Men's Escalante 4 Road Running Shoe

I wanted Altra Solstice but after reading the reviews I decided not to get them. The Escalante 4 is sold as a minimalist running shoe but got close to what I wanted which was a cross trainer that I could use for light cardio (short runs) and lifting (not too much height). I wear a 9.5 wide in women’s in my regular shoes so I always size up in athletic shoes. For some reason Altra has pulled back on the number of models with a wide option. I ordered 8.5 medium in men’s which should have been the equivalent to women’s 10 but it was too short. I sized up to the 9 medium and it’s perfect! I ordered men’s because I think they are a little wider than the women’s version. I’ve worn them around my house and they feel amazing! I think I like them more than the solstice. The zero drop along with the medium cushion feels amazing. The mesh upper feels a little scratchy but that’s without socks so I don’t think it will be a problem. The tongue is also ok. I wish it was lined with something softer than the mesh but it’s not bad. The roomy toe box is the reason I keep putting up with Altra despite their constant tinkering and consistent glue failures (I fully expect the bottoms to separate). I have low arches so the arch support is perfect for me but might be an issue for someone with high arches. Altra lean more in the minimal category so I don’t think any model is going to have a ton of arch support. I got the black with iridescent logo. They look ok. Altra isn’t known for looking fashionable but they are decent looking.

I absolutely love the Altra Escalante. This Escalante 4 is my fourth pair from the line, and they are wonderful. They fit my neutral feet perfectly, and after running over 300 miles in them, they are holding up remarkably well. I prefer zero-drop shoes because they keep me comfortable on long runs and transition seamlessly into the gym. They are particularly excellent for lifts like RDLs, deadlifts, and squats, where the zero-drop platform provides the stable, grounded support I need. On Amazon they are slight cheaper than other sites. I normally go for neutral colors but I feel my next purchase may be a little bolder. Thankfully there are various color schemes to choose from.

** Keep in mind, I'm not some crazy advanced runner. I mostly use these shoes for running outside 4-6 miles when the weather is nice and for the gym. Haven't had the Escalante 4s for long but they have quickly become my favorite pair of Altra shoe's I've owned. I've had my ups and downs with Altra but I don't think there's an all around better brand right now for zero drop running/training shoes. My first pair were the Torin 6s and they immediately got me hooked with their great cushioning and stability. However, they did suffer from some quality issue with bits of the outsole rubber peeling off and the upper ripping slightly in places just a couple of months into owning them. Because of this I decided to give the Provision 8s a try since they had overall great reviews and I had the opposite issue; they held up super well but I didn't love how they felt and eventually ended up with foot pain and shin splints. Later I realized this was my fault for not doing more research before buying them since neutral shoes are best for my feet and these have support for pronation which likely was part of the issue. Now giving the Escalante 4s a go they just feel like a lighter, snappier Torin (which I love)! My feet aren't getting fatigued in them and there's enough cushion to not feel like my battering my legs on the road like some more minimal shoes can do. If you want a great all around zero drop running/trianing shoe, give these a try. Hopefully they hold up just as well as my old Provisions did.

Man y’all, I absolutely these shoes. They are extremely comfortable, width is perfect, material and construction feels pretty solid, there’s just enough cushion to them without being overly cushioned and feeling cloud-like. My ONLY complaint about these shoes is the tongue…I wish the tongue had been sewn on the sides. The tongue slides forward and to one side, more so in my left shoe for some reason. It’s quite annoying. But other than that, love love love these shoes! I wear them at work for 12 hour days and so far they’ve been awesome.

I'm a woman who got these because I have wide feet. The toe room is amazing but the arches are high and feel weird. I think I have a low arch because I never have an issue with casual shoes. I'm going to have to get a heel lift or something for these. I love the strings. Anyway overall great shoes. Enough cushion but lightweight and slim.

I have owned four pairs of Escalante 3’s, and absolutely loved them, and as my current two pairs are starting to get to the point that they need replaced, i was excited to see that they have been updated to the Escalante 4. I ordered one pair to try them out, and I am glad that i didn’t go ahead and order two pairs at once and throw out my 3’s. sizing for me was the same between 3’s and 4’s. i was excited for the new colorway of neon yellow 4’s compared to the orange of the 3’s, but as of now i’ve got to call these shoes a miss. in the update from 3 to 4, they reduced the amount of cushioning around the back of the heel AND switched from one seam straight down the middle to TWO vertical seams that run about a half inch from the centerline and sweep out to about a full inch as the upper meets the sole of the shoe. the seams can be clearly felt when you run your finger along the inner heel of the shoe. these seams combined with the reduced cushioning create hotspots on both the outer and inner ball of your heel which can and will lead to blisters. (for me it’s the outer edge on my left foot and the inner edge of my right foot) i started to get these blisters after just 1 mile of light jogging and walking to break them in. i gave them a break for a few days to let my feet recover and tried again. same thing with another mile of light jogging and walking, and i had even made sure to tie the shoes more securely than i had done on the first day. at this point i wondered if i would need to lace in a “heel lock” (which i never had to do on the 3’s, but have had other shoes that required it in the past). i laced in the heel lock, and ran 2miles without any issues, but i felt like i needed to lace the shoes fairly tightly even with the heel lock. i then walked a cooldown mile, and even with the heel lock, i was starting to feel some discomfort in the same hotspot areas. Bottom line, i’ve put 5 miles in them so i’m sure that returning them isn’t an option, so i will keep trying them every so often to see if they eventually break in along those seams, but in the meantime, i will stock up on Escalante 3’s as they reduce in price and before they become unobtainable. i did appreciate the lighter, more breathable knit of the upper. i also think that the full-length tongue of the 4’s seems more securely attached than the 2/3 length tongue of the 3’s (the stitching attaching the tongue eventually broke on one of my pairs of 3’s)

1. Fit is always my main factor in a shoe and these fit well. As you can see in the photo, my foot does spill over the side a bit but because there is no side rail, there is nothing digging into the edge of my foot. Approx 20 miles so far and no pain to the outside of my foot. The old Torin 7's in wide was not wide enough and caused incredible foot pain to where I could not run more than 3-5 miles, these do not have this problem. You can also see in the photo that they are not as wide as the Torin 8's but they are both 9.5 and the Torin 8's are much longer. The Torins feel more like a size 10 but the Escalante's are definitely a true 9.5. You can also see in the photos that my foot is very, very wide. 4E wide. 2. Feel. These have more "bounce" than the Torins. In the Torin, I feel like I'm running on stiff sand, where as in the Escalante's, there is more energy return. I think I just prefer a less cushioned shoe. My favorite shoe to run in is the Vibram Five Fingers. I think that I could run marathon to 50 mile range were as the Torins have always been my 50+ mile shoe. If you've never ran in a zero drop shoe, your calves and achilles will hate you but in time, you'll get used to it. 3. Style. I love the all black with "a bit" of color in the gray logo. Overall, my second favorite shoe to run in.

This shoe is perfect for proprioception with its zero drop. As a very active senior it is necessary to ditch h my beloved Hokas as a balance issue rears its head. These shoes allow my brain to better sense the ground keeping me more balanced and confident. They are light weight, stretchy and provide great stability while resistance training and are sturdy enough for heel toe landing on the treadmill. As a 76 male I recommend these shoes as gym necessity if you too are having the beginning of balance issues.

oe these run good higher sole, softer cushion than racer2. better stable than esc. 2.5

Zapatilla espectacular si tienes los pies anchos y te gusta sentir que tus dedos se sienten libres. Para running ojo. A mi me van muy bien porque peso poco y no necesito mucha suela y/o amortiguación, pero para las personas que busquen esa característica, mejor ir a buscar otros modelos de Altra, como las Torin. Eso sí, Altea en sinónimo de calidad y se nota en cada detalles cuando tienes la zapatilla en la mano o en el pie.

Ich liebe Altra Schuhe und bin sehr begeistert. Für den Alltag super, aber eher kein Laufschuh.

Such a comfortable shoe! Will definitely buy again. Lightweight and great for travelling.

Toller Schuh und tolle breite Zehenbox. Das einzige was mich nervt sind die Schnürsenkel, die nur mit Doppelknoten halten und die lasche die recht stark zu Seite rutscht. daher nur eine 4