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Sunday, September 08, 2013

Shoe Review - Altra Lone Peak 1.5

I gotta a decent mileage on the shoes and had the opportunity to test it out in various conditions so I guess this is as good a time as any to write what I feel about the Altra Lone Peak 1.5.

Design: I covered this in my earlier post. Still need getting used to the bright red color which really stand out but overall I have no problem with the design.

Weight: With my size 12, it weighs in at 345 gram which is fairly decent for a trail shoe. More importantly, after running in it for 3 to 4 hours in it, I still didn't feel its weight. Maybe it is because the upper material is kinda soft unlike some trail shoes which are hard to the feel.

Cuushioning: There is minimal cushioning. Heel to toe drop is zero but the inclusion of a "Stone Guard" rock protection helps helps to reduce the impact and poking from sharp rocks. But the minimalist folks won't really like this as the outsole and midsole adds up  to a fairly substantial stack. But for me coming down from the hefty North Face Sentinel and moving up from the minimalist NB MT101, this is really the ideal shoe for the longer distance trail runs.

Traction: What can I say about this? I have ran in normal dry condition, through "pondings" and just yesterday, over 10km of slippery clayey muddy terrain and not once did the shoe failed me. The shoes held well where it was supposed to be maybe because of the unique "claw" design of the outsole.

Flexibility: It is not flexible as I like but the slight rigidity probably helps to protect me from nasty ankle sprains. 

Water Proofing: Because of the 4 holes in the front of the shoes to drain water easily, water also get in more easily but I don't really feel the dampness as the water evaporate rather fast. 

Overall, having ran more than 90 km in it so far, I can safely said this is the most comfortable pair of trail shoes that I ran in. This will be my shoe for next week The Most Beautiful Thing trail race in Sabah and hopefully, it will carry me through the mud and watery conditions that are expected to feature prominently over there.

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