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Altra Escalante 1.5

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.

Altra Escalante 1.5

of 5

Exceptional

98/100
Overall
98
Comfort
98
Value
92
Durability
90
Cushioning
89
Appearance
66
Confidence

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

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.

Rating & Confidence vs. other shoes for sale

Each dot is one rated shoe for sale, placed by its rating and by how much evidence sits behind it. Shoes toward the top right are both well rated and well established.

Confidence
50 60 70 80 90 100 25 50 75 100

Better Shoes Rating

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

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

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

Showing 16–17 of 17 written reviews

Reader review

3/5

Overall

ProfessionalTangentrunner · Jul 21, 2018

30 mpw training for a half marathon

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

Escalante Shoe Review

4/5

Overall

Overall I like the shoe a lot. Two problem minor issues I have are the upper material is not very breathable, the shoe gets very hot especially do any type of speed work. There is also nothing holding your foot on the platform, so if you do any quick turns or cut in the shoe you tend slide right off. Not bad for straight road running but if you get adventurous and want to take the shoe on the trail you might run into issues.

Anonymous runner · Jul 12, 2018

70 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Altra One 2.5

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

Alternatives

Other shoes worth considering.

More from Altra

Compared to other shoes

See how this shoe compares to others like it.

Current shoe
Choose a model
Lightest / Best value
Newest / Lowest price
Best overall / Best comfort / Best cushioning
Shoe properties
Type
Daily trainer
Daily trainer
Daily trainer
Pronation
Neutral
Neutral
Neutral
Weight
8.2 oz M Lightest
8.5 oz M
Stack
24/24mm
40/35mm
Drop
5mm
Release
2018 Q2
2026 Newest
2023 Q1
MSRP
$130
$140
$145
Best price
$139.95 Lowest price
$149.99
Ratings
Overall
Exceptional (98)
Very good (90)
Exceptional (99) Best overall
Comfort
Exceptional (98)
Excellent (96)
Exceptional (99) Best comfort
Cushioning
Good (89)
Decent (76)
Exceptional (99) Best cushioning
Durability
Very good (90)
Good (89)
Very good (92) Best durability
Appearance
Below average (66)
Decent (73)
Very good (91) Best appearance
Value
Very good (92) Best value
Good (86)
Good (88)
Specific shoe

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