Altra Men's Olympus 275 Trail Running Shoes

I switched to the 275 from the Olympus 6 due to the lighter weight and the addition of the fabric that acts like a gator to prevent rocks and debris from coming in shoe. My wife and I just completed the Camino Frances with these shoes (both of us wore the 275). My wife's shoes look like they have hardly been used and although mine are dirty, they are still in incredible shape as well. We decided to order new 275's to be delivered to us in Leon, Spain. I was a bit worried that I might need a break-in period but no break in period for us was needed at all! I do lace my shoes a bit different as I skip the first eye lace to provide a bit more room in the upper as I use Sole inserts. The Vibram sole lasted well and worked perfectly providing the necessary grip and comfort on long days. The shoes in the picture have about 300 miles on them and although they need a cleaning, they lasted very well with little wear shown. The extra fabric Altra added to the heal was also extremely comfortable and wore very well and did it's job well in keeping debris out of the shoe. I give these shoes a 5 out of 5 rating without any hesitation.

Unfortunately, these wore a hole inside the heel within only 40 miles. Prior to this, they were extrmely comfortable and fit great. Will continue my search for a perfect shoe for me.

The Olympus 275 was the first pair of Altras I tried…when I put them on it was as if the clouds parted, angels sang, and shafts of light shone down upon my feet! Not even joking…the level of comfort was pretty amazing. Recently hiked the West Highland Way in 4 days (96 miles)…I used both the Olympus 275s and the Timpe 5 Gortex for anticipated rain and wetter sections of the trail. Both performed flawlessly but I do prefer the fit of the 275s over the Timpe. Almost all of my co-hikers suffered blisters…but I had all of the toe splay room in my shoe selection and really had no issues. I also really appreciated the Vibram Megagrip soles…they stuck to everything!

I’ve ran in many pairs of previous versions of the Olympus and had great success. I run in very technical and rocky terrain, so cushion is a must. These initially felt absolutely amazing out of the box and I was very excited to have found another shoe to add to the quiver. They felt similar but different enough, in a good way, to the regular Olympus. I’m not sure exactly how or why, they still seem in good condition, but, after 150 miles, they felt completely dead and destroyed. On the normal Olympus, I usually get somewhere around 400-500 miles out of a pair before the terrain I run on destroys them. It’s a real bummer, I had very high hopes for these especially for how well they initially felt in the first 100 miles.