I am very much a fan of Altra’s running shoes, especially those with minimal foam and Zero Drop heal. However, two of my favorite parts of Nike’s running shoes I hadn’t found in Altras were always missing:
- Astonishingly light weight
- Flyknit-like material upper
Well guess what? The Altra Escalante Racers just checked both of those boxes and created my dream running shoe!
Astonishingly Light
When I first lifted one of the shoes out of the box I was instantly excited. It was one of those moments that sticks with you, because you invite others to hold it and feel how light it is. Within the first week I asked my wife, dad, and one of my brothers to hold them. I know, kind of ridiculous.
After running in them for a few months though, like all things, you get used to them to a certain degree. The super light weight build is less noticed on my daily, weekday runs, but on Friday or Saturday I tend to run longer distances of 6+ miles. These runs I make sure to use the Escalantes, since the lighter weight is more noticeable: whether it helps me more physically or mentally is up for debate. Another instance where there’s a slight gain when jogging in these shoes is when you’re pushing for a faster pace.
Flyknit-Like Material
I still remember the day in my senior year of high school and one of my buddies in history class came walking in with a pair of Nike Flyknit shoes. I’ve wanted a pair ever since. He would tell me about how soft and comfortable they were. The Escalante Racers are made of a similar material on the upper, and I love it. The shoe is extremely flexible and breathable because of the crocheted threading. Altra’s material is stiffer and uses a thicker thread, which does make it less soft and comfortable than Nike’s Flyknit.
However, after 100+ miles in them I can honestly say that Altra’s design holds up much longer than Nike’s because of the thicker thread. Which for a running shoe, is exactly what you would want with how much they get beat up and pounded on. The only downside to either of Altra’s or Nike’s designs is when you hit a puddle, run in the raining, or small debris like sand or fine gravel. You can safely expect soaked shoes and damp socks, or needing to stop and take your shoe off to get rid of the odd small rock. Making the Escalantes less ideal for outdoor runs, and more for treadmill or track use.
The Recap
The Escalante Racers are by far my favorite running shoes to date. The cardio and endurance that I can do in these helps my climbing. Though I don’t consider myself much of a runner as it’s always a drag getting out of bed knowing that I’m going to run, but these shoes never add to those feelings.
And by the time I’m lacing them up. I’m grateful to have finally found my dream running shoe.