Changes

This has rapidly become one of my favorite running shoes. It has the soft cushioning that is like the best of the [[Hoka Shoe Review| Hoka range]],, combined with zero drop and a nice wide toe box. It's remarkably flexible given its cushioning, with an outsole that works well on the road. Like the Hokas, the cushioning means the shoe works well on rocky trails as well. Like other Altra shoes, the tongue area is wider than most shoes, reducing the pressure on the top of your foot. The weight is similar to a Hoka, but somehow feels lighter than a Hoka when I'm running. Like the Hokas, the midsole thins at the front and back to create a rocker effect, and this is a little more noticeable than the Hokas. I felt this worked well, though I've talked to runners who have found the rocker a little disconcerting. You can see the difference in the slice through the two shoes above, with the Hoka tapering in front of the ball of the foot and the Olympus starting to taper much further back. =Characteristics=* '''Midsole'''. The midsole of the Olympus is not quite as soft as the typical Hoka foam, but it's softer than the earlier Altra shoes like the Torin were. ** '''Cushioning'''. The Olympus is softly cushioned, though like most EVA foam it some miles from the initial firmness to wear off. ** '''Drop & Shape'''. Altra is known for their zero drop and the Olympus is no exception. However, while the thickness under the ball and heel is approximately the same but there some rise under the arch. This gives some medial support to the ball of the foot, but it does not push up on the arch in a way that causes problems. The Olympus tapers gently and evenly from the ball of the foot to the front, which is quite different to the Hoka which has an abrupt taper at the front of the shoe. Like many [[Minimax]] shoes, the rear of the midsole is cut away to create a bit of a rocker. However, rather unusually the outsole extends back, which may be an attempt to absorb heel strike. The midsole wraps around the lower part of the foot improve stability, reducing the stilt like instability you can get with a thick sole.** '''Structure'''. This shoe uses single density of foam, though the wrapper that extends above the level of the liner painted a different color to make the shoe look a little less bulky. ** '''Flexibility'''. The Olympus is fairly flexible for shoe of this thickness and this flexibility tends to increase over the first few miles as the foam breaks down and softens.* '''Outsole'''. The Olympus has harder rubber over most (but not all) of the surface of the sole. However, unlike many shoes that put the harder rubber on the contact points the Olympus has a cutout in the harder rubber that makes the outline of a foot. This is superficially attractive, but not particularly practical. * '''Shape'''. The shoe is the classic Altra shape, which follows the outline of the human foot much better than other makes. This gives it a broader toe box, but I find there is not enough height for my toes and [[Shoe Modifications| I still have to cut the toe box open]].* '''Upper'''. The upper is a thicker material than most road shoes, but is reasonably breathable. The weave of the material makes it quite tough and abrasion resistant. There is good padding around the ankle opening.* '''Tongue'''. The Olympus has a classic tongue rather than a tongue-less sock style of upper. The tongue is partially attached on the inside edge to keep it positioned and has minimal but adequate padding.* '''Lacing'''. The flat laces work well and remained tied. Like many Altra shoes, I find the position of the uppermost eyeholes a little old, with the top hole too high and the next hole a little too low. The shoes come from the manufacturer laced in a way that indicates they think you should do a [[Lacing#The Heel Lock| "heel lock" style of lacing]], which I hate. I find that approach is very hard to get the tension right.* '''Heel counter'''. The Olympus has a surprisingly firm heel counter which is reinforced by the midsole foam rising up around the lower part of the heel. However, there are no strongly defined edges, so it should not cause a problem. The heel counter comes as far up the back of the heel as is normal for running shoe.