Changes

If you're in the market for a reasonably light (8.4oz/240g) road shoe that's somewhat firm and fits a healthy human foot, then the Duo is a good option. The Duo is not without its flaws, the main one being a tendency to pick up small stones under the sole. The other issue is that the sole seems to wear faster than you might expect. This is not as bad as early versions of The One, where the sole used to abrade like it was made of milk chocolate, but it's a little more than I would like. I'm only at about 120 miles, and there's already slight signs of wear on the outsole. On a more positive note however, the Duo is shaped like a healthy human foot, so it won't induce bunions, nor require you to have bunions to fit correctly. The Duo even has a little bit more height in the toe box than many [[Altra ]] shoes tend to have. It's a little firmer than I would like for this weight, but that does confer some degree of protection without much cushioning, a plus point if you like a firmer running shoe. Like all [[Altra ]] shoes, it's close to zero drop, with nothing to interfere with your natural biomechanics. I'm rating the Duo as "Recommended." {{H:WhatToLookForInShoes}}

Below are some pictures of the Duo after it's picked up some small stones. The first 2 pictures are from a run along and asphalt Greenway, that has just a few patches of loose stones. The later pictures with the darker sole are after a 43-mile run along a gravel trail (the New River State Park in Virginia.) You can see the Duo was crammed full of small stones, so you're probably wondering why I wore the Duo on a gravel trail. Let me talk you through my reasoning. I didn't want to wear a thin road shoe, like my favorite [[Altra Solstice]] as it wouldn't provide enough of protection from the stones, but I didn't want to wear a full trail shoe like the [[Altra Timp]] as I didn't need that much protection, nor did I want that much weight. The Duo is firm enough to provide the protection I needed, and the raised patches provide good grip on the patches of mud and other slick surfaces. The Duo did accumulate stones very rapidly, but not enough to significantly increase the weight of the shoe or compromise the cushioning. (The stones added about 0.4oz in case you're wondering, like I was.) While I found I can cut open the toe box of a shoe and run on gravel surfaces without getting any stones into the holes, I do prefer leaving the toe box intact if I have the option. That really limits me to an [[Altra]], or a tiny subset of other shoes that are designed to fit a healthy human foot. And I found the Duo to be quite comfortable for a 40+ mile run.