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Altra Escalante 2.5

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 8.4 oz · 20/20mm stack

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The Altra Escalante 3 replaced it

How it ranks

The Altra Escalante 2.5 ranks among the stronger daily trainers in our data. Comfort and durability are its strongest sub-ratings. The rating rests on 5 runner reviews and 6 other rated shoes in the Escalante product line. Another 7 reviews would set the confidence on this shoe's own reviews.

Altra Escalante 2.5

of 5

Good

87/100
Overall
87
Comfort
93
Durability
86
Value
71
Cushioning
70
Appearance
63
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

67/100

67

What runners say

“Very very light (under 200g for women's size)”
4/5 Full review 40 mpw training for 5K and 10K came from the Altra Torin 5
“Altra's wide front fits my foot better”
5/5 Full review training for middle distance came from the Nike Free RN 5.0
“Gets wet and soggy easily, doesn't perform well on wet/slippy/muddy surfaces”
4/5 Full review 40 mpw training for 5K and 10K came from the Altra Torin 5
“The cushioning is good”
5/5 Full review training for middle distance came from the Nike Free RN 5.0
“The outsole is hard rubber, so sharp turns are very hard to manage”
4/5 Full review 40 mpw training for 5K and 10K came from the Altra Torin 5
“Very responsive, barely any cushioning”
4/5 Full review 40 mpw training for 5K and 10K came from the Altra Torin 5
“Especially great if you're a forefoot striker”
4/5 Full review 40 mpw training for 5K and 10K came from the Altra Torin 5
“Nice toebox suited to the actual anatomy of the foot”
4/5 Full review 40 mpw training for 5K and 10K came from the Altra Torin 5

Prefer this shoe over another

75% 3/4

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Sep 14.


Pros

  • Reviewers rate comfort 4.8 out of 5, and two praise the foot-shaped toe box.
  • It weighs 8.4 oz on a 20mm stack, level front to back.

Cons

  • Reviewers rate cushioning 3.8 out of 5, and one calls it barely any cushioning.
  • The Escalante 1.5 before it scores 98 on seventeen reviews and the original scores 93 on forty-one, against this version's 86.
  • One of five reviewers so far says the hard rubber outsole makes sharp turns difficult and does not hold on wet ground.

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 2.5 rates 87. This shoe has moderate 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 This shoe

    2020 · 5 reviews

    87 Good

    67 Confidence

  • Escalante 1.5

    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

5 ratings
5/5 2
4/5 3
3/5 0
2/5 0
1/5 0

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight
8.4 oz
Release
2020 Q3
Stack Height
20mm heel - 20mm toe

Runner reviews

Write a review

Showing 1–3 of 3 written reviews

Altra Escalante

4/5

Overall

Best so far

Anonymous runner · Jul 25, 2024

20 mpw training for 5K and 10K came from the Altra Escalante Racer 2

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

Wide fit and comfort

5/5

Overall

Altra has a wide front of shoe which fits my foot better. The cushioning is good as is the look of the shoe. I just wanted something that was comfortable and I believe the shape of this shoe is what helped.

track chick · Nov 23, 2023

training for middle distance came from the Nike Free RN 5.0

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

Altra Escalante 2.5 for a 5km PB

4/5

Overall

A great shoe for road 5km - half marathons, and track 3000 - 10,000m races

Cant say anything about longer distances cause I run middle distance 

Very responsive, barely any cushioning, no carbon plate,

Very very light [under 200g for my size in the women's shoe]

Nice toebox suited to the actual anatomy of the foot 

Especially great if youre a forefoot striker

The outsole is hard rubber, so that makes sharp turns very very hard to manage 

Gets wet and soggy easily, and does not perform well on wet / slippy / muddy surfaces, so I would advise only using it on dry track and dry road / pavements 

Would recommend for middle distance runners [800m - 5000m] who want a light and responsive shoe for threshold / tempo runs of 4 - 10km [total volume], and steady runs between 4 - 20km 

Sofia Latham · Nov 7, 2023

40 mpw training for 5K and 10K came from the Altra Torin 5

Comfort
5/5
Cushioning
1/5
Durability
4/5
Appearance
3/5
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
Newest / Lowest price
Best overall / Best comfort / Best cushioning
Shoe properties
Type
Daily trainer
Daily trainer
Daily trainer
Pronation
Neutral
Neutral
Neutral
Weight
8.4 oz M Lightest
8.5 oz M
Stack
20/20mm
40/35mm
Drop
5mm
Release
2020 Q3
2026 Newest
2023 Q1
MSRP
$140
$145
Best price
$139.95 Lowest price
$149.99
Ratings
Overall
Good (87)
Very good (90)
Exceptional (99) Best overall
Comfort
Excellent (93)
Excellent (96)
Exceptional (99) Best comfort
Cushioning
Below average (70)
Decent (76)
Exceptional (99) Best cushioning
Durability
Good (86)
Good (89)
Very good (92) Best durability
Appearance
Below average (63)
Decent (73)
Very good (91) Best appearance
Value
Decent (71)
Good (86)
Good (88) Best value
Specific shoe

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