Customer Reviews Altra Olympus 5

I LOVED the Olympus 4. I couldn't even get my feet in these. To be fair I'm a guy with 12 4E feet, but the old Olympus 4's fit me excellently. No matter how I fiddled with the lacing I couldn't make these fit, especially for a guy who was planning to use them for trail ultramarathons and trail ultra training. I also wasn't a fan of the change in the padding around the heel and Achilles tendon. It just felt strange compared to most other shoes I've worn from Altra and any other brand. I'm sorely disappointed because the 4's were my favoite trail shoe I've ever put on. Now the only shoe Altra makes that fits my wide feet are Lone Peaks but I'd like more padding for ultras.

TLDR: The mid-foot is too narrow and is painful to run in, while the toe-box still feels okay. The newest generation of Altras all seem to be narrower. First off, I've been exclusively been running in Altras for years now. I have long been a fan of the roomy toe box and room for the foot to do what it was designed to do, spread out upon striking the ground. However, the Olympus 5 (and Lone Peak 7 for that matter) are now narrower and are unusable for me. I had pain that lasted several days after trying to run in the new Olympus 5. No manner of lacing techniques or varying lacing tension solved the problem. If I was too loosen the laces to accommodate my foot, then the shoe was too loose and my heel would slide up and down. I have normally been a size 9.5 in Altra Lone Peaks for many generations, so I tried 9.5 and 10 in the Olympus 5. Neither worked for me. I even gave it some time, hoping they would perhaps break-in some, but they never got any better. Altra please return to what made your shoes so good in the first place: the real "Original" fit that let feet spread out. While you're at it, produce more pleasing colorways that don't play to the "clown shoe" color palette and improve the durability of all shoe models. Otherwise you've lost yet another long-time customer.

I wish there where big size and E4 wide

I have the same problem with the out sole falling off. These are not worth the money

I have had 2 pairs of Olympus shoes and both pairs have fallen apart a few months after getting them. It blows my mind that this company is owned by VF corporation (publicly traded - The North Face, Vans, Timberland, Supreme, Dickies, etc) . . but yet they continue to use a fabric that obviously has no durability. Read the reviews and over 1/2 of the them talk about the shoes falling apart . . .the other 1/2 probably reviewed the shoes after 1 or 2 weeks and still had that new shoe smell. Are the shoes comfortable - Yes, the most comfortable shoes I have ever owned . . . until they fall apart after 3 months!! Please find a new fabric that will increase their longevity and then let us know about it and I might try them again . .Until then I am going to have to find another brand to wear.

I bought these to get more cushioning for training/racing a 100 miler. The newer top of forefoot it great because it doesn't tear apart like my former Lone Peaks. The new different tongue material sliced my foot & tongue isn't big enough & bunches up. The lugs on the bottom are great but the inside material on the bottom is already shredded after just a week of trail running.

I've always been very please with Altra but these Olympus shoes have fallen apart with less than 25 miles on them. The heel has peeled away and other parts of the bottom sole ripping away.

They fit my feet great, no issues there. They are always out of stock in size 15 though. I'm currently hiking the CDT and am on my 4th pair so far. Around 200 miles all three pairs have split from my toes to my heels. The upper tears away from the sole and my foot falls out the side. The durability is a joke. If topo didn't stop making their shoes in 15 I would still be wearing them. Altra needs to learn about durability from them.

The soles on these fell apart at numerous places within the first 50km of running. This extremely disappointing after spending over $230CAD on them. They're very comfy and excellent for long runs, but they need to work on durability. I used shoe goo on them, which has helped, but I don't trust them to stay together while running a 120 miler in 2 weeks.

This is my 4th pair of Olympus, first of this generation. At 166 miles they are tattered and the cushion has gone flat, I'm feeling every rock on the trail. Disappointed.

I am a big fan of Altra shoes, but this version of the Olympus has abandoned a lot of the comfort and features that made earlier models so nice. There is no padding in the tongue and laces must be left very loose to prevent pain in the top of the foot. There is also very little padding around the ankle, and even some very stiff fabric that bruises the ankle bones. A few ounces of padding could improve them. The midsole cushion is nice, but the shoe feels a lot stiffer and clunkier than past models. They're okay on logging roads but hazardous on anything technical. Look to the Timp, or scour the web for some NOS Olympus version 1 or 2.

Very comfortable EXCEPT the side at the big toe comes in a little and the top curves in such a way that ALL my toes contact the shoe. The reason for the natural shape was to get away from those kind of problems. I normally wear a 13 or 14 and even in a 15 my toe tips brush the front and my big toes gets pushed sideways a little. On the plus side, way more cushioning than any other Altra shoe I've ever had. And very strongly stitched and molded, so construction has improved. A real shame--to improve the construction and cushioning, only to mess with the proven fit or Altra. This seems to be a pattern with successful shoe companies--they have a last that really works for a lot of people, then they change it and we all migrate to another company. Happened to Asics, too. I've tried nearly every shoe Altra makes and now I'm just going to give up and look for another shoe company.

I have been using Altra for many years now and decided to try out Olympus' for more support on trail. However, these fell apart after 275 miles on trail. The seams started ripping around 200 miles and I made them work for a while. For the price I'd expect to get a more durable product. It's a really comfortable shoe but I can't justify the price.

Rear sole delaminated within 25 miles of use. Second pair had any eyelet rip open after 50 miles of use. Normally great shoes but not this time.

One of the most comfortable trail shoe I have ever worn but as many of the reviews have stated, the tread will pull away from the shoe. A little gorilla glue fixes it but they should be made better.

These are nothing like my Olympus 4. You would have thought the Olympus 5 is a new and improved model. It's not. Why design a shoe without enough side wall height to help hold your shoe on. It was a very uncomfortable feel. So they were returned. You should be aware it takes 3-5 weeks to process a return. This company has lots of room for improvement.

I have been a loyalist to this shoe for many edition. These are hands down the most comfortable running shoes i've ever ran in. However, over the last several additions the quality has deteriorated significantly. This most recent update the upper quality is bad. I started experiencing significant damage within weeks of starting to run in them. I thought it might be a fluke and purchased another pair. Unfortunately for me the same damage occurred. I hope in future editions Altra returns to the previous materials used.

I received this shoe for Christmas and have worn them casually everyday since. The fit is great and extremely comfy; however, the soles of the shoes have already come undone (4 months later).

I love this shoe. However the quality of construction leave a lot to be desired. Lugs fall off, anything with glue comes off in one walk. The inside fabric on a pair disintegrated and left me with blisters on one foot. I wish I could buy version 4.

I've run in close to a dozen Altras and 5 different styles. I've always been able to just put them on and run with zero issues. Amazing. The only trail shoe I'll ever buy. Just tried on 2 new pairs of Olympus 5 and they are too tight, by a lot. I'm incredibly disappointed and not sure if a larger size will fix the issue. Seriously feel like a tight fitting Nike except a little more room for my toes. I'll call customer service and see if they can advise.

I've been running in Altra's Olympus for more than a decade. They originally saved my running after experiencing arthritic toe joints. Now the same size shoe feels much too small. Also, the supplied strings are too short to tie after using all the eyelets. I will exchange for a larger size and try again but what's up with the strings? I still have two older pair that fit like a glove in the meantime.

Amended: I tried them on for two runs. Just couldn't. I gave them my best shot. 5's became way too narrow/constricted. Go ahead, buy those Nikes.they'll fit just as well now.

I recently purchased this shoe in an 11 and it felt tight and narrow. I used it anyway and later ordered an 11.5. The shoes are the exact same size! Sending both back!

O 4's we're great. This new padded heel wrap around is trying to push my shoe off while I walk. Is more narrow than the 4 at first. Another perfect shoe, more bad updates. I get marketing $ but geez