Altra Escalante 1.5

Name: Altra Escalante 1.5
Brand: Altra
Rating: 4.6 (17 reviews)

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 8.2 oz · 24/24mm stack

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The Altra Escalante 2 replaced it

How it ranks

The Altra Escalante 1.5 is one of the strongest daily trainers in our data. Comfort and value are its strongest sub-ratings. Looks scores well below its other sub-ratings. The rating rests on 17 runner reviews and 6 other rated shoes in the Escalante product line.

Exceptional

98/100

Overall

Exceptional 98

Comfort

Exceptional 98

Value

Very good 92

Durability

Very good 90

Cushioning

Good 89

Appearance

Below average 66

Confidence

How settled the rating is against every other rated shoe. A shoe can rate high on confidence with relatively few reviews of its own when its product line has a long record and external ratings from retailer sites agree. Confidence will score low when we have few ratings or when runners disagree.

See the product line's history

Confidence

95/100

Very high 95

What runners say

“Plush enough for easy runs but light and responsive enough for fast training and racing.”

5/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a half marathon came from the New Balance Vazee Prism v2

“Love the room in the toe box. Toes can splay with each step.”

4/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a marathon came from the Brooks Ghost 9

“The toe box is AMAZING, they are a dream to run on even ground.”

5/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Altra Solstice

“Excellent mid-distance trainer with enough cushion for long runs but light and responsive for fast intervals.”

4/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Altra Provision 3.0

“Great for wide feet, neutral training, distance racing, or plantar fasciitis.”

5/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a half marathon came from the New Balance Vazee Prism v2

“Can run for several hours with absolutely no foot pain.”

5/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a marathon came from the Brooks Ghost 11

“You can feel the road but still feel cushioned.”

4/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Altra Provision 3.0

“Extra toe space is relaxing after miles in toe-strangling shoes.”

5/5 Full review 70 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Ride ISO 2

“EGO foam is light and thin but provides great cushion feel.”

4/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a marathon came from the Brooks Ghost 9

“Nothing holding foot on platform; you slide off with quick turns or cuts.”

4/5 Full review 70 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Altra One 2.5

Prefer this shoe over another

62% 13/21

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Sep 14.

Pros

Reviewers repeatedly praise the wide toe box for letting toes splay.
Light at 8.2 oz, and reviewers use it for easy running and fast training alike.
Two reviewers say heel hold is better than on the original Escalante, which scores 93 on forty-one reviews.

Cons

Several runners find the foot slides in turns and on uneven ground.
Zero drop, and reviewers warn of calf soreness while adapting to it.

Escalante 1.5 rates 98. This shoe has high certainty. See how we rate shoes.

Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the Altra Escalante

Each dot is one version of the Escalante, placed by its rating and release year. The gold dot is this shoe.

Rating

40 60 80 100

92 2017 91 2019 75 2022 81 2024 90 2026 98 2018 87 2020

Release year

We use the reviews of past versions to inform this shoe’s rating. See why.

Escalante 2.5

2020 · 5 reviews

87 Good

67 Confidence
Escalante 1.5 This shoe

2018 · 17 reviews

98 Exceptional

95 Confidence
Escalante 5

2026 · 2 reviews

90 Very good

66 Confidence
Escalante 4

2024 · 7 reviews

81 Good

69 Confidence
Escalante 3

2022 · 15 reviews

75 Decent

81 Confidence
Escalante 2

2019 · 12 reviews

91 Very good

86 Confidence
Escalante

2017 · 41 reviews

92 Very good

94 Confidence

Reader Ratings

17 ratings

5/5 11

4/5 5

3/5 1

2/5 0

1/5 0

See written reviews Write a review

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight: 8.2 oz
Release: 2018 Q2
MSRP: $130
Stack Height: 24mm heel - 24mm toe

Runner reviews

Write a review

Escalante review

4/5

Overall

Love the room in the toe box. The space allows my toes to splay with each step. Never have I had to worry about hot spots or blisters. The Ego foam is light and thin but still provides great cushion feel. This shoe is very much a zero drop shoe. Not just something you can put on for the first time and go 10-15 miles. If you have always run with shoes with a big stackheight heel, your calves are underdeveloped. It will take time to get used to running in shoes with a zero drop.

Anonymous runner · Jul 6, 2019

50 mpw training for a marathon came from the Brooks Ghost 9

Comfort: 5/5
Cushioning: 4/5
Durability: 4/5
Appearance: 4/5
Value: 4/5

Altra Escalante - lightweight comfort

4/5

Overall

The Altra Escalante is an excellent mid distance trainer with enough cushion for longer runs but light and responsive enough for fast interval training. The upper is flexible and light but will get soaked quickly in the rain. The cushioning is a shorter stack that has good response. You can feel the road but still feel cushioned. I really like these shoes for a wide range of workouts (fast to easy runs). The main critique I have of them is that they don’t have a 500 mile lifespan as far as I have experienced (I’ve had several pairs). Closer to 300-350 before they start to break down / get looser. That said, I will continue to buy them for the comfort and responsiveness they provide.

Anonymous runner · Jul 6, 2019

35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Altra Provision 3.0

Comfort: 5/5
Cushioning: 5/5
Durability: 3/5
Appearance: 4/5
Value: 4/5

Escalante 1.5

5/5

Overall

Wide toe box provides the room for my toes to splay. After surgery for a neuroma about 4 years ago, my foot shape changed slightly. Every shoe I tried felt good until about 1 hour into a run. I reluctantly tried the Escalante 1.5, thinking it would not be "enough" shoe for me. I can run for several hours with absolutely no foot pain. I now own 3 pair.

Anonymous runner · Jul 6, 2019

40 mpw training for a marathon came from the Brooks Ghost 11

Comfort: 5/5
Cushioning: 5/5
Durability: 3/5
Appearance: 2/5
Value: 4/5

Reader review

5/5

Overall

Anonymous runner · Jul 5, 2019

30 mpw came from the Saucony Kinvara 7

Comfort: 5/5
Cushioning: 5/5
Durability: 4/5
Appearance: 4/5
Value: 5/5

Better than the 1st Version

4/5

Overall

Love this shoe. Fits great, better heel lock than the original. Foot doesn’t slide to the front of the shoe as much. I dig ‘em.

Anonymous runner · Jul 2, 2019

50 mpw

Comfort: 5/5
Cushioning: 5/5
Durability: 4/5
Appearance: 4/5
Value: 5/5

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Analyses

Altra Escalante 1.5

Exceptional