Altra - Experience Wild 3

exp wide 3 has a 4mm drop, so closer to other standard drop brands, not really low drop. i wear exp wild 2’s and altra olympus 6 & 275 which are true zero drop. i’d give yourself a couple of hours per day & building up - if i wear the ew2’s for 5 days straight my first day in oly’s gives me some pain in the top of my foot and top of fib, but just for a day. some people new to the altra toebox width can benefit from toesox to pack it out - you may be experiencing some growing pains, give them a solid go before you chuck em out

I just went from timp 5 to wild experience 3’s

I tried a pair and really liked them, but after only 250 miles they were beat to hell and falling apart. Not durable at all. Switched to another brand since.

I too tried Altra’s and had issues in this same area. Gave it a handful of runs thinking it might be break-in period, but it never went away or got better. Ended up returning them.

You have a wide foot, the Experience Wild doesn't come in a wide option... and also runs kinda short. What do you think happened that made that seem like a good shoe to try? Try a lone peak in the WIDE option... you want zero drop and know you need wide. Easy

Probably too short... want a full fat thumb up front, especially for that rocker... I go up an extra half size with the wild 3

The Altra Experience Wild has a 4mm drop. I love mine

Also have wide feet with low arches. I’ve never been able to get a good fit with Topo. The wide toe box is great, but I find the arch and midfoot too narrow. I also ordered the Ultraventure in a regular and wide width and the actual outsole was identical on both shoes, so I suspect their “wide” are built on the same platform as the regular width, and they just add extra material in the upper to try to accommodate a wider foot. This is cheaper for them, but not going to give a good fit if you have actual wide feet. I’m currently using Altra Experience Wild and Lone Peak 8’s. They have both been fine for me and they fit my feet much better than the Topo’s. They are both pretty minimally cushioned shoes though, so if you’re running on harder surfaces you may need a higher stack

Any of the Altra “Experience” line. They are 4mm drop with the same wider toe box. Topo wouldn’t work for me because though they have a roomy toe box, the midfoot and heel is actually regular to narrow, so my arch area would hang over the midsole and they just weren’t comfortable. I even tried the “wide” versions of Topos and they still had the same issue. I would really recommend trying some other brands that aren’t an “anatomical” toe box but do have wide sizes available. If you go with a 2E or 4E size, you will probably be fine even if it’s not a “foot shape” shoe. I really love Altras shape for my foot, but the midsole geometries/rocker/foam/cushion just aren’t my favorite. Check out the New Balance Hierro, that’s available in 2E and 4E width. Also Brooks has trail models in wide as well as Hoka.

Altra Olympus are great shoes, but it's worth noting that theyre zero drop, which if you're not used to it will feel really strange and likely give you pain in your calves due to them putting more pressure on your lower legs. If you want that Altra feel but aren't used to zero drop it's worth looking at the Altra Experience Wild which have a 4mm drop Personally, I love my New Balance Hierro v8 and my Nike Pegasus Trail 5, which are very do everything shoes and are really comfortable

I've pretty much followed the same path as you and for over 100km: Tarkine Trail Devil 2 > Topo Mtn Racer 3 > Lone Peaks Although I think the LPs have the most forgiving shape and just this week, I got a pair of **Altra Experience Wild**, which are the standard Altra shape (LP are Original shape shape) but much bigger stack height and 4mm offset. They also take the Altra gaiter system, which I really like, so these may get to the top of the list- just need to get some runs in them. So, if you kinda like the LPs but want a bit more, these might be an option for you.

I stopped wearing the speedboats after the 4s bc I kept turning my ankle in the 5s so I can't comment on that but I do love the Hoka challenger (I ran R3 in those and they were just fine). Altra recently released a 4mm drop trail shoe too that I'm really liking: the experience wild. Good luck on your 50k!

Altra Experience Wilds Less than 75 miles. 30% hiking, 70% gravel/light trail. They are destroyed. VF has turned Altra into a fairly poor value in my opinion from a longevity standpoint.