Altra Escalante Racer

Name: Altra Escalante Racer
Brand: Altra
Rating: 4.7 (16 reviews)

Racing · Neutral · Road · 6.9 oz · 0mm drop · 24/24mm stack

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

How it ranks

The Altra Escalante Racer is one of the strongest racing shoes in our data. Comfort and durability are its strongest sub-ratings. Value scores well below its other sub-ratings. The rating rests on 22 runner reviews and 1 other rated shoe in the Escalante Racer product line.

Excellent

96/100

Overall

Excellent 96

Comfort

Exceptional 98

Durability

Decent 80

Appearance

Decent 72

Cushioning

Decent 72

Value

Below average 62

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

92/100

High 92

What runners say

“The cushioning is even better than before, with a just little bit less sink and more bounce.”

5/5 Full review 80 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Altra Superior 3.5

“Surprisingly durable with the stitched upper, I've had several pairs in which the upper is like new even after running over 1,000 miles in.”

4/5 Full review 20 mpw training for a marathon came from the Skechers Go Meb Speed 3

“It feels very soft, but stays dynamic in the meantime.”

5/5 Full review 80 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Altra Superior 3.5

“Because of the zero drop platform it is hard to get up on your toes to race a 5k-10k when changing gears.”

4/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Altra Escalante 1.5

“This shoe is firmer, has more energy return and is lighter than the current Escalante's.”

5/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 35

“The knit type of mesh is extremely open, so forget this shoe for dirt roads, trail running, or cold weather.”

5/5 Full review 80 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Altra Superior 3.5

“I killed the foam after only 400km.”

4/5 Full review 25 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Vibram FiveFingers Bikila EVO

“No grip while running on moist asphalt.”

4/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a marathon came from the adidas adizero Boston 7

“After 400km they just started to feel hard.”

4/5 Full review 25 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Vibram FiveFingers Bikila EVO

“It has an incredible amount of pop.”

5/5 Full review 75 mpw training for a half marathon came from the HOKA Clayton 2

Prefer this shoe over another

55% 11/20

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Sep 14.

Pros

Reviewers praise the wide toe box and zero-drop fit.
At 6.9 oz, reviewers race halves and marathons in it.
Many runners find it lively at tempo with clear road feel.

Cons

It lists at $140, three reviewers call it expensive, and value is the lowest-rated dimension at 4.0 out of 5.
Three reviewers warn the open knit upper is poor in cold, wet or off-road use.
Three reviewers wear the outsole or the foam out early, though others report 1000 miles and more.

Escalante Racer rates 96. This shoe has high certainty. See how we rate shoes.

Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the Altra Escalante Racer

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

Rating

40 60 80 100

96 2018 83 2024

Release year

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

Escalante Racer 2

2024 · 3 reviews

83 Good

61 Confidence
Escalante Racer This shoe

2018 · 22 reviews

96 Excellent

92 Confidence

Reader Ratings

22 ratings

5/5 15

4/5 7

3/5 0

2/5 0

1/5 0

See written reviews Write a review

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight: 6.9 oz
Release: 2018 Q1
MSRP: $140
Stack Height: 24mm heel - 24mm toe
Drop Height: 0mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

Great medium time shoe

5/5

Overall

I really love the racers. They have a great road feel. After about 2 hours I start to feel it a bit so I limit them to half marathon-30k distance (or a marathon if I ever make it to the sub 2:45 mark)

Anonymous runner · Jul 19, 2019

50 mpw training for ultramarathons came from the Saucony Kinvara 8

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

What the Escalante should be

5/5

Overall

This shoe is firmer, has more energy return and is lighter than the current Escalante's. This shoe is everything the Escalante should be plain and simple. If you like the Escalante you will love the Racer version.

Anonymous runner · Jul 19, 2019

50 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 35

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

Reader review

5/5

Overall

Great for midfoot/forefoot strikers who don’t like too much cushion

Anonymous runner · Jul 4, 2019

15 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike Free Motion

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

Looks Great, but the Escalante 1.5 Trainer is a much better shoe for the money

4/5

Overall

A nice racer for the Altra line, but one can run equally has fast in the Altra Escalante trainer models. Because of the zero drop platform it is hard to get up on your toes to race a 5k-10k when changing gears. I prefer to have more of a slight heel to toe drop when racing at these shorter distances. IMO the Escalante 1.0 and 1.5 would be better for racing because of the responsive cushioning and durability it has. The racer is a bit too firm for my liking and would be a harsh shoe for the half to marathon distances. The only feature that I prefer in the Escalante Racer to trainer is the upper. The racer has a sleeker heel cup that rids of the unnecessary padding the Escalante 1.0 and 1.5 have. This shoe is not worth the price.

HarrierStu · Jun 19, 2019

40 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Altra Escalante 1.5

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

Altra Escalante Racer Review

5/5

Overall

7.5 oz / 210g Zero Drop platform 17mm/17mm heel to forefoot Wide foot shaped toe box I find the shoe cushioning wise very attractive. It feels very soft, but stays dynamic in the meantime. It is not that kind of soft, what makes your knees hurt from having a sofa-bed on your feet, but a good kind of mushy. This feeling, paired up with it's relatively light weight, the stable platform and the extremely breathable upper, makes the shoes ideal for dry-hot, half and full marathons. I talk about a racing shoe here. Not really a jog around slipper. Most people would need more likely the Paradigm or the Torin from Altra, as the cushioning is superior in those. Personally I ran marathons in the Type A6 from Saucony or even the NB RC1600 back in the days, so for me this shoe counts as a cushioned one. It is going to be very individual !!! This might be your 5K / 10K shoe, but I really prefer it for the longer outings. The knit type of mesh, is extremely open, so forget this shoe for dirt roads, trail running, or cold weather. You clearly can see the colour of your socks looking back at your through the holes of the upper. There is basically no heel counter and no overlays. This is an Altra Racing shoe. This means that the upper wraps around your feet, but doesn't give you any control or stability. Your feet will work as it should be working. Including your ankles. In the Escalante the tongue is gusseted on one side. Not in the Racer ! Free on both ends. I have a higher instep, pretty bony on top. A lot of shoes got their tongue wrong and slide down to either side. Not this one. The textile grasps on your stocks and stays in the middle. I had a nice aerobic run of 23km at 140bpm heart rate, at around 6:35/mi pace in 28°C at the beginning of this latest macrocycle. I was really noticing how I was enjoying myself with the shoe, despite that I already put like 300miles in it. The cushioning is even better than before, with a just little bit less sink and more bounce. That is due to the Altra EGO material, what is similar in nature to Boost or Everrun, but not as soft. The outsole is made out of pods and cover only the areas that are going through your stride cycle. That is great in case of natural foot stride patterns as the shoe flexes really well in the areas, where there is no outsole. It is however an issue, even on dirt roads. Sharp objects can poke through and injure you and can damage the shoe. If you had a wider feet, straight toes and don't like pointy shoes, this is an option for you. It is zero drop, so for sure you need some adaptation period, but you can start out with an extra heel insert. For my wife I just cut off half of here old insoles and glued under the Altra insole. For rehabilitation purposes, getting out from injuries, strengthening the feet and your muscles, while going through real full range of motion, this shoe can be a very first step. Doing some of your athletic drills, maybe your entire warming up and cool-down for a run, can help you to reconnect with your stride. Especially in case you were wearing bulky and built-up shoes. For already Altra wearers, it is a no brainer. No issues here with sizing or fit. The cushioning is great and effective. 5K to the marathon. I would definitely consider this shoe towards a 50 or 80km road ultra too. Anybody can use the Escalante Racer, it is just a shoe. However I always recommend to be cautious with switching shoes towards a lower drop and lower stack height. Zero drop with 17mm of cush ! Also there are some serious discounts going around, saving 100bucks on the shoe. Why not have something different in your rotation, even if you were dedicated to one particular model and brand ? I have like 18pair of running shoes and every time I go out, I use a different one. I think it is a great injury prevention model !

Levi.Run · Jun 3, 2019

80 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Altra Superior 3.5

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

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Analyses

Altra Escalante Racer

Excellent