantee they advertise doesn't apply to shoes purchased on Zappos. I guess I missed that fine print hidden somewhere on their website. I wanted to like these, but now I'm stuck with a pair of clown shoes that I would consider dangerous to wear on the trail.

Fantastic 0-drop shoe with some cushioning. It has more arch support than I wanted but is otherwise great. Very wide toebox but that is the point with Altra.

Zappos was a pleasure to deal with. I was looking for Altra "zero drop" running shoes & got a tip from one of my sons that you were the place to go, it was easy, the service was fast, & I love the zero drops!

Great shoe for promoting midfoot strike. Has cushioning for those longer runs, but less structured support than the Torin (I love both models). Love the wide toe cup so my toes can splay. Very comfy shoe.

Fantastic shoe. It promotes a midfoot strike, but it's not a minimalist shoe -- it has cushioning and some structure inside. If you want to feel the road/earth, this is not the shoe for you. Definitely a bit more support than the Intuition. Great wide toe cup so your toes can splay. Love them so much I just bought a second pair. Order one half size up (I'm usually an 8, but took an 8.5).

My favorite running shoe, and I have a bunch, including five from Altra (Instinct, Instinct 1.5, Lone Peak 1.5, Torin, The One). Ran the Orange County Half Marathon in them a couple weeks ago and PR'd. The yellow/green dye stains my socks on especially sweaty runs, but the comfort and performance of the shoe is worth it. It strikes the perfect balance between ground feel and cushion.

Terrific shoe for whatever type of running workout you are doing. Long runs, short runs, speed work, etc. It's the one shoe that can do it all!

I had these shoes already in black and love them. I ordered this pair to wear in summer, just because black doesn't look right with most summer clothes. These shoes are NOT the same size, although they are supposed to be. They are shorter. I kept relacing them thinking they just needed to break in but now I am positive they are mismarked. Disappointing because they are expensive and now are too worn to return. Still love the black ones though.

I love Altra, and this new version of the Lone Peak. Cool addition on this model with an updated toe box bumper and really cool Gator Trap at the back. Love the color, but I swapped out the red laces for the black set that came inside the box.

I love this shoe. I know this shoe is intended for running, but that's not what I use this shoe for. I prefer doing high impact classes at the gym, four times a week. My classes include aerobics, kickboxing, Zumba, plyometrics, and step. This shoe allows me to do all of that with zero discomfort. I own quite a few pairs of athletic shoes, but none provide the support and cushion that this shoe offers. I have to say that for me it was a risk going for this shoe, for three reasons. I had never heard of this brand, I was buying it without first trying it on, and there were not a whole lot of reviews to guide me. I'm glad I took a chance.

I ordered both the Delilah and this shoe by Altra, both a half size up from my usual athletic shoe size since many Altra reviews mentioned the shoes running small. The bigger size in Delila was perfect but in this it was a just tiny bit too big so my normal size might work better. The shoe was also very wide around the ankle and I couldn't get that part to fit no matter how tightly I cinched up the bungee. There's no way I could run in this shoe because it slipped just walking. The Delilah was more comfortable and a much better fit around the ankle. I didn't care for the rough textured insole in either shoe, especially since these are meant to be worn without socks. In the end, I sent them both back and ordered a second pair of Merrell Barefoot Pace because those are just more comfy and a little better looking. If you really want some Altras, go for the Delilah unless you have very large or wide ankles.

I was headed for a place where I'd be doing PT rehab daily. I was really lost with all the choices there are. Finally, I phoned Zappos and spoke with a caring and knowledgeable woman who helped me. I'm a size 12, and my feet are medium width, but often swell, and some days I can't even get them in my regular "hard" shoes. The Zappos employee recommended these: I didn't know about an enlarged toe bed, or the other technical aspects of the shoe - but I really do like fuchsia! I also like it that these really don't need lacing, for my purposes. I haven't had such comfortable shoes in a long time, and even when my feet are aching and swollen, they fit in these shoes and feel wonderful! So this barefoot feel along with reasonable cushioning where it matters, and the shoe's interior and exterior design, actually add up to a sum greater than its parts, here, as far as I'm concerned. I head for my shoes every day and am looking forward to putting them on. Two more things: 1) I'm buying a pair of this same exact shoe in the black today - I think they look great, neon blue laces and all - when I find something perfect, I sometimes get two of whatever it is. And 2) A week after I'd shared my story with this uber-sweet Zappos employee over the phone about the major rehabilitation I'm doing now, a week after the shoes had already arrived, I received one of the most unusually lovely bouquets of spring flowers ever. I can identify a lot of flowers and know their common names, but this bouquet had blooms and blossoms I've not seen often from a florist. So then I opened the card to read, wondering who could have sent this, and it read: "You're inspiring people every day with what you're doing! Good luck from the staff at Zappos!" I was floored! The speedy shipping and return policy at Zappos is great. The caring work ethic, among and from Zappos employees, though, truly inspires me, and should not be taken for granted in these times! What cool folks, and what a class act! Heartfelt thanks, Zappos.

This is a great Racer/Trainer and I love my new pair. I would probably race in the One on the road over a distance of a marathon or beyond. Some may find this shoe a bit heavy for a road 5k or 10k, but as a performance trainer, I like it very much. Lots of compliments on the style as well.

The comfort level of these shoes is right up there with Birkenstocks! When my Zero Drop shoes arrived, I put them on and was instantly in love!

I've used them on my trail runs for the past few weeks and adore them. I usually wear 9 or 9.5 in running shoes, and had to go up to 10 because my big toes were hitting the top of the front. In 10, they are absolutely perfect. The wide toe box and cushioning is a dream, and I can not feel the shoe anywhere - everything is padded, including the tongue (which I could feel on the Intuition 1.5). I also bought the black men's Torins, because I hate the white sole on the women's black Torins, but the women's ones do feel better on the feet, in case you are thinking about doing the same. I used a sharpie to get rid of the white and am urging Altra to ditch the white sole on colored shoes - it's so darn ugly! The pink shoes are even worse. I ordered those as well and the white on them was already yellowing. Also, the black ones have 7 lace holes, while the pink ones I received have only 6. On the Altra website the pink ones are pictured with 7 holes, so maybe Zappos is still selling last year's stock? I give these only 2 stars for style because of the color combinations, and am hoping that the next models will be nicer colors. I don't see myself ever running in anything else.