Customer Reviews Altra Kayenta

I--like many--was disappointed with the One 3.0. The 2.5s were my go to shoes, serving as flats and trainers. I then fell in love with the Escalantes; however, I found them to be too heavy for racing. (The comfort of the mesh would become a heavy annoyance on hot, rainy or wet runs.) The Vanish-R became my racing shoe, but I missed the comfort of light shoes on long runs with heavy legs. The Solstices worked well in various situations, although the construct seemed reductive, and the soles were not well protected for long usage. The Kayenta provides the comfort and durability of the Escalantes without the awkwardness of the 2.5s. The lightness of them assures a higher turn-over, and the stack height will protect me for longer road runs. The uppers are snug and hold my ankle in place; this was not what I experienced with the 2.5s. I think the Kayenta is the synthesis of everything commendable from the 2.5s and the Escalante. I commend Altra for making a quality shoe that will appeal to fans of both models!

I went through countless pairs of The One up to the point they came out with the 3.0, which I thought was terrible. The Kayenta brings back everything great about The One 2.5 but adds a better feel in the heel/ankle area and great cushioning. Like The One, the sole definitely looks like it will not last as long as some of the other Altra options, but it is well worth the trade off.

Fits like a glove. Amazing cushioning especially given the crazy lightness. Not as pillowy as the Escalante but more springy than the Escalante Racer. (Both are excellent.) Kudos to their R&D guys - they just keep releasing these amazing new models that keep driving shoe technology forward.

I have had many Altra shoes, starting first with the Altra adams, then Altra One, then the provision....this is my fourth pair and by far is the BEST out of all four hands down. Lightweight with nice cushion, tons of space in the toebox, I just can't say enough great things about it....Going to buy another pair just to wear and not run in.

this shoe is the perfect weight and has the right amount of cushioning for asphalt and concrete surfaces. Slipping in is a little work, but once on, feels great. I've mainly run 10k distance in this shoe but would be very confident running a half distance tri in these, they feel that good.

First off I am 6'3", size 12.5 in Altra's, have avg cadence between 185-195 spm. I run most of my miles in Escalante's & Duo's. The Kayenta is much firmer than those two shoes, it doesn't have that bouncy feeling. But once your foot hits the ground they just want to slide and pop straight back, the feel on the road is so good, you can really feel as you push into your stride. So in terms of feel I give them an A+, they just want to chew up fast miles. In terms of fit, one of the best I've had from Altra, I love the security of the "cage" around the shoe and the snugness of the stretch bootie. Your heal feels locked in and your foot is secure, absolute no sliding in the Kayenta. I though the higher walls of the insole might be irritating while running, but there was no issue, my heel wasn't even touching the ground anyway. Another note, these are crazy light weight. They feel like nothing on your feet, it wraps around your foot like its an extension of your body, not a foot and shoe, its one unit working together giving you lighting fast turnover. High marks to the guys at Altra for producing a firm, lightweight, highly comfortable shoe! I'll be using these on speed workout days for sure, because I don't think i can trust myself to take it easy when I have them on my feet.

I've been a big fan of the Escalante and especially the Superior 4. This was my first time trying one of Altra's shoes that is built more for speed. The shoe really hugs the forefoot like a sock and provides great stability. I wore these for the first time and ran 40 miles while pacing a friend for an ultra. They had plenty of cushion despite the smaller stack. Super comfortable ride the whole way. I'll be buying a few more pairs and they might become my go to shoe. They are definitely tighter around the forefoot than other Altra shoes, so they aren't quite as wide as the Escalante.

I purchased the shoe for shorter to mid distance runs, nothing longer than a 10K. Thus far I'm very pleased with the comfort and the responsiveness of the shoe. The inner liner makes for a snug fit, though I would not change the size that I purchased. Keep in mind that the shoe will feel closer to your foot than other pairs of Altra Footwear. I am hoping Altra's claim that it's technology will make for a durable, and long-lasting pair of trainers.

This shoe is great if you love the midsole feel of the Duo. I've used the Duo for a long time and now I am using the Kayenta as my true speedwork shoe and it works great for that purpose! Super responsive with plenty of cushion for longer workouts. The upper is very comfortable with the soft neoprene liner.

I bought my Kayenta's about a year ago when I really started to run regularly. These were my first Altras. Overall, I love them. When I started to run I was only running 2-3 miles a few times a week while trying to work on pace, these are super light, I love the lack of support/structure. I felt my gait adjust as soon as I put them on and after a few runs with a little calf soreness, my body thanked me for switching to zero drop. Pretty quickly, I noticed the heels and toes wearing down. I recently started pushing my distance to 5-10 miles on pavement. Maybe it's my body adjusting to long runs, maybe it's the lack of cushioning, but my joints are pretty shot after those longer runs. I just ordered some Torins for more cushion on my longer runs. My only other beef is the small hole in the sole for airflow and flexibility; it seems great until you run in the rain or through a puddle and get wet sock for the rest of your run. Would definitely buy again for shorter pace runs, they were good enough to make me want to buy Altra for the rest of my life.

I'm a 70yr old former triathlete and ultra runner, but I'm restricted to walking these days. I'm also a "Team Clydesdale" guy at 6'2" and 235lbs. Most people would say I'm crazy using such a shoe. But for walking on roads or groomed trails these are delightful, even for a big guy. I probably could use a bit more cushion, my other Altra's are Escalante and Lone Peak hikers. Overall a great and comfortable fit, even with bare feet. Probably a good racing shoe as long as you're not a Clydesdale.

This is a fit only review compared to other Altra products. I regularly run in the Escalante Racer '19 and King MT 1.5 and the most noticeable thing is how narrow the Kayenta is in the forefoot compared to the other 2. My toes felt cramped compared to the same size in the other shoes. This would be an ideal triShoe for me and MAY expand with time, but where the Racer and King MT were perfect from the start this one was not (at least for me)

I have recently switched to a more minimal approach and really believe it is the way to go. This shoe is perfect for that. It still has plenty of protection for road miles and is comfortable, all while allowing your foot to move naturally and feel the ground. I plan on running my next marathon in these, and I wouldn't say that if I didn't truly believe that they're capable of protecting my feet and joints for that long of a race. That being said, I would not recommend these be used frequently for long training runs. After reading some of the reviews I worried about the holes in the middle of the soles, as people claimed it sucked up water like a sponge. I did notice this, but was surprised how quickly it dried back out. I stepped into a cold Wisconsin-in-March puddle, felt the water come up and almost instantaneously drain back out of the shoe. After this experience I bought two more pair because it no longer worried me, and it was actually quite refreshing. I love how light weight the shoe is, I have already carved 8 minutes off of my half marathon time during a training run and 3 minutes off my 10K time. (previously ran in Torin 4 Plush) A couple complaints that are keeping this from a 5 star review: 1. I really do like the comfort of the mesh sock-like upper, but I feel like it allows my foot to slide around too much, giving me many blisters in spots I didn't know could blister. My feet are calloused rock hard from many 50+ mile weeks, so new-formed blisters came as a surprise to me. 2. There are small patches of rubber out-sole on the toe and heel, otherwise the rest of it is just soft mid-sole material on the bottom. I have 100 miles on my shoes so far and there are signs of the softer material beginning to wear quickly. I will wait to see how long they last before I pass too much judgement, but I think just a little more out-sole would help without making the shoe too heavy.

The Kayenta is unlike any other model from Altra that I've tried. The fit is like a glove, and my foot remains locked down through the entire run. The shoe gives a nestled, cup-like feel around the heel, toes, and balls of the feet, and though the stack height is not massive, the ride is still quite cushioned feeling. That said, the shoe is not very resilient and can wear rather quickly, in particular, the sections around the balls of the foot and the lateral edge of the shoe (see that attached image). Giving these areas outsole protection would allow runners to take the shoe to +400mi. I am on my second pair now after my first pair barely made it to 300mi, and the furthest distance I ran in them was 17mi or so. Overall, the Kayenta is a fantastic shoe, and my favorite model currently (I have tried the Escalante, Escalante 1.5, Escalante 2.0, Torin Knit, and Torin Plush so far).

If it's important that your running shoe and your foot perform or move together as one, this is your shoe. The pair I have has 170 running miles on them, including a marathon, and I'm about to stock up with a second pair to hold until the first wear out. The two best shoes I've discovered in the past four years of running are the Brooks Neuro 2 and the Kayenta. The commonality between these two shoes is their respective lacing systems, which form a harness around the foot so that foot and shoe remain locked together as one, eliminating the potential for the foot to slip off the shoe's platform when running on uneven surfaces (a problem with the Escalante). Neither shoe is perfect, the Neuro would benefit from a larger toe box, but no matter since Brooks discontinued the Neuro line. The Kayenta would benefit if Altra would switch to a better shoe manufacturer and up its quality. I don't think I'll get 400 miles out of the Kayenta, but it's worth the miles I do get our of them. Go for it.

I bought this shoe for running on the roads. I have mostly run sandy trails or the beach in minimalist shoes like Vibrams or Merrill Vapor Gloves. This past fall, I began increasing mileage and needed a road shoe for longer distances. I was used to lightweight shoes and bought the Kayenta to add cushion and protection for 30 to 40 weekly miles on pavement. These shoes have not disappointed. The shoes are nicely cushioned and the cushion seems just as good in the 13th mile as it does in the first during a longer run. The upper has held up extremely well but the sole has worn significantly after roughly 300 miles. If the wear was better, I would give it a 5. This shoe is super lightweight and could easily be used for longer races as well as training.

I have had over a dozen pairs of Altras over the years, and the Kayentas rank among my favorite in terms of fit, comfort, cushioning, and style. Unfortunately, in less than a month of use, I've had pieces of the rubber sole come off - the same piece on both the right and left shoe. I don't feel that I'm particularly hard on my shoes, so the durability is a bit concerning; I've never had any problems with the sole on any other Altras I've owned. Moreover, I'm not a huge fan of the hole in the sole. Inadvertently stepping in shallow puddles (or grass wet from morning dew) will get the bottom of your feet wet, which is really unfortunate (and seemingly unnecessary). Perhaps the holes are meant for drainage, but they've gotten my feet wet more than kept them dry. That said, the fit and feel is excellent it just needs a few tweaks.

I really like the shoe. I think it will be my new 5k/10k road racing shoe. However, I'm having to ship mine back. They are too short. My toe feels like its going to burst through the toe box. Having to ship them back and re-order a half size up. I always run in size 10. My ecalantes are size 10, but for whatever reason, size 10 in the Kayenta is too small. I'm confident once I get the new size I'll be super happy.

I didn't have a chance to use to shoes, I order on that was way too small and got a replacement a full size larger and was still uncomfortably small. Luckily, Altra refunded me for both quickly.

I bought the shoes early March 2020 and put 150 miles in 40 days and past 150 miles i feel like i am running barefoot. i love altra but these ones are not made for long term running.

I've had the Kayentas for about a month. Logged 8 or so track workouts, some tempo runs and a few 10ks (long runs by my standards). In total I have run 37 miles in them. The fit right out of the box is phenomenal, perhaps the most comfortable shoe I've run in. I've run in Inov8s and other zero drop shoes for over a decade. These are by far the most comfortable and a great blend of cushion while still "feeling" the ground. All that said, the wear on them was almost instantaneous. My first session was 7 out and back style 400s on the road and it showed wear at the toe. Pretty disappointed to find such an excellent performer that will not hold up for long. I would recommend them with the caveat that you'll be replacing them soon.

This is my fourth pair of Altras. Each has been incredibly comfortable; the Kayenta is no exception. Having said that, I have a couple of issues with this shoe. As mentioned in another revue, the shoe wicks any moisture directly to my socks. I'm wearing them for golfing, in Arizona, and we don't get a lot of rain. However, any moisture from the sprinklers soaks my socks in no time. One other issue is the finger loop on the heel. Who modeled for this thing, a two year old? I can't even get my pinky finger into the loop. It's totally useless. This shoe deserved some better drawing board time.

I've been wearing Altras for years now so have owned over a dozen different pairs. This is the first time I put them on and felt the shoe was too narrow! I've had pairs that I needed to half size up but these seem to be way off. I will stick to the Escalante for road running. I'd suggest people go at least a half size up.

This is the first shoe that I've decided to write a review on. I've also recently bought a pair of these shoes and have been on 1 run for 3.25 miles with these shoes so far. Upon reception of the shoes I looked them over real quick and put them on my feet and ran out the door for a quick 5k training run. First feel for them was that the fit was phenomenal, they hugged my feet comfortably and were very responsive with any quick cuts with running I didn't feel like I would roll my ankle. The dual upper mesh and liner gave a good stability to the upper that I didn't feel in my Escalante which I hear was addressed on the new Escalante 1.5s coming out this summer. The sole of the Kayenta is where I feel it needs to be addressed for the next version of Kayenta. There are very narrow gaps in the tread on the sole where it is not rubber but mesh which give great breathability of the shoes, but leaves the foot vulnerable to any rocks on the road or other debris. I really do like the comfort the sole gives even though there is a huge gap between the rubber right down the middle of the sole and when running in these I could really feel that gap. The sole did have great grip and seems to be durable but I just don't know about the sections that are mesh.

I usually wear a 9 in Altras and this was WAY too small. As another reviewer noted, if you have wider feet they end up spilling over the edges. I'm used to Altras fitting my feet really well (and I generally don't need a wide size in any shoe, except some Nikes--so my feet aren't THAT wide). And I love the fact they're foot shape and actually fit your feet unlike most running shoes. Otherwise they're super light and if you have narrower feet would probably fit great.