Sarah Sellers to Altra

Puzey brothers have run a marathon faster than 99.9 percent of the people on this board... Altra seems to work for them.

Is she gonna quit her nursing job??

Planet of the Apes wrote:

I predict a serious injury in the next 6 months.

that is my concern too. Most marathoners run wearing shoes with quite a lot drop and she signs with a zero-drop company.

I have over 500 mls in my Hoka Clayton 2s and they are still doing great. No complaints whatsoever. Maybe the materials were worse when the company started but nowadays I haven't experienced any problems with Hoka.

I agree with the others that Altra shoes have a weird toebox. It's way too wide. I went to a store and put those new Altra Duos on in order to find out whether it could be a serious competitor for Hoka Clifton when it comes to ultrarunners' shoes but it really felt like a shoe that only people with duck feet can wear.

Ltrain wrote:

To each their own...Mccandless has been doing well in Altras, 212 at CIM (4minute PB?) Last week was leading up to mile 12 in US 25k champs he managed a 1:15! Tyler may be have naturally flexible tendons which zero drop favors. I do know some people who cant run back to back in moderate cushion (Torin, Instinct) Altras but they can in Max cushion Altras like Olympus and Paradigm

The difference between the max cushion Altras and the less cushioned ones that makes a difference is probably how the midsole in the front of the shoe is a more angled wedge that quickly taper in thickness from the forefoot to the tip of the toes. It's acts like a heel wedge on a normal shoe in lessening the pull on the calves/Achilles/PF, once you roll onto your toes. It's when you roll onto your toes that is when the calves/Achilles/PF is most stressed anyway. That's probably why the Olympus, Paradigm, and Duo usually don't bother people who otherwise aren't able to run in the thinner Altras.

l0ngislandrunner wrote:

https://twitter.com/SarahWhoSellers/status/997465632252747776

Sarah Sellers has signed with Altra. I've never heard of this company until now. Do they sponsor many runners? Wonder what kind of deal she is getting?

The truth is she is a 2:44 marathoner that was tough on a cold windy day at the right place and time.

Im sure most shoe companies passed on her with her limited credentials. She will always have the that second place medal at Boston no matter the future races she competes in.

Why Altra, well they started in Utah as founders are still there, connections with Paul Pilkington her coach and Bob Wood her agent. Makes sense.

Paul knows what he is doing and will get her to her best potential.

vivalarepublica wrote:

It's a good PR move for Altra. It's a feel good story for an unknown runner that crushed a bunch of elites.

Good for her. She certainly earned it and is capitalizing on her good fortune. Perhaps with some extra cash she can put in another good showing and show us that like Allie Kiefer, there are some talented runners lurking under the radar waiting for their moment to shine.

Just because it is different does not mean it’s weird.

Wear them for a while and you’ll start to realize how crammed your toes have been over the years. Especially if you feet have bunions.

My feet have been labeled as “narrow” over the years and once I switched to wider toe boxes, my toes spread out to make my feet D/E width. In most Altra shoes now, my feet are using ALL of the width, and there are even some that feel too narrow (the Altra One).

People get used to narrow toe boxes but once you get used to Altras, shoes like Hokas are unfathomably narrow.

Karl Hungus wrote:

vivalarepublica wrote:

It's a good PR move for Altra. It's a feel good story for an unknown runner that crushed a bunch of elites.

Good for her. She certainly earned it and is capitalizing on her good fortune. Perhaps with some extra cash she can put in another good showing and show us that like Allie Kiefer, there are some talented runners lurking under the radar waiting for their moment to shine.

Allie Kieffer. The ultimate blue collar running babe. I cannot verbalize my thoughts.

Based on that I would say your feet and lower legs are weak since you have probably been training in high cushioned trainers with high drop. Zero drop, which Altra bases it's foundation on, is not an easy transition and it takes time and can't be expected overnight.