I do pro / elite OCR. and usually finish in the top 50 overall. These are worth a look. downsides - the rubber sole is softer than the average shoe, but it is not like icebug, inov-8, or solomon, where the soft rubber and traction is ideal. Seems to only be good for a few races, in time it loses traction. The shoe is slightly loose at first, but once you put them in the wash / dryer they will shrink by about a full size. The wide toe box made climbing the wire fence at savage impossible, the harder rubber traction / design makes some lateral wall climbing obstacles slightly more difficult in comparison to the softer rubber in the manufacturers named. The tongue inside the shoe is frayed along the outside edges, it is hardly noticeable, but I am a very picky person when it comes to OCR and shoes. I suggest changing the laces out for the stretchy type and buy the gaiters if you don't like getting crap in your shoes. their gaiters are EXTREMELY lightweight, don't hold water, and they work!
I've used icebug, the arch section of the sole on ice bug shoes suck. they slide on everything! and they do not help at all when climbing a rope. however, the solid center form of that sole (if they fit your feet) allow you to move downhill at a higher rate of speed. Their traction is the best, except for that center b.s. part. inov - 8 and solomon in my opinion have the best overall rubber soles. inov-8 has a wider toebox and a minimal lift. but this altra shoe? nothing is like altra when it comes to the toe box nor the flat design / zero lift. this effect reduces the strain and pain on joints such as knee and back pain. for some, this alone will be the reason to go with altra.
The upper on these shoes is a fine material that is subject to wear. however, the fabric is exceptional. sand, mud, and all the gritty mess that other shoes allow to pass through into the shoe.... this one keeps it all out. the fabric is so lightweight and thin that water can exit the shoe unlike inov-8 and icebug where the water is retained and can not pass through the walls of the shoe once it gets in.
these altra shoes are also the lightest weight of the superior line and they have a rock plate! the rockplate keeps you from easily recognizing and feeling the tread / rocks you will obviously encounter in OCR. this is also something that these shoes dominate in. icebug is the worst next to the toe shoes you might consider using. foot pain will slow you down. solomon are exceptionally comfortable, and the rubber sole is amazing, but they feel a bit heavy, don't have a wide toe box, they have a high lift that will cause joint pain, and they don't have a way to keep crap out of the shoe. they are incredible with speed and grip, lacing is awesome, but it isn't a shoe that I could recommend if you want to keep your joints healthy for the long haul.
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I'm a woman with wide feet, who also likes to have plenty of toe splay. These men's size 7 fit me pretty well, maybe a half size bigger than I need, but that's the smallest men's size so 7it is. I bought these along with a the woman's version, even though a lot of reviews said the ladies shoe isn't as wide. They were right! Granted they do have a wider toe box than most shoes, but still not wide enough for me. I took a picture side by side, with my heels against the wall, to show the difference in width mostly, and the slight difference in length. You can see how one edge of the shoe lines up with the wood floor boards, and compare the width. The men's shoe on the right foot, woman's on the left. I much more preferred the ladies version color scheme, but I had to choose what fit me better. I own Lem's shoes too, and can wear my Correct Toe's( helps with toe splay) inside them. So the only thing that is slightly disappointing with this pair of Altras is that they are not as wide at the Lems, so I cannot comfortably wear the correct toes inside the shoes. That's why I docked one star.
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Top reviews from other countries
Andrew T
Good shoe, but could have been great
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on July 7, 2016Klaus Hämmerle
Perfekter Laufschuh für etwas breitere Füße!
Reviewed in Germany 🇩🇪 on January 24, 2017
