Fast carbon shoes hvae been on the market for several years. However, up until now, all of these shoes have been designed with a high heel drop, and have generally been primarily targeted at performance. Altra has now launched an exciting new shoe that challenges the other super shoes, but which also has a zero drop heel (i.e. the heel and forefoot are the same height) and focuses on maintaining your natural running style.
I have tested the Altra Vanish Carbon, and in this article you can read about the qualities of the shoe, as well as my experience wearing it.
Carbon Plate
Let’s start with the plate in the shoe. The Altra Vanish Carbon differs slightly from many other racing shoes with built-in carbon plates in the sense that it does not feature a full plate in the shoe.
The plate is a "Carbitex Half-Plate" - and, as the name suggests, the plate covers approximately half of the shoe, which is located in the forefoot.
The plate only covers half of the shoe, seeing as Altra believes that a full-length carbon plate can lead to fundamental changes in the way you run. Altra's goal is to design a shoe that is as fast as possible without changing your body's natural movement or running style.
Midsole - Altra Vanish Carbon
Many super shoes are incredibly soft to run in. The Altra Vanish Carbon is equipped with "EGO PRO Foam", which is a more robust type of foam, although there is still good comfort with a stack height of 33 mm. The more robust foam gives a really good and stable feeling when wearing the shoe, and works especially well at faster speeds.
The midsole is divided in two, so that you have a layer of EGO PRO under the insole. Beneath this layer is the carbon plate, and beneath this you will then find the next layer of EGO PRO midsole. The upper layer of the midsole is designed, so that the insole lies comfortably and stably, and in addition provides good stability around the heel.
Upper - Altra Vanish Carbon
The upper of the Altra Vanish Carbon is made using a minimalistic mesh. This features plenty of ventilation and overall the upper features a good deal of comfort.
The front part of the shoe consists of a very airy, fabric-like mesh, which is hardly noticeable when on the run. The back part is made using a very stretchy yet still thin material. This part is designed so that the "instep" sits snugly around the foot, and my experience of wearing the shoe is that it is incredibly easy to fasten the shoe without any kind of discomfort or challenges from either the upper or the laces. In addition, there is a small but well-placed cushion at the heel cap, which provides good comfort around the heel and Achilles tendons.
Overall, the construction of the upper gives a feeling of having completely free toes, but at the same time a great sense of stability.
Altra
Vanish Carbon Out of stock
Altra
Vanish Carbon €125.00
The Shoe's Shape
As previously mentioned, Altra is very well known for their "Footshape Fit", and the Altra Vanish Carbon has of course also been given this design. Over time, they have developed several different shapes, so both wider and narrower models are available.
The Altra Vanish Carbon is designed based on the "Slim Footshape Fit" - currently the narrowest of their models. In my opinion, there is still plenty of room for the toes, and since the shoe is just a competition shoe, the shape designs seems very suitable; here it is important that the shoe fits snugly around the foot, so you do not end up losing speed and/or stability.
Altras forskellige footshapes
Another detail about the design of the shoe is the style of the lower part, where the shoe begins to point upwards relatively early on (65% into the shoe from the heel). This point upwards is called a "rocker", and this is the exact feeling you get when running; namely that you are tilting forwards slightly onto the forefoot. In addition to the rocker, the carbon plate, which is located in the same area, provides a very firm forefoot, and as a result a stable platform for forward propulsion.
In practice, the design of the shoe allows for a fast foot cycle and a feeling that the shoe is created to be run fast in. I have had a good experience running in the shoe for everything from marathon speed to 200m sprinting.
If you enjoy having lots of room for your toes and zero drop, then this shoe is highly recommended as a competition shoe!
Didn't you find your favorite?
See our entire collection of running shoes here:
