Altra Men's Provision 2.5 Running Shoe

I have wide toes and I've always worn a size 8.5 womens or a 7 in mens/boys in sneakers but my small toe is usually crushed unless the brand runs wide (like NB). If you usually buy wide size I almost feel like these won't even be wide enough - they are only wide in the toe not the rest of the shoe. I got these for the large toe box and mostly for walking. I walk around 4 consecutive miles a day and these definitely are a change from regular shoes. The toe box is much better and I did not get any blisters between my toes. These do make your legs sore when you are getting used to walking in them, mostly calves. There are two things I find odd with these shoes - The laces are VERY short. I can barely tie them as there is only a couple of inches of lace left when they are laced up so I will have to replace with longer laces. I think because the laces are so short its causing me to overtighten them (just to have enough to tie) and my feet felt like they were falling asleep towards the end of my walk. The second thing I find odd is how rigid these shoes are. I don't feel them flex at all and my heel was moving up and down in the shoe instead of the shoe flexing with my foot. Maybe they will break in and flex more...

So, if you aren't familiar with what Altra's ethic, they are going for the natural toe splay - toe box thing. If you don't know what that is, take a look around and get informed about why that matters first. If you don't do so, you might get these shoes and wonder why they look so wide and feel looser than a standard athletic shoe.With that out of the way, I will start by saying that not all Altra's are zero-drop (meaning no elevation difference between the heel and ball of the foot) but this happens to be one that is. I was specifically looking for this in addition to the wide toe box because I am still dealing with the aftermath of a ankle injury from almost a decade ago. I am attempting to see if getting a more natural foot position will finally allow this to readjust and heal more fully. However, one of the issues with a lot of shoes like that is that they tend to ditch the padding and don't come with things like stability features. While I don't over pronate, my injury was an ankle roll that basically stretched the ligaments on the outside of my foot and I find that stability shoes come with an ankle support (you can see it wrapped around the ankle of the shoe - that is a plastic brace, not just a style element) that help my ankle from rolling again since my ligaments are essentially non-existent on that ankle. In any case, if you are in a similar situation or do over pronate, these are a great choice in that regard.I came to this shoe from Nike Structures and Lunarglides - both also stability shoes, but that have a significant toe drop and a narrow footbed. Those shoes served me well but did compress my pinky toes quite a bit. However, the one thing that I sorely miss from the Lunarglide line is how the laces and inner-lining function and attach to the shoe. The Altra's have sort of a run of the mill standard upper and lacing system. The Lunarglides have what I am guessing is a system patented by Nike where there is a cord system that attaches to the lace loops and anchors your foot to the foot bed. In addition the inner-lining is a type of spandex/lycra material that basically fits like a sock over your foot. The effect of this is that the show sort of melds to your foot more and you don't even really feel like you have a shoe on. Unfortunately the Altra's don't have something like this and your foot does slide around in the shoe a bit and will come up from the foot bed while running or walking, even with them laced tightly. Probably won't get noticed by most people unless you have had a similar lacing system to the one I described above before. If this were improved on this shoe, it would earn that 5th star.One last disclaimer - I rated this as only comfortable for a couple of hours. For me, I am guessing because this shoe has a lot of different specs than I am used to and it will take some time for me to both break the shoe in and to get used to things like the zero drop. The shoe itself is quite comfortable and part of the point here for me is that my body needs to adjust to a more natural foot position and that will take some time.Finally, these fit as expected length-wise but I do think Altra has some models where they recommend buying a half size up and so forth. Be sure to check their website directly if you go with a different model.

Personally, I like a more minimalist shoe for running, but I have some friends who swear by these. I wear them as my all-day non-running shoe, and absolutely love them. The toe box is actually shaped like my foot (most other shoes taper at the toe, which the human foot doesn't!), which makes them very comfortable. I'm also quite partial to zero drop shoes, so love these. The cushioning is sufficient for me to stand up most of the day without a problem.

I'm a mid to high mileage runner who switched to Altra shoes a few months ago. One of my friends has been wearing them for a couple of years now and swears by them. We are both in our mid-60s and he runs more than I do. He kept talking about the positive effects of a "Zero Drop" shoe and the way the cushioning and support offered by Altra was far superior to the minimalist shoes which many people wear. After decades of running, changing running stride is a big deal and it's far easier to accomplish when the shoe offers support similar to our former shoes, even though our heel is now at the same distance from the ground as the forefoot.My friend is a neutral runner and can comfortably wear other Altra models. I began the switch to Altras by buying a couple of pairs of Paradigms, which are super comfortable and offer (I think) a relatively easy transition to the new stride. For those who wonder why the stride needs to change, many of us who have run for a long time are heel strikers. In my case, flat feet add to the tendency to land hard on my heels and the roll of the foot from the outside of the heel toward the big toe seems to help simulate an arch that isn't there; that's what pronation means. Learning to land mid-foot takes significant pressure off the knees and should yield commensurate benefits as we get older. My friend and I plan to run for a loooong time, so it's worth it to go through the hassle of learning a different way to run.My experience with the Altra Paradigm, as I said, is very comfortable. The heel, however, isn't built for striking on the outside and wears out quickly. Even though I'm running far less flat-footed than I did, there's still some heel strike going on and the Paradigms just aren't lasting. I saw a great price on the Altra Provision 2.5 here on Amazon and decided to give them a try. I'm so glad I did! While I may try out some other Altra models in the future, these are a more technical shoe, which helps with the pronation. The heels are also much more durable than the Pardigms I'm using.I love the Provisions and are happy to recommend them. So, why not 5 Stars? Pretty simple, really. They offer great control, which I like, but they aren't nearly as well cushioned as the Paradigms. When I can get that level of control along with the comfortable ride I get with the Paradigms, I will gladly give it the highest rating.

I’ve had several pairs of running shoes from the usual suspects, ASICS, Nike etc. but have always struggled with pain in my hips and a burning sensation in the soles of my feet.I went to a local running shop, who sold me my first pair of these and they cured all the pain immediately. The only negative I have, as far as comfort, is that the arch support can be a bit uncomfortable. For my first few runs I got blisters in the arch of my foot, but either I hardened up to it, or the shoes bedded in and they no longer do this.I’m on my second pair now, after 2 years (not recommended my old ones were very tired) and can’t believe how much difference they make. Obviously, how effective they are will vary from person to person but they certainly work for me.Other points of note, the top mesh is very breathable and seems to be robust. No splitting after 2 years of use. The same can be said for the sole, which wore through eventually, but only after a lot of use.

Nothing to dislike about these at all; loved them but normally order a full size bigger as run 1/2 - full marathon distances & found a full size bigger allows your feet to survive. However these were only available in an 8.5 & near as dam it kept them; that is how much I loved them. Really great toe box which is what I expected from them but I found the stability to be very very surprising, great arch support to & plenty of cushioning. If you need any of the above don't hesitate to buy these.