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Altra Torin 8 Review
By Andrea Myers
 
The Altra Torin is a higher stack daily trainer that features Altra's classic wide toe box fit and zero drop. The only Altra road shoe that has a higher stack and zero drop is the Via Olympus 2 at 33mm. The original Torin was released in 2013 with a 28mm stack height and a weight of 8.6oz for a men's 9. The shoe has gradually gained stack and weight over the years, now 5mm taller and 1.5oz heavier. While I enjoyed the midsole of v7, I found the toe box to be much tighter than what I would expect from Altra. I was pleased to find that Altra reverted to its more classic wide and high volume toe box in v8, and was excited to get some miles on it.




Altra Torin 8
Price: $149.95 at Running Warehouse
Weight: 10.15oz, 287.7g (men's size 9), 8.4oz, 238.14g (women's size 8)
Stack Height:  30 mm heel / 30 mm forefoot
Drop: 0 mm
Shoe Purpose: Neutral Zero Drop Daily Trainer

Pros: Improved toe box volume and slightly more compliant midsole as compared to v7
Cons: Stiff platform feels unnatural for a zero drop shoe, heavy for a 30mm stack height shoe


RUNNING SHOE SUMMARY


The Altra Torin 8 is a zero drop, moderately cushioned daily trainer that features Altra's classic wide toe box and comfortable upper. Altra says v8 features both an upper update and an improved midsole foam, called Altra EGO Max. I definitely enjoyed the roomier toe box of v8, but found the new midsole to be on the firmer side, similar to v7. While the Torin 8 is marketed as a neutral daily trainer, it actually features a large medial sidewall that provided noticeable resistance to medial motion during my test runs. The Torin 8 will be best for runners who prefer a zero drop, higher stack shoe with a firmer ride and some medial guidance. 

SIMILAR SHOES
: A stiffer and more medially stable version of Altra Via Olympus 2
PAST MODEL: Altra Torin 7



FIT
(To learn how a shoe should fit, check out our full podcast on fit by Matt Klein.)

Andrea: The Altra Torin 8 fits true to size in my usual women's 9.5. I have a full thumb's width from the front of my big toe to the end of the shoe. I found the toe box of Torin v7 to  be a little snug, particularly for an Altra, and I was happy to find that Altra increased the toe box volume in v8, which I found quite comfortable. The midfoot and rearfoot are wider than average, but typical of the wider platform I expect from Altra. It was easy to achieve secure lockdown and I did not experience any pressure points at my 1st or 5th MTPs or on the dorsum of my toes. The rearfoot features a rigid heel collar and a large amount of internal padding. I did not experience any heel irritation, but those who are sensitive to rigid heel counters might not do well in this shoe. The thick, padded tongue is non-gusseted, but is held in place by a lace loop. The upper is a thick jacquard mesh material, which was not my favorite for testing in the summer heat. The fit of the Torin 8 worked well overall for me, but I would like to see the upper material thinned out a bit for breathability.

Andrea's Typical Size: Women's US Size 9.5
Shoes that have fit Andrea well: Brooks Hyperion Max 1 and 2, Topo Cyclone 2, Nike Vaporfly 3, ASICS Novablast 4 and 5, PUMA MagMax Nitro
Shoes that have fit snug: Altra Escalante 4 (toe box width and volume), Mizuno Wave Rebellion Pro 2 and 3 (length), Saucony Endorphin Speed and Pro 1-4 (length)
Shoes that have fit large: Adidas Boston 12 (length), Adidas Adios 8 (length)

Doctors of Running Checklist

Is This a Good Shoe for Walking: Yes
Is This a Good Shoe for Standing: Yes
Is the Forefoot Flexible: Mild
How Flexible is the Shoe: Mild
Is This a Good Heel Bevel: No
Recommended for Haglunds: No
Is This Shoe Orthotic Friendly: Yes
Recommended for Sockless: No
Durability Expectation: Average




PERFORMANCE

Andrea: The Altra Torin 8 is a zero drop daily trainer with a stiff platform. While I enjoy running in zero drop shoes, I prefer those that have a little more flexibility in the forefoot for a more natural feeling ride. It has never made sense to me to make a zero drop shoe that doesn't allow you to use your 1st MTP joint mobility for push off. The Torin 8 has a very late, mild forefoot rocker that does not offset the stiff platform for my mechanics. The shoe also has a relatively prominent medial midfoot sidewall that pushed me laterally, which is a feature that never works for me.

Despite the comfortable fit, these features of the Torin 8 made my test miles not particularly enjoyable. My feet felt like they were too locked up and my gait felt moderately unnatural. The medial sidewall also resulted in a moderate amount of arch pain during and after each run. The Altra EGO Max midsole has a mild amount of compliance at initial contact, which does soften the ride somewhat, but this feeling is offset by the stiff platform. At 8.4oz for a women's 8, the shoe feels like a typical mid weight daily trainer - not heavy or light on foot. The zero drop is noticeable, but worked well for my preferred lateral midfoot strike. It really was the combination of the stiff platform, medial midfoot sidewall, and late forefoot rocker that made the shoe not work for my mechanics. I would have definitely preferred either more flexibility in the forefoot or an earlier forefoot rocker to help with transitions. I tested the shoe on several 4-5 mile easy runs because that was all I could tolerate in the shoe. Due to its weight and stiff platform, this shoe will be best for easy miles as opposed to faster paced work. 

I had no issues with traction on wet roads thanks to the high amount of rubber coverage in the outsole. I have 20 miles on my pair and there is minimal visible wear, even on the sections of exposed midsole. Like many Altra trainers, this shoe will likely have average to above average outsole durability.



STABILITY
(Learn more about stability in our full guide)

Andrea:
The Altra Torin 8 is technically a neutral shoe, but does have some guidance features that will work best for those who need medial support. The most prominent feature is the large medial sidewall that runs from the distal aspect of the calcaneus to the 1st MTP joint. This provides a moderate amount of medial support that was too much for my mechanics (I tend to land too far laterally and do not need any resistance to medial motion) but may be helpful for those who benefit from resistance to medial motion. There is also a lateral sidewall that is nearly the same length, but was not particularly noticeable during my test runs. The shoe also features a small heel bevel and late forefoot rocker and toe spring that are too mild to noticeably contribute much in the way of forward guidance. Like most Altra shoes, there are multiple horizontal flex grooves in the forefoot, but even with these features, the platform has high longitudinal bending stiffness. Due to these features, the Torin 8 will likely work best for those who prefer a stiff, zero drop shoe and need mild resistance to medial motion.




Thoughts as a DPT: Revisiting the Minimalist Index 
By Andrea Myers

The Altra Torin 8 is a great example of a zero drop shoe that is not particularly "minimal." It has a relatively high stack (30mm), high longitudinal bending stiffness, and high medial and lateral sidewalls that provide noticeable resistance to medial motion. It is a far cry from other minimal shoes that are so flexible they can be rolled into a ball (like the Xero HFS), have stack heights in the teens or single digits, and no motion guidance features. Many runners think that any zero drop shoe is a "minimal" shoe and hope to gain assumed benefits from running in such a shoe, including lower ground contact forces, a shift from heel striking to a midfoot or forefoot strike, and reduced stress on the knee and hip. However, true minimal shoes have a very low midsole stack height, no heel counter, and a very flexible platform. Shoes like the Torin 8 are more similar to shoes in the "partial minimal" category due to their moderate stack height, stiff heel counter, and stiff platform. There have been a few studies that looked at biomechanical differences between minimal shoes, which were defined as those with 0mm drop, 0mm midsole height, flexible sole, and no heel counter. Partial minimal shoes were defined as having midsole thickness in the teens to lower 20mm range, 4-6mm drop, and a semi flexible heel counter and platform. The researchers found that runners who wore partial minimal shoes demonstrated biomechanics more similar to running in a traditional trainer than when running barefoot (Bonacci et al 2013, Willy et al 2014), likely due to the presence of enough cushioning that runners continued to heel strike in partial minimal shoes.

The Minimalist Index is a great tool that quantifies just how "minimal" a shoe is based on several characteristics. It was developed by researchers at Laval University and they maintain a website with scores for many current and past shoes. A score of 100% represents the most minimal shoe, and a score of 0% represents the least minimal shoe. The index is based on the following shoe characteristics:

1) Weight
2) Stack height
3) Heel to toe drop
4) Motion control and stability technologies
5) Flexibility (longitudinal and torsional)

The Minimalist Index score for the Torin 8 is 42%, as compared to 92% for the Xero HFS, and 40% for the Altra Via Olympus 2. The takeaway message here is that the Torin 8 is not a truly minimal shoe, and runners should not expect to get the potential biomechanical benefits of minimal shoes when running in the Torin 8. However, since we know that shoe comfort is the best judge of whether a shoe is right for someone, if you are comfortable in the Torin 8, you should not hesitate to continue to run in it.

References:

Bonacci, J., Saunders, P. U., Hicks, A., Rantalainen, T., Vicenzino, B. G. T., & Spratford, W. (2013). Running in a minimalist and lightweight shoe is not the same as running barefoot: a biomechanical study. British journal of sports medicine, 47(6), 387-392.

Willy, R. W., & Davis, I. S. (2014). Kinematic and kinetic comparison of running in standard and minimalist shoes. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 46(2), 318-323.



RECOMMENDATIONS

Andrea: For me, the Torin 8 features a good fit update over version 7 thanks to increased volume in the toe box, but the prominent medial sidewall and stiff platform made it very uncomfortable for me to run in. I think Torin 8 could be improved by making the geometry more similar to Via Olympus 2, with increased forefoot flexibility and an earlier forefoot rocker. I found the Altra Via Olympus 2, which has 3mm additional stack height, a softer midsole, slightly more flexible forefoot, and earlier forefoot rocker; much more comfortable to run in. I have not heard anything about the Via Olympus 3 and I hope that Altra is not planning on discontinuing it and replacing it with Torin 8, because on paper they have similar specs, but very different ride qualities.

WHO IS THIS SHOE FOR
?


Andrea: The Altra Torin 8 is for runners who prefer a higher stack, zero drop, stiff platform daily trainer. The prominent medial sidewall will make the shoe work best for those who need some resistance to medial motion, although I would not consider it a true stability shoe due to its zero drop. The stiff platform and higher stack also make it a great option for walking or standing. I think the shoe is a little overpriced for a moderate weight daily trainer at $150, but the higher price is offset by Altra's typical higher durability.


GRADES

Andrea
Fit: A (toe box fit is more classic Altra and a big improvement on v7)
Performance: B- 
(A shoe with this stiff of a platform needs an earlier forefoot rocker to smooth things out. Ride felt stiff and unforgiving. Medial sidewall too prominent for my mechanics.)
Stability: B (Large medial sidewall combined with stiff platform provides noticeable resistance to medial motion. Zero drop does put greater stress on ankles and calves, although the stiff platform reduces demands at 1st MTP.)
Value: B ($150 is a little steep for what is a basic daily trainer)
Personal: C+ (Stiff platform and medial sidewall did not agree with my mechanics, causing arch pain.)
Overall Design: 

SHOP | SUPPORT DOR

Altra Torin 8
Price: $149.95 at Running Warehouse

Shop Men | Shop Women

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Editor's Note: As always, the views presented on this website belong to myself or the selected few who contribute to these posts. This website should not and does not serve as a replacement for seeking medical care. If you are currently injured or concerned about an injury, please see your local running physical therapist. If you are in the Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Danbury and Stevens Point areas, we are currently taking clients for running evaluations.

***Disclaimer: These shoes were provided free of charge in exchange for a review.  We thank the people at Altra for sending us pairs.  This in no way affected the honesty of this review. We systematically put each type of shoe through certain runs prior to review. For trainers and performance trainers, we take them on daily runs, workouts, recovery runs and a long run prior to review (often accumulating anywhere from 20-50 miles in the process). For racing flats we ensure that we have completed intervals, a tempo or steady state run as well as a warm-up and cool down in each pair prior to review. This systematic process is to ensure that we have experience with each shoe in a large variety of conditions to provide expansive and thorough reviews for the public and for companies. Our views are based on our extensive history in the footwear industry and years testing and developing footwear. If you are a footwear rep looking for footwear reviews or consultations on development, we are currently looking to partner with companies to assist, discuss and promote footwear models. Partnership will not affect the honesty of our reviews.

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