Topo Athletic  MTN Racer 4 Trail-Running Shoes - Men's

This is the best outdoor shoe. I recently went to my local REI to try on various shoes and boots as I started getting in to backpacking and needed to gear up for a backpacking trip. Lots of the boots I tried were too snug in the forefoot and too loose in the heal. I kind of have duck feet. Really thin boney feet, with a wide almost webbed forefoot. After lots of trial and error I finally tried on the topo MTN racer 4. Immediately knew this was the shoe I could spend long days in and have everything I need in a trail shoe. Great out of the box comfort. Nice deep lugs from the sole never slipped or lost traction even on gravel inclined and wet roots and rocks. Skinny heel, super wide anatomical foot bed. No break-in period at all. The zip foam was more than comfortable from zip foam. No pain in my feet at all after 22 miles in two days. Had to cross two different sections of the creek. Dried out super quick and still fit great even when wet. I genuinely cant imagine hiking or walking long distances in any other shoe than this. Interested in the trailventure 3 wp boot but after my experience with these I'm going to wear them until they fail. Thank you Topo for making a shoe made for me!!!

I picked up these shoes for a 200 mile section hike on the PCT. I had done some brief walks in them around town and some local trails and hadn't noticed any real issues. That all changed when I actually took them out on my hike. Within the first day I had a fairly large blister, despite taping the hot spot when I felt it. It all went down hill from there. I found my feet rolling inward whenever I was walking over rocks, and after a while, on normal ground as well. No matter how I laced them they kept creating hot spots. I had 4-5 blisters within the first week, despite taking steps to avoid them.(Liner socks, taping, taking shoe off breaks). Within 100 miles the top of the shoes began to come apart and by mile 200 these shoes are done. I put on a previous pair of Altras that had over 400 miles on them and they were more comfortable than the Topos. I won't ever buy anything from this company again.

Recently diagnosed with a Morton’s Neuroma after almost 4 months suffering ball of the foot pain. Inserts had been minimally effective. According to actual measurements of my foot, I wear a normal width shoe but upon recommendation from podiatrists and PTs, I decided to invest in a more foot shaped, wide toe box shoe. The Topo MTN racer was comfortable and my foot spread out with room to spare. I had minimal, almost no pain, when I tried them on. I usually wear 11.5 size but went with a 12 because they felt a bit short. I’m ecstatic because I can now walk around without feeling the burning pain on the ball of my foot.

1. Durability. They started falling apart very quickly. The most annoying thing is that the inner sole sheds copious numbers of little foam balls. See photo 2. Durability. The sides on both shoes immediately began to fray. See photo 3. Comfort. I immediately started getting blisters on my heel. I resorted to duct taping my heel each time I ran, which is really not okay.

I have loved past versions of the Topo Trail Shoes, they had a generous toe box, perfect drop, rugged soles and light weight enabling lots of miles on single track here in the Front Range of the Rocky Mtns. The 2025+ version was such a letdown! From the get-go, the heels slipped and the loose weave fabric attracted dirt, mud, and stickers like Velcro. A much cheaper quality. My last straw was that the heel edge fabric wore through, exposing a plastic-like material that dug into my socks. It’s too late to return these junk shoes, so I’ll be donating them to charity.

First time ever getting blisters in Topo. This is a step backwards from v3. I don’t notice the softer midsole which I was looking fwd to. The new insole is slick and my foot slides around more. Although, mid foot lockdown seems slightly improved. Worst part is the heel counter and tongue changes. I find it difficult to lock in my heel. The tongue got bigger, thicker and added overlays. All of this makes the tongue uncomfortable as I’m trying to improve the heel lock.

They busted open on the first hike I wore them on and I got a blister in the heel. They felt great in the store but it sounds like other reviews are having the same issues with these. Not durable and gives you blisters.

Avoid these shoes if you want durable uppers. Owned mtn racer 3 before. SAME FLAW WITH THE 4s. Like to kick back and cross my feet after a trail run or hike. Happened on both shoes after wearing 5 times! Contacted topo and the rep had the gall to tell me I was running wrong. That’s the same as Steve Jobs telling customers they were holding their phones wrong with atennnagate.

I don't like leaving reviews and I especially don't like leaving negative reviews but this is an exception. Hoping to help others avoid the problems I've had: the heels. These are incredibly comfortable out of the box and walking around the store but my first hike I noticed the heel slipping and creates bad hot spots. Thought I could break them in and it would go away but it hasn't. I seriously wonder how shoes like this could pass R&D with a small brand like this who must send them to pros and test them in-house. My only conclusion is that everyone's foot/ankle anatomy is different. But for me, these are unusable and I'm super bummed because I specifically bought them for the purpose of a trip out of the country, I even bought them ahead of time to slightly break-in and ensure they would work for that purpose (which I'm glad I did). I won't write-off Topo, but I'd recommend skipping this model because it appears I'm not the only one with this problem. Note: other than the heels this would be a great shoe. They're cushy but you feel planted on the trail. Somewhere between Altra and Hoka.

Best shoe I've owned in my 82 years. Bought it for gardening due to it's lateral stability and overall support. Big toe box for my size 13 feet, and so far has been doing well with my neurologically damaged toes. REI sales guy advised me well.