Customer Reviews Altra Olympus 4

I got this shoe for it's cushion to make walking on sidewalks a little easier and it works well for that. I love the cushion. I don't love the thin tongue or the way the heel slides up and down.

My Olympus 4 are comfortable for long walks. I love the bottom tread on Olympus 4 and my Altra's Trim's because their tread offers excellent grip for grounding, whether I'm walking over boulders, over tree and shrub roots, street and sidewalk holes, etc. My Altra Olympus 4's and Trim's securely hold my foot joints and tendons to respond to accommodate whatever terrain I'm on. Altra's also securely support my foot without squeezing my foot like many athletic shoes. The Olympus 4 heel is a little wide, but the extra shoe lace hole at the ankle allows me to tighten this shoe securely. The tongue is a little short and that makes getting the shoe on a two hand job. I have to hold the tongue securely with one hand so the tongue doesn't fall back into the arch area, while my other hand holds the heel opening. That's time consuming which leaves the Olympus 4 vs. a 5 ranking. But, once the shoe is on ifs totally comfortable and responsive. The Olympus 4 runs small, so I had to buy size larger than street shoes. I prefer my Altra Trim's for short walks and Olympus 4 for long walks. I've become a Altra fan!

I absolutely love this show. My bought this show for work. I work 12 hour shifts at the hospital and shoes are so important for me. The Olympus 4 is my favorite style shoe now, the boxed toe doesn't feel TOO boxy. However, I did have to send my first pair back because the 7.5 fit too tight on one foot. When I received the size 8 I was a little disappointed with how much bigger the 8 was than the 7.5. Seemed larger than a half size jump. I still wear them and love them though.

I wish that the reinforced toe area did not just cover the "big toe" but the first 3 toes. This is an excellent athletic shoe for anyone with cranky feet!

I previously ordered the Olympus 3.5. It was the only shoe I could comfortably wear at work after my osteotomy for arthritis in my toe. After reading reviews complaining about new model changes on other Altra items I decided to order an extra pair. I'm about to take that extra pair in to work, so I came back to get more and had to order the new version. I like the change to the look, and over all I like the fit. But I do not like the thinner tongue. I like to leave my shoes tied and slip them on and off, I can't do that with the new thin tongue. It's very strange they would change a style so drastically. Wish I could go back in time and stock up on the 3.5. :(

I'm on my feet at least 7 hours when I work. At times, my feet seems to slide down to the toe part of my shoes.

I love the cushion in this shoe but the toe box is too wide. I normally wear a 9.5 wide in other brands but my Olympus are one inch too long and too wide. I can't return them. I bought them from a local mountain shoe store. Really disappointed.

Nice looking but the heel area is too wide for my foot

Did not fit my foot well as with previous Altras of same size. seems like the did not fit correctly

It is a nice shoe but,, maybe not for me. First time hiking in them my hips were extremely tight. I wore boots the next time and did twice the distance with no hip pain. I wore the shoes again and had horrible hip pain. I won't say it's not a good shoe. Just not the right one for me.

I like this brand. but in this model the heel "walks"

I am sadly disappointed in the Olympus 4.0's lack of padding, particularly on the tongue. I've been wearing Olympus for years - the 2.0, 3.0 and 3.5 are all awesome! With a track record like that I confidently spent $170 for a pair of Olympus 4.0 - and was truly shocked and disappointed when I took them out of the box. Weeks later I'm still trying to break them in. I've never had to break in a pair of Altras before. The cheap tongue gave me blisters on the tops of my feet. They may have to be donated. I'm scouring the internet to buy every pair of Olympus 3.5 I can find...and praying that the next Olympus goes back to the good tongue and padding. In fairness I am not a runner. I wear these for arthritis, joint replacements, a leg length discrepancy, and balance issues. Judging by the reviews, there are a lot of people who wear these for reasons other than running.

The shoe fits perfectly in the toe box, but the heel is not narrow enough. My heel was moving around and slipping. Other than that one issue for me, the shoe felt great.

I was really excited about these. I have used lone peaks for years but walking in a city every day they weren't thick enough in the stack. But I also need something I can wear hiking on the weekends. Cue my excitement over a thick stack altra with a vibram sole! After reading reviews of the 4 vs the 5, I went with the 4 thinking they would be more true to the altra size I have been wearing for years. Out of the box though, they were noticeably small. I wear custom insoles for arch and heel support and my lone peaks accomodate them perfectly, but I couldn't even get them into this shoe. The shoe was way too narrow and turned weirdly between the midsole and the toe causing the insole to not lie flat. So I took my insoles out and tried the shoe by itself and immediately noticed my toe was right up against the front of the shoe. I am sad to be returning them, but they simply are not sized correctly.

I bought my first pair a year ago and they were a miracle cure for my right foot and ankle pain. They were getting worn so I just bought a new pair in a different color. Six hours into a nursing shift and my feet are killing me. These are not as cushioned, they don't feel like my old pair at all. I am so disappointed and not sure what you have done but I will pay extra to have the shoe made exactly how it was a year ago. My life changed dramatically for the better with my first pair, and I am now in a dire situation with these new imposters. I am also embarrassed that I have told countless people how wonderful the olympus is but would now like to take it all back. I am sad and scared and frustrated. Why would you make any changes to a perfect shoe?

I want to live these, but have worn them for a few weeks and they are causing too much fort pain due to the tongue fit which is tooooooo stiff causing forefoot problems. Altra please do a better on quality and materials. These are not inexpensive shoes, yet this is the second pair of Altras purchased recently that are poorly made

Walking the dog, they feel very thin almost like cardboard and not good for winter weather. Not nearly as well cushioned as my old Olympus shoes were, like everything else today pay more get less.

I trained for Ragnar in Olympus 3.5 and loved them. Almost 700 miles and no issues. Bought Olympus 4s for both my mom and I and now we are both injured. If it isnt broke, don't fix it!

In January 2021, I ordered the Olympus 4 in Women's size 8/Balsam Green from Altra; the color was OK (I would've preferred a brighter green), but the fit was too wide for me. My original Olympus had more bounce and spring to it, though a bit clunky. The Olympus 4 seemed a bit more streamlined than previous iterations, but it felt too wide for me. (Some reviewers have complained about Altra going to a narrower fit, which is great for me, so the Olympus 4 might be a good shoe for them.) Running trails in this shoe felt kind of sloppy and deadening to me. I was really hoping for a more cushioned trail shoe to absorb the shock of bounding down trails with a solid rock base; I will stick with my Hoka Speedgoat 3 for now. Unfortunately, I had to return the Olympus 4 to Altra, too. (Please see my review on the Timp 3.) I am set for awhile on trail shoes; I remain hopeful for the prodigal Altra to return to their design foundation.