Altra Olympus

For zero drop fans, this is a fantastic shoe for long, grinding runs or when you need some recovery cush. I've taken this shoe through mud, rocks, roots and it has held up great. I've also taken it out for extended road runs when the legs felt like they needed some added cushioning. An interesting take on a low drop shoe.

At first I wasn't sure if I would like such a "maximalist" shoe. I've been a low profile, low drop fan for years. The Olympus pulls together the natural foot design and zero drop with a shoe that protects the feet across tough terrain or long hours on the road.

Overall, I've found the shoe to be solid in most conditions. One place where I found some weaknesses were on really wet trails. The lugs are not huge (that's why it holds up on the road) so I found myself slipping out on the wet climbs.

Otherwise, it's a shoe that I feel can hold up to extreme leg fatigue and hard ground. It's great for bombing down technical trail (once you get used to being so far off the ground).