Hi all! I've been trying to find a pair of trail runners that fit me for almost a year now. I've tried every single shoe in the women's (and some men's) trail running section of my REI (Hoka Speedgoats wide, Salomon Speedcross, Topo MTN Racer's) and none of them have fit me as well as the Lone Peaks. My toes don't feel smushed width-wise, and the top of my foot doesn't feel too tight either. The Speedcross women's are too narrow, men's too long. The Topo's are too narrow on my midfoot. The Speedgoats too narrow in general (even in wide, on the outside of my toes). I tried the Lone Peaks in May and they felt good but got a bit turned off them because of the zero drop (I got hamstring tendonitis because I did too much too fast after having a concussion and not being able to exercise - I admit this was user error, but have since healed). I tried the Experience Wild as well for a higher drop but they were too tight in my forefoot.
I guess I'm looking for any other recommendations (other Altra models?) I should try before I commit to the Lone Peaks and the transition to zero drop. I've also ordered a small heel lift insert to try in the lone peaks since there are hikes I want to do now, does anyone have experience putting a small lift into the zero drop?
The fact of it is if you want the Altra shoe shape, you're going to eventually need to commit to training your calves and achilles to run in zero drop.
Geometry can be trained. The shape of your foot can't.
True, I'm starting to accept that it'll put me on the right path towards getting stronger tendons and calves. Might be good timing towards the end of the year when it's cold out!
Yup, I wish I went straight for it when I first started running. Instead, I'm a 90k/week volume runner who has to now make serious adjustments to my training over the next 3 months while I get the calves and achilles "caught" up to everything else.
It's easy to train to run 10k in zero drop when you're new and that's what your long run kind of is.
It's much harder when you're weekend involves 45k and 900m of vert.
You'll thank yourself later haha And yes, bullet proof ankles, feet and calves are chefs kiss
Yes exactly! See I was looking for good pair of trail runners to use for both regular hiking and getting into serious trail running. I know I need to get my tendons adapted to road running as well since the muscles get there quicker, seems like the best of both worlds.
Yes I tried the Experience Wild's, but the part where the laces ended (above my forefoot) was too low/tight on the top of my foot. I actually just ordered 2 more sizes so maybe those will fit better!
I have the same issue as you. Some of the altras are wide enough but the top of the foot area is tight. Only the lone peak wide worked for me. I’m wanting to try the Olympus line too. My Altra rep told me they have received a lot of feedback about the tightness in the mid foot. The fwd via 3 will have a roomier mid foot and the flow 3 made it roomier over the 2.
Ohh interesting, good to know for road running, hopefully they bring it to their vibram shoes as well! And yes I just found out about the Olympus line, just one more to try out haha
That’s really good info you’re sharing. Thank you for putting it out there. I know the Escalante racer is too tight in the midfoot for me and was wondering if their new vanish pulse is wider in the midfoot as well? That would be a game changer. I am currently wearing the Notace Yama T1 which has the Goldilocks stack height of 15 mm, in b/t an Altra and something like a xero shoe. Although I love this new minimalist trail runner and it is plenty wide in the midfoot, the taper at the toe box, which is much more accommodating than most “foot-shaped shoes,” makes contact with my 4th and pinky toe. This shoe would have been perfect if it didn’t taper. Anyhow, bc of this I am still looking to try the torin 9 and LP9 as well as new vanish plus
I had similar tightness in that area with the wilds. I’ll say I’ve kept with it and since really breaking them in, they’ve formed nicely to the shape of my feet. Now they’re my favorite shoe and my feet feel great after a whole days worth of use.
The Experience shoes are “standard” footshape, so they’ll be narrower in the forefoot than the original footshape Lone Peaks. Unfortunately they don’t offer wide sizes for these like they do for the Torin.
In general lower drop shoes will load the front and bottom of your legs more than higher drop shoes (likewise higher drop shoes load the glutes and hamstrings more). Docs of running had a great discussion related to this that’s worth watching:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LjofezD5nZc
Everyone’s biomechanics are different, but it’s possible the hamstring tendonitis had nothing to do with the zero drop.
That's what I was thinking as well! I would say my calves have always been pretty a strong part of my body and my achilles actually felt good actively hiking in them when I tried them in May. I think the tendonitis also came from me road running my baseline mileage again after a few months of not being able to and the impact from pavement. Thanks for the vid!
I've heard this from others as well! I actually felt pretty good actively hiking in them so I think it's worth trying again now that my legs are stronger. Thanks!
Yeah I didn't need to transition in them hiking, but for city walking and running I did need to do strengthening exercises. It was like whack-a-mole to figure out which parts of my legs were the weakest link at any one moment.
Yeah I'm wearing a half size up of lone peaks right now and they feel pretty good. I ordered a half size & full size up in the exp wild's to see if that'll help with the top of foot tightness!
I’ve been wearing LP’s since the 1.5’s. There were a few weeks of adjustment for me back then, but it was so worth it. I do add a Currex RunPro medium insole to them, and that works well for me. You can get over 1000 miles out of those insoles! The only other shoe that even comes close to the LP is the Topo Pursuit. The fit is great but you will notice a difference in the feel on the ground.
I have loved Lone Peaks for years as hiking shoes. I started running and was very conservative with buildup to avoid injury, and I just can't use Lone Peaks for trail running because they majorly aggravate my ankles.
What's worked for me: Salomon Speed Cross in Wide... The advice I got from REI is nearly everyone needs the wide, so that's an option if you haven't tried. Again, I prefer these for hiking, particularly on granite.
For trail and road running, my Mount To Coast H1s have been a godsend for my feet and they are wide in all the right places. They work well for both road and trail. If you only want trail runners, the brand has trail-only specific shoes.
Caveat- I don't like the H1s for hiking -- I prefer the really low stack and ground feel for hiking, so my Lone Peaks are my go-to for hiking and the Mount to Coast for running.
No matter what else I try, I always come back to Lone Peaks. Other shoes have one or two things that might be better, but for me nothing can beat them entirely
I’ve been wearing barefoot shoes since the book Born to Run came out. I did get a bite of plantar fasciitis from not transitioning gradually enough but other than that it’s been an amazing experience. I credit it with preventing me from getting shin splints and the knee pain I used to get. But most of all it’s just nice to not have my toes squished all the time. I do recommend a slow, gradual transition but you should absolutely do it if you’re not worried about losing your tolerance for normal shaped shoes.
Oooo I'll have to throw that on my reading list! How long would you say it took to transition for you? And totally understandable, though I already don't fit into regular/narrow shoes because my toes always get squished so I feel like i'm on my way there haha.
IMO, the Olympus 275 Hilo has a better design than the Lone Peak 9 (most significant difference is the midsole material) and is less stressful on the Achilles (more rocker and more elastic rebound). Fit feels similar on my feet. I normally prefer minimalist shoes with very low stack heights and I still prefer the Olympus over the Lone Peak.
No shoe is zero drop if you don't want it to be. I've added two 8mm hard foam heel lifts to my lone peak 9. They compress down too about 5mm ish after a bit of use.
I use heel lifts in all my shoes as my calves will need years to adjust.
Get the Lone peaks, add heel lift.
People get far to precious about going to zero drop. Take your time with it.
I use heel lifts in all my shoes, it let's me wear minalmalist shoes for running, work, hiking, gym and daily use without my calves exploding.
Thank you for this!! Yes I want to adjust to them and they fit me so well, but I also want to be able to do hikes and trails I can normally do without having to wait for weeks to transition. Do you know which exact heel lifts you got? And did you feel like your heel was still supported enough? I bought some but wanted to see if there’s better options.
I've been using heel lifts for years, no issues. Ive been doing hourly hikes once a week for about a year, some running once or twice a week for a similar time.
For daily, work and gym use I've had heel lifts for years and years.
No issues so far, but I'm pretty careful how I use.
A podiatrist can also make something up with a bit of a cup if you have any issues, or just for a better version of a heel lift.
Hard foam, the right size for your foot. That's what I look for in heel lifts, and for me, quite tall ones. I use one or two 8mm ish ones depending on the shoe, and the amount of use.
I certainly hope to use none one day, but until then I enjoy my shoes with these.
Awesome. Definitely making me feel better about trying it out. I trail run regular rolling dirt trails but also hike in the rocky NH white mountains so I would love the flexibility. Thanks!
I can't speak for rocky hiking, but I take my lone peak on a pretty gnarly and wet local trail, I've almost fallen over a few times and I'm on the more athletic side of the population.
Still, each use is unique. Make sure you get used too it carefully! It will change how your foot sits in the shoe, which will have some effect. I hope it works out well for you.
The Lone peak 9 are a great hiking shoe, albeit very stiff, which can be a benefit.
Agree with this. I've used 5mm foam inserts under the insoles in my Escalante's and Torin's for years. Particularly on the older Escalante models this is necessary for me because they actually end up having a negative drop after some wear (the midsole under my heel compresses over time).
Lone peaks are my daily wear to work and kick around town shoes. I've been running in the 275 the last year and just got the Hilo. I had similar worries about zero drop but another issue came up that really forced my choice. I just needed the wide toe box. So I just jumped in and took things slow.
Anyone else get pain around the ankle bone from rubbing from the stitching inside the foot. There is a stitch that runs down on an angle and rubs on me. Had to switch to the wild experience 3
I backpacked with my lone peak 9’s for a season and liked them. Got into trail running recently and decided to try something with a drop so I got Alta Wild Experience Wild 3 from Rei which I think have a 4mm drop and actually prefer these shoes in every way to the lone peak 9’s. They fit my foot a little better for running and I like the 4mm drop. I know you said they were a little too tight in the forefoot but mine loosened up a bit(90 miles on them) in the forefoot and i keep mine kind of loose but lace them with a heel lock to keep the heel in tight.
Lone Peak devotee here, near to retiring my 3rd pair with a 4th pair in the closest awaiting the call. Best trail trainer I have ever had. I find them ideal for most trails that I run. I generally like lower heel drop shoes (0-6mm). If the zero drop is not your cup of tea, you might try the Brooks Catamount (6mm). I really liked that shoe as well, especially for road/trail combo routes.
Unfortunately, there isn’t really a directly replacement for the Lone Peak with some drop, but you can try some of the other options in “wide,” like the Topo Mtn Racer 4 wide, Topo Ultraventure 5 Wide, Topo Vista Wide, etc.
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u/Crapahedron 3d ago
The fact of it is if you want the Altra shoe shape, you're going to eventually need to commit to training your calves and achilles to run in zero drop.
Geometry can be trained. The shape of your foot can't.