The Altra Olympus 6. All pictures: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
Get married. Have a child. Transfer to the suburbs. Begin operating a whole lot of miles within the Altra Olympus 6 ($175).
Whereas tongue in cheek, this sequence will sound acquainted to many people as we hit peak adultness. A few of us get a bit heavier, a bit slower, and a bit extra involved with consolation. After many days in various terrain, the Altra Olympus 6 is a cruise-y shoe to your mid-life period.
I wish to run quick (or no less than strive onerous); I do observe exercises, races, and intervals. I’ve reviewed numerous short-distance, light-weight racing footwear for iRunFar, so this shoe is an enormous detour in my rotation, however one I’ve come to actually get pleasure from, significantly on lengthy and rambling mountain runs with my higher half.
I can now not persuade myself to squeeze my foot into footwear just like the Salomon S/Lab Pulsar 3 or the Brooks Catamount Agil, until I’m in search of excessive efficiency in races or for exercises.
When the order of the day is lengthy and gradual (and never very technical), I now attain for the pontoon-like bulldozers which might be the Olympus 6. This shoe packs creature comforts, whether or not it’s the “Achilles pillow” on the heel, the claimed 33 millimeters of soft foam, or the toebox that’s accommodating even together with your thickest run or hike socks. In change for that consolation, the Olympus 6’s precise weight is a not gentle 12.5 ounces (354 grams) for a U.S. males’s 9, whereas sustaining Altra’s normal zero-drop platform.
My historical past with Altra over the previous few years has been extraordinarily restricted attributable to the truth that, particularly with right this moment’s footwear, I like a rockered form, carbon plates, large stack, and plenty of heel-to-toe drop. In opposition to these qualities, Altra can really feel extraordinarily flat and uninspiring. I used to be very shocked to search out that the Olympus 6 could be my gateway again to the model after a really lengthy absence.
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Altra Olympus 6 Higher
A lateral view of the Altra Olympus 6.
Altra has by no means had an aesthetics downside. Regardless of the precise efficiency not being favorable for my specific type of operating, I’ve all the time actually appreciated the way in which they give the impression of being. Once you add a lovely aesthetic to a mega-cushioned and heavy shoe, you get an surprising enhance of enthusiasm for utilizing them, and the Altra Olympus 6 doesn’t disappoint. It has a really fashionable look with its carved and contoured shapes across the medial and lateral sections of froth.
From the Altra Olympus 5 to the Olympus 6, you get extra breathability by the tongue part and the toe, however that’s about it. This shoe, with its bulldozer demeanor, is all concerning the overlays. There are beefy textured overlays on prime of clean overlays (underlays?) on both facet of the forefoot, all the way in which as much as the traditional Altra toe cap (with a Vibram brand stamp).
These overlays will assist keep the integrity of the higher as a result of they’re in most, however not all, of the excessive influence areas. Altra ought to have added an overlay on the fore to the midfoot space on the medial facet, since this space of mesh is unprotected. There is no such thing as a deterioration there but, but it surely appears more likely to happen as a single swipe from some talus or different sharp rock may shred it.
The shoelaces are a number of the beefiest I’ve ever seen. They’re extra more likely to remind you of leather-based mountain climbing boots from the Nineteen Seventies than a path operating shoe in 2024. A extra light-weight or streamlined set of laces would make this a way more svelte-looking and feeling shoe bundle.
Altra’s trademark Achilles pillow is a pleasant add for further cushioning within the heel; it additionally has the good thing about lessening the overall gaps across the collar to forestall particles from coming into. The Achilles heel pillow is hooked up to some of the large pull tabs I’ve ever seen on a operating shoe; it’s simply one other indication of this shoe’s “extra is extra” philosophy.
Altra Olympus 6 Midsole
A medial view of the Altra Olympus 6.
The Altra Olympus 6 doesn’t use proprietary or branded midsole foam from Altra (i.e., Ego Max); it makes use of compression-molded EVA, just like what was used within the Altra Olympus 4.
My historic main gripe about zero-drop footwear is the shortage of roll by the stride, feeling extra like my toes are simply slapping on the floor. (This sensation has adopted me all the way in which to different fashionable Altral modesl, like the brand new Altra Timp 5, which I examined within the spring). As a really soft shoe, possibly my expectations have been inherently altered, however I discover this midsole compound to be the perfect I’ve used from Altra in a very long time.
There are 33 millimeters of stack, so it’s a pleasant huge chunk of froth underfoot, however there’s palpably extra pop and spring when rolling alongside, whether or not on flat or uphill terrain. However this does come at a price. The place the aforementioned race footwear from Salomon and Brooks are sensational downhilling footwear, the Olympus doesn’t declare to be, neither is it.
Exact foot placement is simply not a factor right here. It’s extra like, decide a line after which smush–and–smash no matter’s beneath. Touchdown on awkward surfaces might be nearly immediately nullified as the big contact patch of the outsole grabs on the floor and the midsole simply smooths it proper out.
Altra Olympus 6 Outsole
The outsole of the Altra Olympus 6.
The Vibram Megagrip outsole acts as a little bit of a governor for the Altra Olympus 6. It’s a extremely succesful and versatile outsole, however its lack of aggression will stop you from placing this shoe in locations it doesn’t belong, reminiscent of in deep mud or up and down fells.
The outsole sample is in a largely unchanged configuration from earlier variations within the Olympus lineup. I’ve used the shoe in scree and in tight areas on ascents of some San Juan Mountains 14ers in Colorado; there was mud, creek crossings, and simply extremely dry and free filth and this outsole stands as much as all of it.
Altra’s standard outsole sample, the place lugs line the silhouette of your foot’s sole, is in place right here and this strategic sample actually helps from catching errant zingers from touchdown wrongly.
A big drainage port from the midfoot to heel helps stop mud buildup. One thing I appreciated after amassing a reasonably sizable quantity of mud in different places through the 14ers runs.
Altra Olympus 6 Total Impressions
A prime view of the Altra Olympus 6.
Although I’ll have entered (or I’m no less than toeing) a slowed-down period of my operating, the Altra Olympus 6 has been a really soft entry into this world.
The expectations are clear: it is a max cushioned, max consolation, and max mileage shoe for path runners and hikers, however it’s also someway probably the most enjoyable Altra shoe I’ve examined in years. There are few opponents for a shoe with this DNA and it’s no surprise that this has change into a franchise in Altra’s path lineup.
The New Stability Extra Path V3 and Hoka Stinson 7 are among the many closest present challengers within the ultrarunning “tank” class, however not like these footwear, the wide-footed amongst us will discover a lot consolation and room to breathe with the Olympus 6.
With wider than common toes and bunions, years of cramming my toes into light-weight and slender path trainers makes the Olympus 6 a protracted, full-bellied breath of recent air for path operating on lengthy and straightforward days.
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- Have you ever tried the Altra Olympus 6? What are your ideas on it?
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