Zero Drop™

Every Altra running shoe features a fully cushioned Zero Drop™ platform that places the heel and forefoot at the same distance from the ground. This natural balance aligns the feet, back and body posture for less impact. It also strengthens the Achilles and lower calf muscles that have been weakened over a lifetime of running on elevated heels.

Benefits:

  • Heel and forefoot are the same distance from the ground
  • Promotes proper form to reduce initial impact by 3–5 times
  • Natural Achilles loading for better propulsion
  • 1-to-1 ratio naturally aligns feet, back and body posture
  • Encourages better running technique
  • Weight-balanced from front to back

FootShape™ Toe Box

Embrace The Space

Traditional running shoes feature pointy toe boxes that squeeze the toes out of their natural position –increasing risk of bunions, hammertoes and plantar fasciitis. 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. Altra wishes they could call it some scientific breakthrough, but we’re simply giving your foot the working space it needs.

Benefits:

  • Keeps big toe straight for greater stability and a more powerful toe-off
  • Allows toes to relax and spread out naturally
  • Allows foot to naturally stabilize excess pronation

Replicating Perfection

The human foot is an anatomical masterpiece. It’s designed for stability, speed, and to get you from point A to point B. At Altra, they choose not to mess with perfection and simply let your foot do its thing. Every Altra shoe features a last that has been molded around the healthy position of a human foot. A shoe last is a 360-degree model of a foot used to create the shoe’s heel, instep, and toe box dimensions. Unlike other shoe companies that alter the last to make the shoe look more sleek and fast, we’ve chosen to let your foot decide the shape of the shoe.

Fit & Feel

Having a properly fitting running shoe goes a long way when you are running long distances. This is why Altra engineered our footwear the way that they did. It is imperative to have a proper fit for your feet to run as natural as they are able. When going around barefoot there is no constraint on the foot. The toes splay, the foot relaxes and more power is put into the muscles.

To maximize the benefits of Altra Footwear, we encourage you to follow these fitting suggestions:

  1. Please allow at least ½ inch between your longest toe and the end of the shoe.
  2. Your Zero Drop™ Footwear should feel as relaxed and natural as possible.
  3. If the fit is correct, it may feel “too loose” around your toes and may take a day or two for your feet to get used to spreading out.
  4. Fitting this way will allow your feet to become more STABLE, more COMFORTABLE, and more POWERFUL.

By following proper fit and footwear, you let your body do what it is naturally inclined to do. There is no need for additional stability, supports, airs, gels, shocks, or the other. You then have a running experience that will reduce injury while running longer and further.

Gender Specific

Women’s feet are anatomically different than men’s feet. Women have a narrower heel and midfoot, higher instep, longer arch and unique metatarsal spacing. While this has always been a fact of life, traditional running shoe companies have opted to make male and female shoe models virtually identical for years.

Altra is the first shoe company to introduce an entire line of truly female specific shoes. Every last of Altra women’s running shoes has been molded around the unique shape of the female foot. A shoe last is a 360-degree model of a foot used to create the shoe’s heel, instep, arch and toe box dimensions.

Female specific design combined with a cushioned Zero Drop™ platform and FootShape™ toe box allows a woman’s foot to remain in a natural, relaxed position throughout her run.

  1. Narrower Heel
  2. Female-Specific Midsoles
  3. Longer Arch and Narrower Midfoot
  4. Higher Instep
  5. Female-Specific Cushioning
  6. Female-Specific Metatarsal Positioning
  7. Female-Specific Last & Upper-Fit
  8. Female-Specific Shape
  9. Female-Specific Outsoles

We’ve been such big fans of Altra, we had to bring them to the Wilderness Athlete family. Whether you’re hiking the Grand Canyon rim to rim to rim, or working long days on your feet, the Lone Peak 3.0 and the Superior 3.0 are built for the journey.