As I was about to push the button on a new pair of Hokas, I started to look a little into Altras. I have wide feet, and the wide toe box, I have to say, is appealing. I haven’t run in zero drop in a while, 4 mm is what I run in the most. I do quite a bit of running in the Bondi Bs, too.
For those that have tried both, what differentiates them? How is the durability of the Altras?
i have run in both and currently run in the Altra Olympus… The Hokas are more squishy but have narrow toeboxes. With my flipper shaped foot (narrow heel and wide toes), the Altras work best for me. The wide toebox more than makes up for the lesser squish though I do enjoy the Hoka softness.
I think the Altras will be worth the try. They are $40 cheaper than the Hokas, too, which is nice.
I haven’t tried Hoka, but I use Altra 3-sum and The One, and also use Saucony Xodus (trail/winter) and Kinvara (both at 4mm).
The wide toe box in Altra is awesome. I have often asked myself before half marathons which shoes should I go to, and I always select a pair of Altra on the last day. I ran my last two half marathons in 3-sum, sockless, just because they are that much comfier than Kinvara (mind you, I really like my Kinvara as well for training).
On durability, my 3-sums last 400km. Beyond that, the inside part behind the heel starts to fall apart (it has a “grip” to grab the naked foot, and that creates stress on the fabric) and the smell from running sockless is… well… to much. I’d rate The One at 500km but I have yet to reach that with a pair. In comparison, my Kinvaras go to 500km and the Xodus to 700km (approximately).
I run in the Kinvaras, too. I’m looking to add a shoe with more cushioning to the rotation. My Hoka Bondi B3s fit that role, now, but I like the design concept of the Altras.
I wore through the upper on my Kinvaras before the sole. Actually, that’s usually the case with my shoes.
I too have flipper feet (narrow heels and wide fronts). I have run in the Stinson, the Bondi3, and the Altra Olympus. The Altra is a great shoe for wide feet types. Took a little while to get used to the zero drop design, but now I would never go back. FYI, the new Bondi4 is supposed to have a wide feet version as well (January 2015?). Hope this helps.
GG
Same with me, narrow heel huge forefoot. 4E in Asics.
I have some Torins I use quite a bit and the toe box works just fine.
Talking with my local running shop they were apparently told by Hoka that the wides aren’t coming until 2016. Not sure it would take so long to get them to market. I’d be all over a pair of wide conquest. I’ve tried their standard widths and there just isn’t enough room for me.
How wide the toe box is varies between the different Altra models. I’ve not tried the Paradigm, which I believe is the closest to the Hokas. I do however run in the instinct, provision and one2. The one2 are a little tighter at the front, but in all of these, for someone with a wider forefoot, they’ve saved my running. I had a sesamoid fracture attributable in part to a cramped toe box. I had persistent issues with it and it never seemed to fully heal. Since switching to Altras, everything is hunky dory in that department. I even use the Altra everyday shoes at work, and while they look a little goofy, they are super comfortable and preserve my feet.
I do not notice any difference for the toe box between The One and first version of the 3-sums.
A lot has changed on both version of the shoes (One2 and 3-sums 1.5) and while I like new stuff, I’m scared the fit has changed. I particularly dread the fact that the 3-sum tongue is not seamless anymore…
Hoka’s and most other shoes give me blisters and squish my toes into a shape not condusive to the natural way my foot is shaped. Altra’s have fixed this problem by shaping there toe box like an actual foot.
I run in Altra One2, Paradigm, and Lone Peak. I like the shape for my foot.
The Hoka arch was all in the wrong place for my foot. In the end, fit matters.
Hoka’s and most other shoes give me blisters and squish my toes into a shape not condusive to the natural way my foot is shaped. Altra’s have fixed this problem by shaping there toe box like an actual foot.
Ditto. After trying on numerous models, I ended up with a pair of Hoka Stinsons, one half size up from my usual EU43/US9.5, and still got blisters on the outer toes I had never got before with any shoe, plus the deep cupping effect at the heel caused a lot of pain right at the top of the boney part of my heel. Bondi 3’s were worse for toe compression. I tried a few other models of Hoka to try to find something, *anything *that would fit, because like others have said, I liked the feeling of running on pillows, to no avail.
Upon returning the Stinsons with my foot woes voiced, my running store then steered me towards a corner shelf containing Altras (which I had never heard of before), whereafter I ended up taking home a pair of Olympus. After I had a chance to wear them around the house for an afternoon however, something didn’t feel quite right. I had just completed the Chicago Marathon a few days prior in Skecher GoRun2s, so my muscles were still a bit weaker than normal, and with the Olympus I noticed my right abductor was not happy. I pronate on my right side (not my left though) due to having my right foot naturally sit about 15 degrees splayed outward compared to my left leg. It’s been like that my whole life, and that’s just how I’m built. Short to middle distance running is not a problem in any type of shoe, all the way from from Aesics to Zoots, but as I hit 30+km, the right side begins to fatigue enough that my form breaks down and I begin to overly pronate, the abductor begins to misfire and the IT band occasionally inflames to add to the discomfort. I did a little experimenting with single leg squats and squat-leaps to see what was going on, and sure enough my right knee was collapsing to the inside as my ankle let go over the unsupported heel. I went online to altrarunning.com to learn more about their shoes, to find the make a stability shoe called the Repetition. Back to the store I went!
With the Repetitions my alignment is much better and the abductor is not misfiring. I have yet to do a long run in them, so I can’t comment any further, but it seems promising! I’ll add that the Repetitions are supposed to come with two inserts, one for more control, one for less control, which is perfect for my situation where I don’t need the help on one side but do on the other. The box was missing the ‘less control’ inserts unfortunately, so I have to wait to feel the difference in that regard.
Dave
Chris.
if you do give the altra’s a try. the first thing you must do is throw the size of the shoe out the window. go by feel. im usually a size 9 across the board and i had to go to size 10 on the one2 to get the same feel on the altra torins in the toe box. their CS is awesome, they had no problems with me returning two pairs (9 & 9.5).
i thought the torins were awesome until i bought the one2.
I do not notice any difference for the toe box between The One and first version of the 3-sums.
A lot has changed on both version of the shoes (One2 and 3-sums 1.5) and while I like new stuff, I’m scared the fit has changed. I particularly dread the fact that the 3-sum tongue is not seamless anymore…
The difference in toe box is between the Altra One2 and the instinct and provision. The latter two have a roomier toe box. The One2 I had to go up a half size and they still feel tighter. That said the flexibility and cushioning in the One2 is amazing in such a light shoe. In the provisions, I take out the stability wedge, which I think makes for a little more room all around. It’s my understanding that the instinct is basically the provision without the stability wedge option.
Chris.
if you do give the altra’s a try. the first thing you must do is throw the size of the shoe out the window. go by feel. im usually a size 9 across the board and i had to go to size 10 on the one2 to get the same feel on the altra torins in the toe box. their CS is awesome, they had no problems with me returning two pairs (9 & 9.5).
i thought the torins were awesome until i bought the one2.
Are the One2’s that much better than the Torin 1.5? I’m loving the Torin…but everyone says the One2’s are better. How does the cushioning compare (i.e. Torin vs One2)
What do you think about the durability? Would the Olympus provide more durability than the Paradigm?
I tried both insticts and torins. Really liked them at first, but then developed a calf strain (prob small soleus tear). Had to interrupt training to do some PT and kind of botched my lead up to my A race. May have been coincident with increasing speed work as well, but kept me from going back. Be careful ramping up your volume in them and be sure to do some gastroc/soleus stretches as you break them in.
I have the Paradigms and almost full line of Hokas. I would agree that you should throw sizing out the window because even within the same brand (and even model) sizing seems to be pretty inconsistent. I think that is common with new brands…which both of these are in the big picture.
If you need a wide(r) toe box, the Bondi 3 would be best. That is the change that was made from the Bondi B and the Bondi 2…larger foot box. I actually went from a 11.5 down to an 11 because of it. Altra Paradigm is solid, not a cushioned as the Hokas. Never tried the Olympus though. Though all the shoes mentioned are f’ugly, I like that both don’t try to hide it. 
Yeah, the shoes look hideous.
I ordered a pair of the Olympus. Winter is coming, with its slush and salt, and I figured a little extra traction would be good. I reached out to Altra, too, and they said that the Olympus is not too aggressive for road running (like maybe the Mafate, for example).
We’ll see. Like I said, I like the philosophy behind the Altra’s. With the diversity in their line, maybe I can get behind the whole brand. If the Olympus is good, then I may try the One2 next in place of my Kinvaras.
I do like my Bondi B3s…I just need a little more durability. That being said, I still have a couple of miles left in the B3s I have.
I love the Bondi 3s…just find that they wear REALLY fast right under the ball of the foot. I think that was an error in design. I think that is the softest material right there. That’s what I like about the Stinson Tarmac and the Trails…tread is WAY better and they weigh about the same (I actually weigh all my shoes). But the Bondi 3 definitely has the best toe box.