Customer Reviews Altra Olympus 5

I was concerned that the 5 was going to be a letdown but so far I think its an improvement on the 4. The external guard around the heel area has slightly less of a footprint than the 4, which is good because the 4 feels a little clumsy sometimes. The cushioning seems to grip better. The tongue seems to stay put better. Still the best zero drop trail shoe on the market. One thing - the laces (48") are too short in size 12.5 shoe. You need 54" laces to be able to do a runner's loop. Should have that option given the shoe is designed with that option and, well, deluxe shoes like these should have proper laces.

Having years of hiking and everyday wear in Altras, I've worn everything from Lone Peak, Timp, Torin and Paradigms until the Olympus 4 came out. Ordered them on day 1 and absolutely LOVED them. Now having spent about a week in the Olympus 5's, I feel like they are improved in every way. The new color-ways are awesome and will be ordering a pair in each color. My ONLY complaint is Altra doesn't make a road shoe comparable to the Olympus. Dear Altra, PLEASE replace the Vibram sole with a road sole and make a new shoe so we can swap for road days!!

I've had a few good runs in this shoe including 15 miles this morning on mixed terrain. Great shoe, awesome cushion, no heel slip at all - impressed with the improvements from the 4!

Excellent update. I wear a 10.5 in the LP6 and I just couldn't get a good fit in the Olympus 4. They felt too big and the heel lockdown was not great for my foot. In comes the Olympus 5 and I was quite skeptical but WOW. 10.5 fits perfect, width is great, and the heel is totally rebuilt. More cushion, and a higher heel cup means excellent lockdown for my foot! The upper seems to be more flexible and better built. And the cushion overall feels better/softer. Looking forward to wearing these more on trail! Keep up the good updates Altra!

Full transparency, only second pair of Altra's and first was Olympus 4. Started trail running in 2021, searched high and low for right shoe and landed on Olympus 4, do a lot of hiking as well on rocky terrain. This shoe was really great for me. It was maybe a tad wide in toes, and I didn't feel a great lockdown in heel, but a slightly thicker hiking sock always helped. And as I went longer distances I noticed less of an issue. Olympus 4 would be 4 star, 4.5 maybe. Just got the Olympus 5 today, and after maiden voyage (5 miler), it feels pretty incredible. I feel heel is locked down for me now, and up front width is just slightly less room than 4 which is great for me. Wore regular thickness sock, felt great. The upper, very clean, cool look and love the color ways too. Outsole/Midsole felt nearly identical to 4. Look forward to more miles, will update if feel any change. Great first impression!

Love the light weight, very breathable. They seem to be helping my aching left foot which is why I purchased them. Last pair fell apart prematurely so we will see how this pair works out. Even on sale, I think the are a bit overpriced.

They fit my feet very well; even my orthotist likes them and thinks they are perfect for my feet. I would have given 5 stars, but the Altra Customer Service never answered my emails.

I was not sure if I would like the thick cushioning after the LP, but these worked out well. My complaint is that after 1 year of light use the side wall of the shoe is failing and sole separating.

This is my second pair. I really like the features lightweight, dry fast, really great grip on all terrains, comfy for long hikes and runs, stylish. But on my second pair, the material on the inside heel wore away exposing a sharp/rough plastic edge after a couple hundred miles and did a number on my heel big gouge and a big scab now. A blister bandaid serves as decent protection, but I'm going to have toss this pair. Not sure what's next.

Picked them Up for longer runs where the lone peak doesn't go. Everything about them is great minus two lugs peeling away from the bottom. Have had about a month and < 100 miles.

When the Olympus 5 was first released, I bought 3 pairs in size 13 and they felt fine. But now with the release of newer colors, a 13 is too small. Altra changed the sizing! I had to switch to size 14.

These are overall very plush and comfortable. They aren't ultra plush like a Hoka which is a good thing because you can still maneuver. The laces are too short and come untied often which drives me nuts.

I like it more than the 4. Only downside is the sho leaves are simply too short. Using the ones from my 4s after I ran them out of gas. Annoying but easy to solve. However at this price you shouldn't have to solve it.

This year's model changed, not for the better. It's still an awesome trail shoe but the midsole is now a firmer/harder material, tho the insert on top is still cushy polyurethane. It feels much less shock absorbing with each step. The laces are several inches shorter, too. Even tho the width has marginally narrowed, it's still wide enough for my hubby's wide foot.

Unlike the Lone Peak whose tongue is attached to the upper with an elastic material which allows the Lone Peak to stretch to fit various foot shapes; the Olympus tongue is attached using a static material. The Olympus shape is ridged, feels narrow, does not expand to fit various and wider foot shapes. The center of the bottom sole needs to made if a more durable material.

Olympus upper is narrower than the Loan Peak. If you rely on the width of the Lone Peak, you may not fit in the Olympus.

I'm a 45/46 (EU size) in shoes and usually go up one size when it comes to running shoes, but the 47 where surprisingly too small so ended up going with the 48. The return process was smooth as I used Klarna and did not have to worry about paying in advance. I'm 194cm, 94kg, have "hobbit feet" and have used my Olympus 5 for 100km+ ultra trail runs and hiking in the mountains of Patagonia - so for they have been great to my feet and knees and have not caused any harm in addition to the normal stuff you get when doing endurance exercise. Overall very satisfied and looking forward to testing other Altra shoes for road running.

First, a caveat: these shoes are a replacement for a pair of Timp 4s that fell apart on me after 200 miles or so. The Olympus shoes I got to replace them don't seem to be showing the immediate signs of wear that the Timps did (other than a minor cosmetic issue with the Altra logo on one shoe--see the picture below), but I have only had them for about three weeks/55 miles or so. With that said, I am enjoying the latest version of the Olympus. The fit is good, and although the cushion is high, it still feels stable. I've had a couple of pairs in the past where I felt like I was running on platform shoes, which was why I had moved to Lone Peaks and then Timps. Whatever Altra did with the cushioning and the footbed, I feel much more stable in these. The loop at the heel is VERY large and easy to use to pull on the shoes. I was worried that it would rub up against the back of my heel (also a problem with prior Olympuses) but so far I haven't had any issues. So, with the caveat that I haven't really tested the durability of these shoes yet, I would say that they are worth buying, and perhaps the best version of the Olympus I have tried so far.

This has been a great show for me to get back into running. Always loved running but got out of it for a while. I'm a bigger person. 6' 240 lbs. This shoe is so comfortable for me to run in and the extra cushion has helped get me back into adding the miles on. I run 3 to five miles almost everyday now, and keep adding them on. Only Complaint I would have is that the eyes for the laces tear easily. I had to drill a hole Below the eye and run my lace through there so I could continue to use. Even with that said, I will be buying another pair when the time comes. Thanks Altra

Who decided to add all the padding in the heel of the shoe? I have been wearing these shoes for years, and now they are stuffed with padding in the tongue and the heel as if they needed to be insulated. Had to exchange for a 1/2 size larger. Two pairs of shoes consumed for the price of one because of this design oversight.

Very well suited for very technical trails. It is protective and secure and still gives flexibility

I use to hike in Altra's, but orthopedic doctor suggested moving away from zero drop. Switched to a non-drop trail runner for a few years, but encountered other feet issues. Recently changed back to Olympus 5's and wore them yesterday to hike Mt Moriah in NH White Mountains. Terrain rocky and wet. The mega grip was amazing and shoe performed the way I remember from my previous Altra's. The only reason I gave four stars verse five is that my left foot toe felt it was rubbing against front of shoe. The size is exactly the same as my previous Altra's. A great shoe

I have purchased the Olympus 3 and 4 previously and I like the fit of these the best. The only reason I gave them 4 stars was the laces are terrible, they will not stay tied and even come loose when double knotted.

Size up at least a half size!! I have been using Altra Olympus 4s for some time and love them. Knowing that Altra would no doubt dramatically change the next version ( as they did with the Times and lone peaks) I bought as many 4s as I could. My closet is full! I decided to give the 5s a try after discussing sizing with an Altra representative I sized up from 8.5 to 9. First the negatives and what I did to deal. The long tongue dug into my ankle tendons so I trimmed it down. The upper felt tight and I got a painful pressure point on the top of my big toe metatarsal. I changed the lacewing pattern so the laces didn't cross over that area of my foot. Everything else is good. Feels like a more supportive, more cushioned Timp 1.5 now. Snug mid foot with no heel slipping. Comfortable wide toe box ( thank you for not messing that up like the other models. I've hiked quite a bit in them and I'm not having issues with the thread coming off although my sister did with her pair first walk in the rain. I will still use my old reliable Olympus 4 on the PCT this year as I know how many miles I can get with them already.