I’ve had the opportunity to put hundreds of miles on both the Olympus 6 & its updated younger sibling, the 275. Before I dive into the benefits and drawbacks of the shoes, I just want to mention up front that if you haven’t used a zero drop shoe that you will experience a very different ride than you are used to. More power will be required to propel you forward and a greater demand from the calf, lower leg muscles. However, for certain runners such as myself, you will have improved dynamics resulting in overall better running economy. I very much enjoy the ground contact feeling I get from Altra’s trail shoe and feel more stable than any shoe with a heel-to-toe drop.
Olympus 6 -> You can expect a seriously comfortable ride directly out of the box. The shoe is primed and ready to tackle the trail without the need for small runs to break in the upper. It’s got cushion in all the right places, especially comfortable in the heel collar giving you a snug but gentle fit. You can get great lockdown from this shoe, but if you’re like me and prefer to half size up in all shoes to account for swelling during long runs, you may feel a bit of a gap in the heel area. To counteract this, I suggest purchasing the Altra Gaiters for $24.99 so that the extended sole will not kick up small debris into this gap.
I did take this in wet conditions (including river crossings), and the upper did not drain particularly quickly. This seems to have been addressed in 275 with the new MAYTRX upper, but in this version, you will stay wet until the shoe has adequate time to dry.
Overall, this shoe looks & feels amazing on foot. If you’re an Altra fan and don’t have this, it’s a no brainer to add to your rotation. If you’re looking to try Altra for trail, this could be a good first option because of the max cushion – it won’t feel as traumatic as jumping right into the Lone Peak series.
Olympus 275 -> This review will be succinct because the only change they made for the 275 was the upper construction – the bottom half of the shoe remains the same as the Olympus 6. The MAYTRX upper and heel gaiter built in was an excellent choice to make this the ultimate trail crusher. The drainage issue I had with the 6 has been pretty well resolved as this breathable upper allows for much quicker drying and with a quick sock change you can pretty much eliminate any water reaching your foot. The gaiter works and keeps virtually everything out as long as you keep the shoe snug. They’ve cut back on the padding around the heel collar, which I did personally feel the difference over long-long miles… you have slightly less comfort compared to the 6 – but this is marginal. I did notice some separation between the upper and sole particularly in the arch of the shoe. This is after a few hundred miles, but could become an issue. The rest of the shoe has lots of life, but this could kill it earlier than expected.
In summary, I think Altra nailed it with this shoe and it checks on the boxes for a long distance trail runner. My only future wish is that they would make this EXACT shoe, but for road running as well.
