For several seasons now, Altra King MT has been my go-to shoe for trail running and Spartan races. The zero-drop minimalist profile helps me feel like I have more contact with the terrain and obstacles. The grip is fantastic as well. I’ve never felt nervous about my footing when bombing downhills, or slipping on tough climbs. And it drains water better than any other shoe I’ve tried.
Altra has several specific features I really like.
- The Heel. The inside material of the shoe’s heel has a kind-of sharkskin quality to it. It’s smoother one way than the other. It’s not uncomfortable by any means, and the fabric catches on the sock and really holds the heel in place.
- Toebox. This is Altra’s signature feature. All of their shoes feature a “footshape” toebox. Which is fantastic for people with wider feet. It really gives your toes room to splay out when landing, which provides greater support and comfort. And considerably less blisters.
- Velcro Strap. Admittedly, when I first saw this, it was difficult to get past the shoe looking like a pair or Spider-man sneaks I wore when I was 4-years-old. But, after utilizing it for a bit, I came to appreciate the MT’s strap. It allows you to tighten and lock down the mid-sole, which helps a lot in slippage ( so your foot doesn’t go slamming into that super-roomy toe on downhills ). Yes, the same can be achieved with proper lacing, but I’m lazy and the amount of trial-and-error of lacing and relacing to get just the right fit is a pain. Especially in different climates with expanding and despanding(?) feet.
Now to be fair, there are some downsides as well.
- Fragile AF. So yes, the shoe is superlight and breathes and drains very well. The reason for this is an extremely thin mesh fabric upper. I’ve seen many many posts of people complaining that their MTs blew holes after only a few uses. I, myself, returned my last pair after holes tore in the tops after only a handful of races for a refund. Holes began showing in my new pair after only two races…
Altra Customer Support refused to refund the second pair, saying that I should wear thicker socks. This is why I buy shoes from REI.
So I still run in the King MTs (casual trails, not for races anymore) – but now I double up my socks.
All-in-all, if you are looking for a great, lightweight, minimalist zero-drop trail shoe – you cannot go wrong with Altra King MTs.
Unless you have sharp toenails apparently.