An Introduction to Altra Running Shoes

Everything you need to know about Altra running shoes

One of the new breed of running shoe brands, Altra is a zero drop shoe with a much wider toe box than the usual running shoe. Formed in 2009 by two running college running buddies, their approach was on finding a more flexible shoe that allowed the runner's individual running gait to dominate rather than the shoe taking the lead.

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The history

Altra co-founders are two high school running buddies. Brian Beckstead and Golden Harper met at Orem High School in Utah. Not only were both already very good runners, but they were already fascinated by running shoes. In high school, they both worked at Harper’s parents running store in Orem, where Golden's father was already tinkering with his running shoes; Golden soon followed in his basement, cooking shoes in a toaster oven to remove the heavy, elevated heel from his favorite running shoes.

Golden’s studies led him to see how the elevated heels and tapered toe boxes of all the running shoes he had been selling caused people to run with an inefficient, unnatural running technique, so he decided to start modifying shoes with the goal to reduce his customers' running injuries by helping them to move more naturally. Golden Harper cut up and altered different brands of running shoes to design a better performing shoe, which was later named "Zero Drop." This means the lack of height differential between the shoe's heel and toe area.

Word spread about these hacked shoes among the local running community, and Harper began selling them from his father's store and a 1000 pairs sold out quickly. Despite this the early co-founders were unable to get investment, so instead they founded Altra, the name coming from the Latin word "altera", which means "to fix or mend something that is broken. Altra’s first prototypes were developed in 2009 and the company was acquired two years later by Icon Health & Fitness, a developer, marketer, and manufacturer of fitness-related products. The following year it started winning awards and by 2013 it was in 1500 retailers and growing significantly. In 2018 it was sold to VF Corporation.

Altra VIA Olympus

Who owns them?

Altra was purchased by VF Corp in 2018, and moved to a new headquarters in Denver the following year.

Altra has subsequently built a new innovation lab committed to the study of human biomechanics and physiology to inform future shoe design. Named Project 275 after the 275-degree temperature of Golden Harper’s shoe-melting toaster oven, its first project was the development of Altra’s first carbon-fibre-plated super shoe, the Vanish C, launched in April 2022.

What are they known for?

Altra are known for two fundamental variations from traditional running shoes. These were initially experiments but they became what has defined the company. They have a Zero Drop™ platform and a FootShape™ toe box. Additionally they have a range designed just for women.

• Zero Drop

  
  

Altra shoes employ balanced cushioning, which aligns the heel and forefoot. Altra is the only shoe to have total Zero Drop cushioning, promoting high impact and natural anatomical movement as opposed to a heel-landing gait. This was one of the many steps the company took to return the runner’s foot to its natural position.

• Foot Shape toe box

  
  

The vast majority of traditional running shoes have toe boxes that squeeze the toes out of their natural position and that forces the toes to be squeezed together, which can cause discomfort and even lead to injuries. Altra's FootShape™ toe box allows the toes to relax and spread out naturally and the big toe to remain in a straight position. This enhances stability and creates a powerful toe-off to maximize running performance. A last is the mould on which a shoe is built on and every Altra shoe features a last that has been moulded around the healthy position of a human foot.

• Specially designed women's range

  
  

Typically the women's range is just smaller versions of the men's shoes. Altra is one of very few brands that have separate lasts for their women's range. The last that's used for the women's range has a wider forefoot and narrower heel that is common to most women. The women's shoes are also named differently, which further differentiates them from the male version of the model.

Altra Escalante 3

Pros and cons

There are pros and cons with every shoe. Here are those associated with Altra:

Pros

• Zero drop shoes, with cushioning

• Wide toe box to give your toes more space

• Significant research involved in the tech.

Cons

• Up until very recently no options if you want some kind of 'drop', as zero was the only option. This is getting better.

• Limited range, but getting better.

• Won't be suitable for people with flat feet.

Most popular models

Altra Torin 7

This is a neutral daily trainer with just enough cushion to give you a ton of comfortable miles, but also light enough that you can pick up the pace if necessary.

Altra Paradigm 7

A stability shoe it has GuideRail for medial support and a collar to provide additional comfort for an altogether supportive ride.

Altra Rivera 3

Another shoe in the daily trainer category with a redesigned outsole. It has a well structured upper and a slightly narrower midfoot section.

Altra Lone Peak 7

One of the best designed shoes it is also their number one trail running shoe. It's been upgraded to include a more durable and secure upper and an Altra Ego midsole.

Altra Lone Peak 7

Altra VIA Olympus

This one has the highest stack height of any Altra. This luxurious, lightweight foam is designed specifically for a plush ride, no matter the distance, while the rocker shape encourages propulsion and a more efficient toe-off.

Altra Escalante 3

This shoe is best for short to mid-distance runs. For long-time runners, it shows its full potential at speed sessions and long miles.

On the up?

Altra has seen significant investment from its current owner, especially in its research facility and there is no doubt the company has clear long term plans for the business. With a range focused on zero drop shoes the brand does of course have its limitations. Most runners do not trust the concept and are cautious about the potential risk of injury, despite the level of cushioning that the shoes have. This has obviously been recognised internally and since 2019 development of a new shoe has been in place. This new shoe breaks years of Altra tradition. It's a 4mm shoe, which for Altra is a massive strategy shift.

It's called the AltraFwd Experience. The most distinguishable element of the shoe is its 4 mm drop, but it still stays true to natural foot positioning, so it has retains the wider toe box. It also features sleek engineered mesh uppers and compression-moulded foam for a performance-focused ride.

“We recognized early on that people are in high-heeled shoes from the time they were children, so going to pure zero drop is hard for some. We’ve always talked about how to transition to zero drop and so forth,” Brian Beckstead, co-founder of Altra who currently leads strategy and PR, told FN. “We have prototypes of transition insoles from eight or nine years ago. We have shoe designs from five or six years ago that had a drop in it. This is something that has been noodling in the back of our brains since we launched the brand 12 years ago. We want people to be aligned naturally, and 4 mm drop for a lot of people is much more natural than the shoes that they’ve been wearing for most of their lives. Our goal is to continue to evolve the brand, get more people in a foot-shaped shoe, get them in zero or low drop — that’s what you’re going to start seeing from us, zero to low instead of zero drop.”

Altra are planning four ranges of shoes: Feel, which is Escalante, Lone Peak and Superior. Float that includes the Torin, Timp and Olympus. Fwd, which is the new shoe, with the last range being Fast.

Altra definitely feels like it's a brand on the up. With turnover currently around $50 million there are clearly big expansion plans ahead.

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