Discontinued · road · Daily / Long run · $150
Anatomical toe splay with a low drop and a surprisingly lively midsole.
Built for daily, long run, at a target pace of 8:00–11:00 /mi on road.
This model is no longer in production. The closest shoe you can buy today is Topo Athletic Phantom 4.
The midsole is Pebax, tuned soft (4/5 on our cushioning scale). Energy return is above average: the midsole rebounds well without feeling unstable. 32 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 lively at 3/5 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 low 5 mm drop encourages a midfoot landing and keeps the ankle working through a fuller range. The geometry is fairly traditional and flat, so the shoe follows your foot rather than steering it. The forefoot flexes easily, so the shoe adapts to slower, shorter strides. Support is light — neutral, with a mildly steady platform.
The toe-box is unusually roomy — foot-shaped rather than tapered, which suits splayed or bunion-prone feet. It fits true to size. Expect roughly 400 miles from the outsole, about $0.38 per mile at $150.
For the foams and plates Topo Athletic uses across its line, read the Topo Athletic brand guide.
Measured against the 542 currently-available shoes in the catalog. The bar shows where this shoe sits in that range.
Weight
261 g / 9.2 oz
14 g lighter than the catalog median of 275 g
Heel stack
32 mm
4 mm lower than the catalog median of 36 mm
Drop
5 mm
1 mm lower than the catalog median of 6 mm
Price
$150
10 cheaper than the catalog median of 160
Responsiveness
3 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Cushioning
4 / 5
Catalog median 4 / 5
Energy return
4 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Durability
~400 mi
Catalog median ~400 mi
Within the Topo Athletic line it is lighter than the brand's median (275 g / 9.7 oz) and sits taller than its median stack (32 mm).
Current shoes with the nearest combination of weight, stack, drop, foam feel and plate.
Topo Athletic Phantom 4
264 g / 9.3 oz · 35 mm · 5 mm drop · — · $150
Plusher ZipFoam Phantom with Topo's anatomical toe splay.
Topo Athletic Ultrafly 6
272 g / 9.6 oz · 32 mm · 5 mm drop · — · $150
Lightly supportive daily trainer with a heel-wrapping medial post.
Skechers Aero Pulse Slip-ins
255 g / 9.0 oz · 34 mm · 6 mm drop · — · $120
Hands-free slip-in daily trainer from the Aero family.
Skechers GO Run Now
265 g / 9.3 oz · 30 mm · 6 mm drop · — · $70
Soft-riding value trainer for easy days and walk-run miles.