Best Altra Running Shoes 2023

Altra’s innovative running shoes are designed to promote your natural gait whether you are pounding the pavement or traversing the trails.

Founded in the back of a running store in 2011, what makes Altra shoes stand out is the fit: Altra designs all its running shoes around their FootShape™ toe box, which accentuates the natural shape of your foot instead of tapering toward the toe like most other running shoes. This allows your toes to relax and splay naturally, which is particularly advantageous when running on uneven surfaces, such as trails. It is also helpful on the roads because it allows the big toe to remain in a straight position for maximum stability and power. Plus, it is more comfortable and works particularly well for people with wider feet or bunions.

The next characteristic of all Altra shoes is that they are designed with Balanced Cushioning™. Most shoes have more cushioning in the heel than the forefoot, causing a slightly downward slope that you may have heard of as “heel-to-toe drop.” Every Altra shoe is built on a platform where the heel and forefoot are an equal height from the ground, which makes all Altra shoes Zero-Drop™. Altra designed this to help with optimal alignment, cultivate better form and encourage a low-impact landing. It also takes the pressure off the ball of your foot.

Finally, women’s Altra running shoes are all shaped using FIT4HER™ technology. Women’s feet tend to be shaped differently than men’s feet so Altra builds their women’s shoes to have a narrower heel, longer arch and unique metatarsal spacing so that they fit women’s feet better.

Whether you’re in marathon training or hitting the trails, these are the best Altra running shoes for your run:

[This is part of the Fleet Feet Buyer's Guide for The Best Running Shoes 2023. Find all the best running shoes from the top brands for all situations.]

The Escalante has been a long-time fan favorite, and for good reason. This lightweight shoe has Altra’s EGO midsole to provide a soft, bouncy ride without unnecessary added weight. There is enough cushion underfoot for everyday training, and Altra tweaked the shape of this shoe to give it more versatility.

What makes this shoe unique is its sock-like upper. It is lightweight, breathable, casual and comfortable on your feet. Alongside Altra’s signature wide toe box, the knit upper is accommodating for many foot shapes.

Lightweight and flexible, the Altra Escalante 3 is great for speedwork as well as longer runs.

The Altra Rivera 3 is a great everyday training shoe that is light enough for speedwork but cushioned enough to handle those long runs. This shoe has a sleeker look than most Altra shoes but still features all of Altra’s signature characteristics. A FootShaped™ toe box lets your toes splay naturally and zero-drop balanced cushioning encourages good form and alignment.

Altra designers added even more EGO foam to the midsole for soft landings while still giving you an energizing response for a lively ride. With a more modern look and snugger fit, the Altra Rivera 3 is perfect for logging your daily miles.

The Altra Torin 6 sports Altra’s EgoMax midsole foam that is plush, supportive and bouncy without the extra weight to give you a comfortable and cushioned run.

Altra updated the upper to give it the best possible fit and feel. The engineered mesh upper is breathable and soft. Designers tweaked the molded heel collar for a more locked-in fit and redesigned the tongue for more comfort.

Ready for long runs on the road or a long day on your feet, the Altra Torin 6 gives you a cushioned, bouncy ride.

The Altra Provision 7 is a great lightweight stability shoe that lets you run naturally. It contains Altra’s beloved EGO midsole for lightweight cushion that gives you soft landings and explosive takeoffs.

This shoe is great for people who overpronate or have flexible arches. Altra designed the Provision 7 with GuideRails™ that gives you medial support when you need it.

This shoe has all of the standard features that make an Altra shoe unique—a FootShaped toe box, Balanced Cushioning and gender-specific tweaks to make it more comfortable.

Lightweight and supportive, the Altra Provision 7 will keep you stable throughout your run.

Read more in our Altra Provision 7 review.

Roomy and cushioned, the Altra Paradigm 6 will give you the support and comfort you crave.

The Paradigm features Altra’s Innovarch and Guiderail technologies that wrap around your arches to prevent any excess pronation and naturally support your feet.

Whether you are off on a long run or just a long day at work, your feet will be happy to have Altra’s EgoMax midsole underfoot for a soft and bouncy ride. Plus, since the Paradigm has Altra’s signature balanced cushioning or zero-drop heel-to-toe difference, the pressure is taken off the ball of your foot.

Plush and supportive, your feet will be cushioned in the Altra Paradigm 6.

Part of planning your first trail run is to know the type of terrain you’ll be running on. With the Altra Outroad, you can cruise from road to trail without losing a step.

The Outroad’s smooth ride comes from a plush midsole of balanced EGO foam cushioning so you can go for a long run on paved roads or spend the day exploring your favorite trails. A lugged outsole gives you reliable grip when the terrain gets tricky, making it the perfect hybrid road-to-trail running shoe.

Whether you’re running on the road, sidewalk, gravel or dirt, you can make your own route in the Altra Outroad.

Go for a trail running adventure in the Altra Lone Peak 7.

The Altra Lone Peak gives you a soft, yet responsive ride thanks to its EGO midsole that provides the perfect amount of cushioning for the trails while still allowing you to feel the ground.

Run over uneven and slippery terrain with ease thanks to the MaxTrac outsole that gives you plenty of grip and traction, which our testers loved in the Altra Lone Peak 7 Review.

Altra’s signature characteristics were made for trail running. The zero-drop cushioning gives you better ground feel when running over roots and rocks and the FootShape toe box lets your toes splay on uneven ground for better balance.

Whether you are going for a short hike or running an ultramarathon, the Altra Lone Peak 7 is sure to please.

With a ton of cushion and an aggressive outsole, the Altra Timp 4 is a cushioned trail shoe to get the job done.

Altra engineered this shoe for the long haul. They updated the midsole, adding their EGO™ MAX foam midsole to give you a soft, protective feel that’s perfect for long runs.

The redesigned MaxTrac outsole has aggressive multi-directional lugs to give you better traction going up or down mountains or hills.

Go exploring all day in the Altra Timp 4.

Big on foam, light on weight, the all-new Altra Via Olympus puts max-cushion performance on display.

Altra packed the Via Olympus with a maximum serving of its EGO Max midsole foam to cushion every step. The lightweight foam gives the shoe a plush ride without weighing it down.

But it’s more than just a big stack of foam—Altra used its signature technologies to enhance the ride. The Via Olympus gets a FootShape toe box for an accommodating fit, and it sits on a zero-drop platform for a neutral stance.

Draped in a breathable mesh upper, the Altra Via Olympus takes cushioning to new heights.

Read more in our Altra Via Olympus review.

How We Chose the Best Altra Running Shoes

To pick the best Altra running shoes, we combed through our Altra shoe reviews, best-sellers lists and fit id data to find the shoes we think will work for most people in most situations. We also leaned on our expertise in the running industry to make recommendations.

You can shop with confidence at Fleet Feet: We offer free shipping and returns on all running shoes, and you have 60 days to return any gear if you don’t like the way it looks, fits or feels. Plus, with our price-match guarantee, you can make sure you never pay too much for a new pair of running shoes.

Best Running Shoe Brands

Altra makes some of the best running shoes in the business, but there are plenty of excellent shoes from other brands. See the best running shoe brands 2023 for more great shoes.