Altra One 2.5

Name: Altra One 2.5
Brand: Altra
Rating: 4.6 (14 reviews)

Racing · Neutral · Road · 6.6 oz

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The Altra One V3 replaced it

How it ranks

The Altra One 2.5 ranks among the stronger racing shoes in our data. Comfort and value are its strongest sub-ratings. Looks scores well below its other sub-ratings. The rating rests on 14 runner reviews and 3 other rated shoes in the One product line.

Very good

92/100

Overall

Very good 92

Comfort

Exceptional 98

Value

Good 84

Cushioning

Good 82

Durability

Bottom-tier 58

Appearance

Bottom-tier 50

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

87/100

High 87

What runners say

“Not the world's most durable shoes, lasting me about 10-20% less miles than other brands because the upper eventually rips”

5/5 Full review 85 mpw training for a marathon came from the Saucony Kinvara 5

“Fit is solid and holds the heel and midfoot well while allowing plenty of room for the toe box”

4/5 Full review 60 mpw training for a marathon came from the Saucony Virrata 2

“Specifically the toe box! They are super comfy and my toes don't rub together and blister”

5/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Ghost 10

“Complete upper failure on the inside of my right foot around 425KM”

5/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a marathon came from the Saucony Triumph ISO

“Can run fast (sub 7:00) in these without developing blisters at the base of the toes”

4/5 Full review 60 mpw training for a marathon came from the Saucony Virrata 2

“Forces you to run with good technique (high cadence, forefoot strike)”

4/5 Full review came from the ASICS GEL-Cumulus 16

“They look like silly bowling shoes”

5/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a marathon came from the Saucony Triumph ISO

“Very wide at the forefoot and narrow at the heel”

5/5 Full review 85 mpw training for a marathon came from the Saucony Kinvara 5

“They look a lot like clown shoes”

5/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Ghost 10

“The toebox literally looks like a bowling shoe”

5/5 Full review 50 mpw

Prefer this shoe over another

56% 9/16

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Sep 14.

Pros

Reviewers with wide feet praise the roomy toe box and the blister-free fit.
At 6.6 oz it feels fast, and reviewers race and do tempo work in it.
Comfort is the standout at 4.9 out of 5, and runners report no hot spots over long miles.

Cons

Uppers often rip before the midsole wears out, and durability averages 3.7 out of 5.
Appearance is much the weakest dimension at 3.4 out of 5, and four reviewers compare the toe box to a bowling shoe.
Two reviewers find the cushioning and traction thin, one with sore feet after 16-mile runs.

One 2.5 rates 92. This shoe has high certainty. See how we rate shoes.

Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the Altra One

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

Rating

40 60 80 100

90 2013 91 2014 77 2017 92 2015

Release year

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

One 2.5 This shoe

2015 · 14 reviews

92 Very good

87 Confidence
One V3

2017 · 7 reviews

77 Decent

58 Confidence
One 2.0

2014 · 13 reviews

91 Very good

86 Confidence
One

2013 · 4 reviews

90 Good

74 Confidence

Reader Ratings

14 ratings

5/5 9

4/5 5

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: 6.6 oz
Release: 2015
MSRP: $100

Runner reviews

Write a review

Altra One v3

5/5

Overall

Since V2 I use the One. it is a 0 drop shoe. Light with a wide toe box. Very comfortable to wear, yet build to run fast. I use them from 5k to 21.1 as I don’t do anything longer. The soles last, so I wear out the top material.

Anonymous runner · Jul 23, 2019

35 mpw

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

Reader review

4/5

Overall

Anonymous runner · Jul 11, 2019

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

Altra one 2.5

4/5

Overall

After not being able to run for years due to knee pains, I thought running wasnt for me. Then I tried theese shoes and now, about a year later I seldom have problem running. Does that mean this is the best shoe ever? No, its not even my favorite, it doesnt provide much cushioning nor traction, the upper is not too durable and theyre not pleasent to look at. HOWEVER, its a nice comfortable shoe that FORCES YOU to run with good technique(high cadance, forefoot strike) and once I had learned that I can now run in most shoes(or even barefoot) without any problems. And because of that I have a soft spot for this shoe. 8/10

Anonymous runner · Jul 9, 2019

came from the ASICS GEL-Cumulus 16

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

Interesting shoe

5/5

Overall

Lightweight, feels good, nice replacement for the Kinvara at the cheap price. The toebox literally looks like a bowling shoe.

erik · Jun 29, 2019

50 mpw

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

Decent Virrata replacement

4/5

Overall

I have over 100 miles on this shoe and the soles seem to be holding up better than the Virrata. Only have some wear on the front portion of the middle pods and the lateral forefoot doesn't appear angled. I would usually have to shoe goo the soles of the Virrata or Kinvara just to keep the shoe level. It hasn't decent cushioning, but isn't quite as soft as the Virrata. Have also had soreness in my feet the day after some 16+ mile runs. I wear these for more uptempo/progressive long runs and they feel good. While they look like bowling shoes, the fit is solid and holds the heel and midfoot well while allowing plenty of room for the toe box. Unlike previous shoes I've tried with similar fit (Brooks PureDrift, Mizuno Evo Cursoris), I can run fast (sub 7:00) in these without developing blisters at the base of the toes. Sad they seemed to ruin the shoe with the 3.0. Hopefully the new Kayenta will be a more worthy replacement.

r2k83 · Aug 2, 2018

60 mpw training for a marathon came from the Saucony Virrata 2

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

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Analyses

Altra One 2.5

Very good