Customer Reviews Topo Athletic Phantom

This was my first time trying topo shoes. I am a 40 yr old female who suffers from early arthritis of one big toe, so I am looking for shoes with a lower drop and a roomy toe box. Overall, I really liked these shoes. They felt nicely cushioned throughout and seemed very well made. The deal breaker for me was the heel area felt very snug and irritated an existing pump bump that I have (which has always made buying running shoes tough). They definitely helped my toe issue, but I couldn't wear them due to the heel irritation. So, if you are someone who has trouble with your achilles insertion area in the back of your heel, and need a soft shoe in the back of the heel, these may not work for you. If it weren't for that, I would definitely have kept them. Topo was very responsive to questions and very helpful!

Felt pretty good on my first 5 mile run, but I have "low-volume" feet so didn't feel as snug as some of the reviews have mentioned. My big toes did rub a bit, all the other toes had ample room. I purchased them because I wanted an extra comfy road runner for the times when I am "forced" to run on the road instead of trails, so I will be keeping them knowing they won't be my main running shoe.

I wanted to live these shoes, the seemed like the perfect pair for my wide front foot and narrow heel, and they were great for the first month or so of wear. But, now, I can't even wear them for half a day with out getting terrible pains in my knees and feet. Thinking this pain was from something else, I continued wearing these shoes until I noticed the front part of my foot slides around ALOT as I'm walking (heels stay put). Theres just too much side to side movement and a "tall" footbed, the ball of my foot and toes are just out there with no support. I even tried adjusting the laces, no help. I went back to my old shoes, and the pain is gone. I'm a steady size 6 lengthwise, a perfect thumbs width from the end, but these are just too wide in the front, so sad :(

I typically wear a 7.5 which is what I initially ordered in this shoe. It was definitely too small and exchanged for an 8 in red. The 8 still seemed a hair short but has not caused any problems over 400mi. I like the secure fit through the mid foot which gives me more confidence in technical terrain and on the down hill. I just ordered another pair in size 8, this time in green just so I could keep track of which shoes had more miles on them. Fit is completely different, the shoe is longer and wider, higher volume. Double checked the labeling in both shoes to be sure they are the same model and size. Cosmetics/materials are the same. What's up with that? Super frustrated. This would be my "go to" shoe and would probably recommend the shoe if I knew what size to get. Afraid to order another pair.

Super comfy but dirt and gravel gets in. These need gaiters.

The shoes are too narrow in the toe box. I wish you would be more consistent in the toe box shape and size amongst your shoes.

The width is perfect! My only issue is the outside ankle part of the shoe runs on the bottom of my ankles. Not a good fit there and causes problems. Can you design them with a lower ankle like the first pair I bought a couple of years ago. I'm back wearing them.

I run and walk in my Topos. I would like a little extra cushioning in the heel as my heels are sometimes sore after. Love the roominess in the toes and my arch feels supported.

I consistently fit into a women's 11 or a men's 9-9.5 in topo shoes. The MT3 in an 11 is WAY too small. No biggie, I just order a pair of 12s. They're ginormous. Apparently the women's 12s don't suffer from the running small issue! My husband has a pair of men's MT3s in a 9.5 that are smaller than the 12s. So if you have big women's feet like me, you may want to just try three men's MT3s. The shoes seem great otherwise! I think I'd love them if there was a size that fit like a normal topo women's 11. The blue and coral color is very pretty. It's a little brighter in person than the photos, which I like.

I liked my older TOPOs better than newer. What's changed?

I like the wide toe box and narrow heel but the shallow toebox causes pressure on my toes. In my most recent 50 K I injured three toenails with the shoes. I wish the toebox was a bit deeper up at the toes.

I hike 2 to 3 miles a day and the shoe on the wider foot is taking a long time to break in. The problem is the facing of the lace area, it is very stiff and irritating. 60 miles in and it is still annoying. They are otherwise comfortable and provide secure footing. I have debated returning them, but will probably keep them. I would probably not buy again. I would recommend them for average or moderately wide feet.

So I am not a big fan of Hoka, but Altra is too low drop for my calves. I really wanted these shoes to be the one and they were almost there, but not quite. Felt light and comfortable, could do with more cushioning in the forefoot. Here are my gripes. Laces are terrible. I can't get the round lace cap through the rectangular hole. I need to lace my shoes differently and these are too hard to deal with. Second, the midfoot is slightly too narrow. The heel and forefoot are a great width, I just wish there was a little more room in the midfoot. Durability was an issue. I only used these for the 30 day trial, but they were worn down in the forefoot within that time frame. If you would fix these things you would have the perfect shoe! Please please please make these changes for Phantom 2 and I will buy all the shoes! Thank you for making great shoes!

The shoes have nice cushion and look nice. They do not run true to size--run small. I wore them once or twice before I realized they were shorter than is comfortable for me on long walks. I would consider trying on a pair that was 1/2 size larger, but I am skeptical.

No where in the description of these shoes does it say how the sizing runs... big, small, true to size..?? My mom bought me these, we waited weeks until they finally arrived and I couldn't even wear them out running once. As soon as I put them on, I could tell they were small and uncomfortable in the toe area- and I got my usual size in running shoes. I am so disappointed because I was really looking forward to wearing these on my runs.

I run/walk on pavement around my neighborhood. I love the fit of Topos, especially the toe box, and have been a loyal fan for a couple years now. The thing is the bottoms wear out super quickly, like a couple hundred miles. I saw a pair of trail shoes my daughter was wearing and thought they looked more durable. Did a test this time, ordered these Phantoms and Mountain Racer trail shoes at same time. Have alternated every day and the trail shoes are hands down more durable. Will probably be purchasing those instead of road shoes, which is a shame because I love the feel of them.

I was soo excited when a friend told me about this shoe. Like me, she has a wide forefoot and finding a comfortable run shoe for long distances isn't easy. I have bunions on both feet, slightly more so on the left foot. Shoes that have material overlays where the bunion is located often cause blisters as do shoes that have rubber that raises up where the upper materials are attached to the shoe. I wore these around the house for a week and loved how they felt. I was so optimistic that I took them out on the road for a 40 minute run. 2 miles in, I started to feel the makings of a blister where my first mtp joint was. I continued with my run after adjusting my sock and shoe to make sure that wasn't the problem and a short while later ended up walking home. The way the rubber rises up the form a lip was a problem....the toe box was great but if they would just design the shoe without the rubber lip (like new balance 1080v10) it would be awesome!

I wear a women's size 11 in every other running shoe, 5'10" tall and 165 lbs, running approx. 20 - 25 miles per week. This is my review after a 4-mile run. PRO: Cushioning felt springy through the run - no heel or arch soreness afterward. I liked being able to feel the road as my foot rocked forward. Shoe is very lightweight & well ventilated, felt great on my high arches and high instep. CON: The front half of the footbed is too short. My toes were up against the end of the shoe and the balls of my feet were positioned too far forward of the cushioning. The tongue of the shoe is too narrow - or the sides of the last aren't wide enough. There is barely enough shoelace to tie the shoes, & the last doesn't completely cover both edges of the tongue. I recommend that if you buy these, size up at least half a size, probably a full size if you wear anything but super-thin socks.

I wear a women's size 11 in every other running shoe, 5'10" tall and 165 lbs, running approx. 20 - 25 miles per week. This is my review after a 4-mile run. PRO: Cushioning felt springy through the run - no heel or arch soreness afterward. I liked being able to feel the road as my foot rocked forward. Shoe is very lightweight & well ventilated, felt great on my high arches and high instep. CON: The front half of the footbed is too short. My toes were up against the end of the shoe and the balls of my feet were positioned too far forward of the cushioning. The tongue of the shoe is too narrow - or the sides of the last aren't wide enough. There is barely enough shoelace to tie the shoes, & the last doesn't completely cover both edges of the tongue. I recommend that if you buy these, size up at least half a size, probably a full size if you wear anything but super-thin socks.

I was trying to replace an older, wonderful Topo shoe, and this model proved to be too flexible and not supportive enough. It is probably a fine shoe, just not for my feet.

Took me awhile to figure out these were the reason for my foot pain by end of day. No heel padding like on Ultrafly 2 Bring back the 2 's so I can stock up