Trail-Running Shoes Buying Guide

When it comes to the trails, Altra Olympus 5 women's trail-running shoes are ready for rugged terrain so you can feel confident in your footing and enjoy the scenery—you've earned that view.
Imported.
View all Altra Women's Trail-Running ShoesBest Use | Trail Running |
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Trail-Running Shoe Type | Rugged-Trail |
Running Shoe Cushioning | Maximum Cushion |
Heel-to-Toe Drop (mm) | 0 |
Heel Stack Height (mm) | 33 |
Forefoot Stack Height (mm) | 33 |
Footwear Height | Ankle |
Footwear Closure | Lace-up |
Upper | Engineered mesh |
Lining | Nylon |
Midsole | EVA foam |
Outsole | Vibram Megagrip rubber |
Rock Plate | No |
Vegan | Yes |
Weight (Pair) | 1 lb. 4.8 oz. |
Gender | Women's |
5.5 | 6 | 6.5 | 7 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 10 | 10.5 | 11 | 11.5 | 12 | |
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U.S. Women's | 5.5 | 6 | 6.5 | 7 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 10 | 10.5 | 11 | 11..5 | 12 |
UK | 3.5 | 4 | 4.5 | 5 | 5.5 | 6 | 6.5 | 7 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 10 |
EU | 36 | 37 | 37.5 | 38 | 38.5 | 39 | 40 | 40.5 | 41 | 42 | 42.5 | 43 | 44 | 44.5 |
Foot Length (in.) | 8.7 | 8.9 | 9.1 | 9.3 | 9.4 | 9.6 | 9.8 | 10 | 10.2 | 10.4 | 10.6 | 10.8 | 11 | 11.2 |
Altra’s unique FootShape™ toe box and zero to low shoes are built to place your foot in a natural position, with a stable and confident foundation to run on. When fitting, be sure to allow a full thumb’s width in front of your toes. If your feet are used to cramped toe boxes, Altra shoes may feel a little big at first. Give your toes some time to get used to the newfound wiggle room.
Altra offers a range of FootShape fits:
Original Fit: The fit that started it all, Original is the roomiest of the 3 options from Altra.
Standard Fit: The most common fit from Altra is right in the middle of Original and Slim.
Slim Fit: The slimmest-fitting Altra option still allows room for your toes to spread out naturally.
IS THIS SHOE TRUE TO SIZE? The product Features above will provide a suggestion if Altra advises you to size up or down in this particular shoe. If no such note exists, please order your regular size.
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Pictures show it all! Thought Altra had their significant quality control issues under wraps. Guess not! Brand new model... soles fell off within 20 miles. Ridiculous!
Dear TJ,We are sorry to hear you are having issues with your Women's Olympus 5 shoes.As well as our 30 day trial run, Altra also provides a 1-year limited warranty on any manufacturing defects from the date of purchase on shoes that were purchased from altrarunning.com or an authorized Altra retailer. Our warranty program does not cover defects due to improper fit, normal wear and tear, damage due to misuse, alteration to the product, or negligence. Product covered by the Altra guarantee will be replaced at Altra's discretion. To start your claim, please follow instructions on our warranty page https://www.altrarunning.com/warranty.html
They are comfortable, but the top inside of the heal has worn though very quickly. I've only had these shoes for about 6 months. Also, the outside "toe knuckle" has worn a hole through also.
I love these shoes so much, I bought every color. I know that sounds extreme. But! I have to wear foot drop braces (AFOs) to walk and I have the hardest time finding shoes that look nice and are comfortable with my braces. These shoes are perfect. The wide toe box provides the extra toe wiggle room I need. The slightly elevated heel helps me pick up my feet better. And they’re quite stylish, something I miss from the old days of pre-brace life when I enjoyed stylish shoes galore. Now than I can only wear athletic shoes, my style has been limited. While these shoes are not dressy, they do make me feel like I have a bit of funky shoe attitude than just normal athletic shoes. I really love them. But do keep in mind, I am not wearing them as intended for hiking. I love them for their style and AFO accommodation.
[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] These shoes are very comfortable and feel like cushion clouds around the feet. I would say the width does seem a bit loose around the feet which may not be the best for running. But as an athletic shoe it is very snug. The shoes actually add some inches of height as well because the sole or the shoe has a lot of padding. The design is "futuristic", similar to a space boot, since the design is somewhat squared, but I LIKE IT overall.
I've been hesitant to try new versions of old Altra favorites, because everything seems to be headed in the wrong direction. These however, are great. The padding/tongue/fit are very similar to the Olympus 4 that I love. The improved heel tab is great. The toe box maybe feels a touch more narrow than the the 4, but this is an improvement in my mind. The cushion level is the same, which is really the most important part in my mind. I am worried about the quality though, as the stitches on the tongue are already unraveling fresh out of the box. The new colors are a huge improvement over the 4s.
[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I have never seen shoes shaped this way. It look a little bit to get used to seeing a shoe that looks like this (Wider at the toes) but they have felt amazing. The last few pairs of shoes I've had would rip around my pinky toe after a few months of use. The arch support doesn't look very extreme but they are cushioned enough that my feet don't hurt while I'm running. This is amazing since I was recently diagnosed with a bone spur on my right foot and possibly a fracture on my left foot. Best run I've had in a long time!
I've worn the Olympus for longer backpacking trips for a few years now. I have a pair of Olympus 3.5 that are going strong but with plans for a big trip this year I was unsure I'd get another 150+ comfortable miles out of them and decided to upgrade to the 5's. After less than 100 miles in my Olympus 5's I started to notice some small holes on both shoes at the flex point - on both sides on one shoe! I was able to get through 160+ miles but the holes got bigger and bigger and I doubt they would have been useable within a few days. What the heck Altra!?? I still have a pair of Lone Peak 3's that are still in great condition with the exception of the worn down tread which is very much expected after 500+ miles of use on well maintained trail + numerous mountains and scree fields. I used to recommend Altra to everyone I know but I can't recommend a shoe that costs almost $200 and barely lasts 100 miles.
Dear Brittany,Thank you for providing this feedback! We would love to talk more with you about your experience. We will have a representative from our Customer Care Team reach out to you within the next 24-48 hours.
[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] The Altra running shoe was so comfortable! I wore them to a marathon in Berkeley California and they were seriously the most comfortable running shoes ever I could have kept on going and going and going! One thing I would say they were very comfortable they had a lot of width in the toe area but I am a true size 9 and they just felt a tiny bit too short even with socks that were not very thick. The colors are so pretty go with everything and I honestly recommend these shoes for running walking every day errands I am definitely gonna wear mine and I know they're gonna last forever because they have such a nice thick comfortable Vibram sole I feel very safe in them I did not sleep once even though the tread that I was walking on with money and rainy and slippery was totally comfortable and I totally recommend issues I've already posted them on my social media page and I'm telling everybody about them everybody about them!
Well this is my fourth pair of Altras and this last pair are cheaper in quality. Very light weight and wears down faster and the bottom grips are coming unglued. I have been superglueing them down because I had just bought them and didn't want to return them and not have any shoes to wear. The past shows I've bought seemed heavier and over all better quality.
I recently bought these for upcoming hiking trip. I've only worn them on two hikes (less than 15 miles combined) and they are already damaged. I know the damages are small but will get worse over time with more miles logged in them. It's very unfortunate bc they are comfortable. I was hoping these would have lasted at least 2 years not 2 hikes.
Hi Donna, Thank you for providing this feedback! We would love to talk more with you about your experience. We will have a representative from our Customer Care Team reach out to you within the next 24-48 hours.