In production · road · Tempo / Race day · $180
Zero-drop tempo trainer with springy race foam and no plate.
Built for tempo, race day, at a target pace of 6:00–8:30 /mi on road.
Altra tuned this midsole soft (4/5 on our cushioning scale). The foam is highly resilient — it gives energy back rather than swallowing it, which is what makes the shoe feel eager when you push. 34 mm of heel stack is the modern daily-trainer sweet spot — enough foam for long miles without losing contact with the road. Combined, the ride reads as snappy at 4/5 responsiveness.
There is no plate here. The midsole does all the work, so the shoe flexes naturally and stays versatile across paces — easier on the feet day to day, but without the snap of a plated shoe when you want to roll.
A 0 mm drop is close to level. That loads the calf and Achilles more than most runners are used to, so ease into it. The rocker is aggressive: the sole is curved and stiff enough to tip you into the next stride on its own, which saves the calf on long runs but feels strange when you slow right down. The forefoot is stiff, so it rolls rather than bends — a lever, not a slipper. It is a neutral platform with no built-in correction.
The toe-box is wide, with space for the toes to spread late in long runs. It fits true to size. Expect roughly 250 miles from the outsole, about $0.72 per mile at $180.
For the foams and plates Altra uses across its line, read the Altra brand guide.
Measured against the 542 currently-available shoes in the catalog. The bar shows where this shoe sits in that range.
Weight
215 g / 7.6 oz
60 g lighter than the catalog median of 275 g
Heel stack
34 mm
2 mm lower than the catalog median of 36 mm
Drop
0 mm
6 mm lower than the catalog median of 6 mm
Price
$180
20 pricier than the catalog median of 160
Responsiveness
4 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Cushioning
4 / 5
Catalog median 4 / 5
Energy return
5 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Durability
~250 mi
Catalog median ~400 mi
Within the Altra line it is lighter than the brand's median (294 g / 10.4 oz) and sits taller than its median stack (30 mm).
Current shoes with the nearest combination of weight, stack, drop, foam feel and plate.
Altra Vanish Carbon 3
200 g / 7.1 oz · 36 mm · 0 mm drop · Carbon · $260
The only true zero-drop carbon marathon racer.
New Balance FuelCell Rebel v5(2025)
225 g / 7.9 oz · 35 mm · 6 mm drop · — · $145
Featherweight bounce — the most fun uptempo trainer under $150.
Adidas Adizero Evo SL EXO(2026)
215 g / 7.6 oz · 39 mm · 6 mm drop · — · $150
Evo SL with an exoskeleton cage for extra hold at speed.
Nike Pegasus Plus 2(2025)
239 g / 8.4 oz · 36 mm · 4 mm drop · — · $180
Full ZoomX Pegasus: light, bouncy and quick for uptempo daily miles.