Altra  FWD VIA 2 Road-Running Shoes - Women's

I loved my first pairs of Altras because the original toe box was genuinely wide and comfortable. Sadly, Altra has narrowed this fit over the last few years. The new Original Fit is no longer as roomy as it used to be. Even after I did a few break-in runs, the toe bed on these rubbed against my bunion and caused a painful blister, which is something that never happened with older escalantes. On the bright side, they look nice and offer good cushion. If you have narrow feet and want high cushion, you will likely enjoy them. But if you rely on the wide toe bed that Altra first got famous for, I would pass. So disappointing that it feels like Altra is selling out.

I have the first FWD Via, which was great for my wide forefoot, high arches, high instep, narrow heel. When I needed new shoes, I wanted to try the FWD Via 2. Oh boy. First off, these feel more narrow than the Original Footshape. Seems like Altra keeps making fewer and fewer shoes with this shape. I thought that was their niche. Will I need to just switch to Topo? Second, the stitching at the base of the tongue pressed so hard into the top of my foot that it made my toes go numb. I work in healthcare and like to wear max cushion road shoes for my 12 hr shifts on my feet, and this shoe is NOT it. Everyone I work with wears Hokas, so maybe I’ll just order them in a wide.

Altra describes this shoe as having the same "FootShape" as the Lone Peak, but it does not fit like the Lone Peak at all. This shoe was very narrow across the ball of my foot and hurt the second I put it on. The sole felt okay-ish ... I might try the men's version for a wider fit.

The wide tow box might look a little goofy, but it makes a difference when you’re walking long distances, especially when your foot is wide wider.

I love these shoes. They feel great and look nice, too. Perfect shade of blue. Lots of cushioning. Nice toe box.

They look great, and cushioning is good. But the toe box is narrower than my older Altra shoes, and is pinching my pinky toe. I wear exclusively Altra just for the Original foot shape!

I am a long time wearer of Altra. Loved the original VIA. Didn’t try the VIA 2 because of the higher heal collar. Tried a couple other of the styles and have currently been wearing paradym 7. Decided to try the VIA FWD II. Day 1 (6. 5 mile walk)- blisters on inside edge both big toes. Day 2 (6. 5 walk again)-wore gel tips on toes - blisters on inside edge of both heals near where the outer sole has an edge. Additionally some painful pressure on left leg inner heel below ankle bone - I believe I have some mis alignment in that ankle and the high heel support thing was pushing my ankle/heel into a different alignment. I really wanted to like these because I liked my org VIAs so much. The ground feel is nice. I don’t expect wear this pair again - just not the fit for me personally.

The sneakers looked nice but the fit was just too narrow. It was my first time purchasing their brand. Unfortunately, it doesn’t come in wide so has to return.

These shoes hurt my feet. I wish REI would sell the via Olympus 2 again. I have to buy them from Altria now.

These really helped me following a stress fracture in my foot, and they are my now favorite tennis shoe… they’re much better conformed to your foot and your toebox than a standard tennis shoe! They have the perfect amount of questioning: not to much, not too little. :)