Why do my new Altra shoes fit differently?

While Altra is almost 15 years old as a company, it’s still among the youngest brands in running shoes. It began in 2009 when a couple guys felt that the running shoes they could buy at their local store were hindering their natural gait. They wanted a balanced shoe (that is, zero-drop) and a roomier toebox.

14 years later, not everyone is sold on Altra’s model, but it has carved a permanent space for itself in the performance shoe world. For those of you who love Altra, you may have noticed that, when it comes to the shape of the shoe, not every Altra shoe is made the same. We’ve had devoted Altra fans walk away disappointed that a new model is “too slim” in the toebox. Or, we’ve had customers who, never interested in Altra before precisely because of the roomy toebox, find that they love the newest model because it “fits like a normal shoe.”

So what’s happening here? Has Altra strayed away from its core values? Or is every other brand getting wider, making Altra seem not so special anymore? The answer is actually rather simple, and it’s a natural outflow of Altra’s growth as a company.

While Altra has retained their “Footshape Fit” (that is, a roomier toebox), they have divided that fit into three categories: Slim, Standard, and Original.

Slim is shaped more like a classic running shoe, but it still rounds out in the toebox, providing extra space for your toes to splay. This is found in their Rivera 3, Outroad, and their road racing shoes.

Standard is their medium fit, landing somewhere between Slim and Original. This shape is found in many of their daily training models, like the Provision 7 and Torin 6. This fit will definitely feel roomier than your average running shoe.

And Original sticks to the tried and true early days of Altra. This is your classic Altra shape, and it’s found in models like the Lone Peak 7 and the Via Olympus. These are the shoes that will often fit even those who often wear a wide in other brands.

With this shift, Altra is able to better meet the preferences of a broader group of runners and walkers. There are plenty of athletes with slimmer feet that want a zero-drop shoe, but who don’t need the space that a classic Altra shoe provides. And many of us will do just fine with the space provided by their Standard fit.

So whether you’ve been a longtime Altra devotee, or you’re considering trying its shoes out for your next pair, you’ll likely find a pair that works for you. Check out this link to see a visual representation of Altra’s different fits.