Altra Olympus 4 Trail Running Shoes

Product Information

My pair of Olympus 4s joined me at the peak of my AT strength and didn’t miss a beat when I asked them to carry me 116 miles during our first four days together through Maryland and into Pennsylvania. Coming from a pair of Timp 3’s, my legs and feet were already used to the Altra ride. However, I definitely noticed the extra spring in my step and holding power on surfaces of all types. Naturally, I ended up with a few new blisters, but those callused over, leaving me with just my rapidly diminishing skepticism that the extra cash was worth it. Jeff is the token slow runner of the RTR lineup as such his viewpoints on shoe and gear can differ from those who routinely finish marathons in three hours or less. Jeff runs 40 miles per week, both roads and desert trails in Phoenix, Arizona. He has a PR's of 4:07 marathon and 5K at 23:39. In December he raced his first 50 mile trail ultra .

The ergonomic foot-shaped design is a trademark of Altra. Employing the natural contours of the human foot, Altra achieves a style that is both comfortable and functional. The toes have ample room to splay. The wide platform makes for a stable running platform on sometimes unstable ground.Like the Lone Peak, the Olympus is designed with Altra’s “Original” fit, which happens to be their roomiest. Of course, everybody’s feet are different, so calling this a good thing would be absolutely ridiculous. However, generally, I think that more space is conducive to foot wellbeing over long distances as they swell and spread throughout the day, weeks, and months. If you like the fit of Lone Peak’s, then the Olympus will probably work for you too. Comfort OK so the cushion is great, the ride is great. Shoelaces? A length that is perfectly acceptable! Outsole? The always-reliable, super grippy Vibram MegaGrip. Now on to the womp womp part. Sho Altra Olympus 4 – Men Shop Altra Olympus 4 – Women The Bad After my first run in the Olympus 4.0, I was sold on the shoe as a solid option for any trail conditions. All that ‘white’ is just foam, not rubber. It doesn’t grip at all when wet, which takes some getting used to. But hey, look at the rubber after 700 miles. Pretty good shape. They all are, it’s just what they do. Narrow-footed runners might be swimming in it, but medium to wide-footed runners should find a very comfortable home in the Olympus.

In Altra's trail running line, Lone Peak's are the closest you get to a typical trail running shoe and hence a safer choice than the Olympus and is probably a better option for beginner folks. Helping to keep the shoe as light as it is (11.6 oz) is the mesh upper present in the mid foot area that helps the Olympus 4.0 to breath quite well. Altra’s Olympus 5 is a subtle renewal of the previous shoe - so subtle it wouldn’t have surprised me if it got Altra’s _.5 treatment instead of a new number. The midsole and outsole are effectively unchanged, while the upper got a little more structure, and the laces shrank by about 8”. ERIN: This is, I think, the third iteration of the Olympus that I’ve reviewed (maybe it’s the second?) and now that I’ve also tried the HOKA Stinson ATR, I concur with Taylor’s Godzilla versus King Kong comparison. They’re both… I mean, they’re big shoes. Real big. Almost comically so. Who would win? Well, that’s not really the point of this review, I guess, but leave a comment if you want to answer. The Good The gusseted tongue isn’t going anywhere, and is adequately cushioned without going full-fledged plush. However, the big issue with the shoe is adjacent to the tongue - the laces are among the worst ever used in a running shoe. They are much too short to be useful in standard lacing, and they also have very little friction and come untied constantly.

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While this is great for more technical trails, this may be a bit less desirable for more runnable trails that you may come across. That said, I’ve never met a shoe that gave me too much cushion, so naturally, I’ve been intrigued by the Olympus after enjoying so much personal success with Altra’s other trail runners. And it’s not just me. Once a rare sight in a sea of Lone Peaks, the Olympus has quietly collected an increasing share of the thru-hiker footwear pie. In reality, my curiosity has never been great enough to vault past the lofty price tag of the Olympus, and my interest has remained purely academic. Until now. Dun dun dun. So, in traction department, it's safe to say Olympus 4.0 = Lone Peak 4.5 > Olympus 3.5 for most of the cases. Conclusion With a stated weight of 329 g / 11.6 oz (US men’s size 9) the Olympus 4.0 is certainly not the lightest trail shoe around, but then again, that really isn’t what this shoe is designed to be. Below I have included the stated weights of some similar maximalist trail shoes from different brands (all stated weights are based on a US men’s size 9):