I raced a pair of Altras many years ago. They were called Adam ‘s and to call them “a little extreme” was an understatement. They had very few millimeters of rubber under the sole, had no cushioning, did not even have laces, and could boast a drop that could not be more minimal: it was zero. In short, a truly remarkable exercise in subtraction.
So I was most curious to try out a new model to see if American Altra had continued down that road or ceded some of its DNA to comfort and certain compromises.
Where were we?
My first reaction was very positive: the Altra Torin 5 are shoes that have little to do with their distant cousins Adam, but in a way are an evolution of them.
They don’t have anything in common in terms of cushioning, because they have it and it comes through, making them very comfortable but not saggy. They have laces and have an upper and design that makes them immediately recognizable as running shoes and not as “weird shoes that don’t look like running shoes (but are).”
Yet they are also closely related to earlier models from a few years ago: they have very limited drop (although I confess I am not sure it is zero because Altra does not state it in the technical specifications, but it is still very low) and offer ample space at the toe box to allow toes to spread out and better distribute loads. In short, their nature remains inspired by natural running and running moved forward to the midfoot, but made easier by powerful cushioning and comfortable upper construction.
The first contact seems to have been very interesting, apart from some tediousness with the right tab and surprise that, despite the fact that it was my size, they turn out to be a bit tight, although you notice it more walking than running.
See you very soon for the full review.