A few weeks ago I was in the market for a new pair of trail shoes. I always seem to be struggling to find a shoe that has a wide enough toe box that keeps the sides of my big toes happy on long runs. There may be something in my mechanics that cause me to rotate and push-off them, I’ve had a few people look at my stride and none of them have been able to see anything..So I will continue to blame my shoes.
Altra Lone Peak 1.5
I went down to Footzone and told them all I cared about what finding a wide toebox trail shoe. They brought out some of the usual shoes; Brooks, Nike’s, and New Balances but none seemed to meet my feet’s needs..That was until the brought out the Altra Lone Peak 1.5’s.
When I first put them on they almost felt like slippers. Roomy and soft. Plenty of room in the toe box and uppers that were snug but not too tight. I plopped down my $110 and gladly took off for my runs.
Altra Lone Peak Soles
A few weeks later, I have about 130 miles in them and have used them for all my long runs and my first 50k last weekend. Overall I think this is a great shoe, no major complaints and they are still as comfy as the day I bought them.
They are a 0 drop shoe which is a difference from the typical 4mm drop in the Saucony’s that I was wearing. I didn’t think 4mm would be much of a transition, but I have noticed some tightness in my ankles and calves. I still rotate in my older saucony’s on shorter runs to hopefully keep the strain on my achilles to a minimum and let it get used to the additional strain.
There are a couple unique design features that the Altra Lone Peak 1.5’s have.
1. Trail Rudder – This is a piece of sole at the back of the shoe that supposedly helps you stay in control while on the downhills, I honestly couldn’t tell the difference. One thing it may offer is reduced debris that gets flicked up into your shoe.
Altra Lone Peak Trail Rudder
2. Gaiter velcro – I don’t have a pair of gaiters yet, but these have a built-in velcro strap to attach your gaiters to on the heel. Something I haven’t seen in any other shoes.
Durability
I still haven’t put a ton of miles on these yet, but so far they seem like they will hold up. I have one area on the toe where the outsole is starting to pull away from the upper. I had read another review of these that had the same problem. I am going to email Altra and see what kind of glue they suggest to reseal it. I can imagine it’s only going to get worse.
Altra Lone Peak Separating Sole
Overall
Barring any major breakdown of the shoe materials, I think this may be my go to trail shoe from now on. The only potential problem would be if I need to go back to a 4mm drop shoe. Altra only makes 0 drop shoes.