Altra has come out with an update to the popular Lone Peak 2.0. I’m going to say it right up front – I prefer the 2.0. Great, now that’s out of the way – let’s get into it.
The 2.5 has a wide toebox – one of Altra’s signatures. However, it’s not quite as wide as I would like. It also has zero drop – Altra’s other signature feature.
The upper is perfect – it’s soft and smooth and you would not have any issues with blisters or hot spots.
The outsole is nice – it’s got some decent lugs and it would be more than adequate for most off-road running.
I don’t have any complaints with the cushioning – in my opinion, it’s quite similar to the 2.0.
The Lone Peak 2.5 weighs 11.2 ounces (size 10). This is an improvement over the 2.0, which weighed 12.6 ounces. However, I think it came at a price, as the shoe is definitely a little narrower in the toebox.
The shoe has a 20mm forefoot and a 20mm heel – zero drop.
Aside from the narrower toebox, I noticed two issues. First, I think it’s a little loose in the heel. For me, it definitely doesn’t fit as well as the 2.0. On a related note, I think the shoe is cut a little low in the back. By that, I mean that your foot could pop out if you were in deep mud, hit some rough terrain or were accidentally stepped on by another runner. This was probably another effort to eliminate weight, but I don’t think the sacrifice was worth it. I’m interested in hearing if other folks noticed this issue.
Pros:
– wide toebox
– nice cushioning
– nice sole
– decent colors
Cons:
– toebox could be wider
– loose fitting heel
– low in the back