Changes

The [http://www.zappos.com/altra-olympus Olympus] 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.

* '''MidsoleWhy you'd buy it'''. You're after a [[Minimax]] shoe that fits your foot. You might be better with the lighter weight [[Hoka Clifton]] however. * '''Cushioning'''. 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.