Altra Escalante 2

Name: Altra Escalante 2
Brand: Altra
Rating: 4.6 (12 reviews)

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 8.4 oz · 24/24mm stack · zero-drop

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The Altra Escalante 2.5 replaced it

How it ranks

The Altra Escalante 2 ranks among the stronger daily trainers in our data. Comfort and durability are its strongest sub-ratings. Cushioning scores well below its other sub-ratings. The rating is based on 12 runner reviews and 6 other rated shoes in the Escalante product line.

Good

Overall

Good 82

Comfort

Excellent 93

Durability

Good 81

Value

Decent 78

Appearance

Decent 74

Cushioning

Decent 71

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 is low when we have few ratings or when runners disagree.

See the product line's history

Confidence

89 High

High 89

Based on

The bars show roughly how much each source contributes to this shoe’s rating. Their influence depends on how many reviews we’ve collected, how many earlier versions are in the product line, and the external ratings available.

Product line track record
Our ratings
External ratings

What runners say

“There are almost no shoes that my toes can fit in without being scrunched in at the sides. I have a narrow heel and super wide toes. The Altra's fit my feet.”

4/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Kinvara 8

“1/2 size small so size up.”

5/5 Full review 50 mpw training for ultramarathons

“Finally, a shoe I can run in comfortably without the squeeze on my toes.”

5/5 Full review 15 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Merrell Vapor Glove 4

“I've been running in these shoes for about 3 years and have come to appreciate the zero drop ride and durability.”

5/5 Full review 15 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Merrell Vapor Glove 4

“The heel collar is far too weak to secure your foot because of the wide toe box.”

3/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Topo Athletic Magnifly 2

“Can go out for a 10 mile run and feel fresh afterwards.”

5/5 Full review 90 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike Free 3.0 V5

“When running on uneven surfaces it can feel like you are sliding off the base of the shoe.”

4/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Kinvara 8

“This shoe is a bit firmer than the 1.5 which is super nice to feel supported on the long run.”

5/5 Full review 50 mpw training for ultramarathons

“When the shoe does finally break down, I still use them for yard work.”

5/5 Full review 15 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Merrell Vapor Glove 4

“They have just a little cushion, which is just right for me as I work to develop functional feet.”

4/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a half marathon

“No matter how much you re-tie your shoes, you never get that good "lock".”

3/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Topo Athletic Magnifly 2

“These do, have a wide toe box (best worn with Injinji toe socks), and have zero drop.”

5/5 Full review 24 mpw training for a half marathon came from the adidas adistar Boost ESM

“Very comfortable and excellent for my wide foot and high arch.”

5/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Altra Paradigm 4.5

“Much improved soles and outer over previous models.”

4/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Kinvara 8

“Zero drop a little harder to get used to than I thought.”

4/5 Full review 20 mpw came from the HOKA Conquest

“They are flexible in the right places.”

4/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a half marathon

Prefer this shoe over another

53% 8/15

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Oct 22.

Pros

Five reviewers say the wide toe box fits feet that get squeezed in other shoes.
Comfort averages 4.7 out of 5 across twelve reviews, and reviewers call it unobtrusive over ten-mile runs.
A flexible zero-drop ride at 9.2 oz that reviewers use for training and faster sessions.

Cons

One of the twelve reviewers finds the heel collar too weak to lock the foot down.
One reviewer feels the foot sliding off the platform on uneven ground, and another finds zero drop harder to adapt to than expected.

Escalante 2 rates 82. This shoe has high confidence. 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

81 2017 82 2019 75 2022 83 2024 90 2026 93 2018 79 2020

Release year

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

Escalante 2.5

2020 · 5 reviews

79 Decent

81 Confidence
Escalante 1.5

2018 · 17 reviews

93 Excellent

93 Confidence
Escalante 5

2026 · 2 reviews

90 Very good

68 Confidence
Escalante 4

2024 · 7 reviews

83 Good

82 Confidence
Escalante 3

2022 · 15 reviews

75 Decent

88 Confidence
Escalante 2 This shoe

2019 · 12 reviews

82 Good

89 Confidence
Escalante

2017 · 41 reviews

81 Good

98 Confidence

Runner Ratings

12 ratings

5/5 8

4/5 3

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: 8.4 oz
Men's / women's: Men's 9.2 oz · Women's 7.6 oz
Release: 2019 Q2
MSRP: $130
Stack: 24/24mm
Drop: 0mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

Wide feet

4/5

Overall

There are almost no shoes that my toes can fit in without being scrunched in at the sides. I have a narrow heal and super wide toes. The Altra's fit my feet. Comparatively, all other shoes seem unwearable. After going with an Altra, it's all about picking the right amount of cushioning. These work well for my day-to-day training. When running on uneven surfaces it can feel like you are sliding off the base of the shoe . Which isn't ideal. Other than that, much improved soles and outer over previous models.

oprfcc · Aug 9, 2019

35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Kinvara 8

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

Pure Comfort

5/5

Overall

Lovely shoe that's mega comfortable and fits perfectly. None of this chunky heel counters, none of this narrow squeezing your feet into it. Can go out for a 10 mile run and feel fresh afterwards.

Anonymous runner · Jul 18, 2019

90 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike Free 3.0 V5

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

Altra Shoes Rock

4/5

Overall

The Altra Escalante is one of the shoes that is notable for being unnoticeable. When I wear these shoes, I don’t notice them at all. They are roomy, but not overly so. They have just a little cushion, which is just right for me as I work to develop functional feet. They are flexible in the right places.

Anonymous runner · Jul 16, 2019

30 mpw training for a half marathon

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

Great little shoe

5/5

Overall

Finally, a shoe I can run in comfortably without the squeeze on my toes. The Altra Escalante 2's wide toe box gives me the worry free run from blisters between my toes. I've been running in these shoes for about 3 years and have come to appreciate the zero drop ride and durability. When the shoe does finally break down, I still use them for yard work. They work for me on any terrain, except, rocks. But, their not the shoe for that. A great road and/or track workout shoe.

Anonymous runner · Jul 14, 2019

15 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Merrell Vapor Glove 4