Altra Olympus 1.5 - My First Zero Drop Trail Running Shoe

I've had my Altra Olympus 1.5 running shoes for about a month now, and have put in about 100kms on the trails around the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island, so I think I'm ready to give them a valid review. First off, I have to say, these are the most stable maximal trail running shoes I've ever owned.

The Altra Olympus shoes were constructed as a "Zero Drop" trail running shoe. This means that there is no change in the stack height difference between the heal and toe. It takes a few weeks to adjust your running style in order to fully appreciate what the Altra Olympus has to offer. I would suggest you use your old shoes on every other run for about the first month unitl you get used to them. The toe box in these is also wider than other shoes I've run in. It's shaped like a foot, which is good, because my toes aren't pinched after running for hours. I find, too, that the wider toe box helps to increase stability. The rainy season has begun on the island but I have never felt unstable as I cross the roots, rocks, and narrow wooden bridges, following the forest trail systems around here. I crossed these obstacles with ease.

I would highly recommend these shoes to ultra-marathoners, and to anyone doing training runs that are ninety minutes or more. They save the feet a lot of pounding, and are easy on the joints once you're able to adjust your running style.