Altra’s New Carbon-Plated Racing Shoe Is Made to Go Fast

The brand has just released its first-ever carbon-plated shoe, built for road racing.

Published April 14, 2022

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Updated June 21, 2022

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You know an Altra shoe when you see it: the expanded toe box, meant to give toes enough room to splay out naturally and thereby enhance foot health, is instantly noticeable. Although in the last few seasons Altra has slimmed down its iconic Footshape Toe Box silhouette, foot health is still a priority for the brand — as is comfort. Today, those goals come together with a new initiative for the brand: going fast as hell, thanks to carbon plate technology.

Say hello to the Altra Vanish Carbon.

We’ve waxed eloquently about carbon plate tech in shoes before — from innovative trail runners, to responsive and almost levitating road runners, the tech has been proliferating in performance footwear since Nike popularized it in its Vaporfly 4% five years ago. What’s new, and cool, about Altra’s entry into the category is its marriage of ultra-responsive and downright fast tech with its dedication to foot health.

Here’s my first impression of the new running shoe.

The Vanish Carbon is light

My first thought upon taking the Vanish Carbon out of the box was, “Damn, this is light.” And at just 7.3 ounces for men (size 10.5) and 6.2 ounces for women (size 8.5), with a plush 33mm of stack height, the numbers back up that initial insight.

The Vanish maintains this feathery feel thanks to a one-two punch of forward-thinking materials: the new Ego Pro Midsole is the brand’s lightest, most responsive and most energy-efficient midsole ever and is paired with a one-of-a-kind 2/3 length carbon fiber Propel Plate. The carbon fiber insole is a patented tech from Carbitex, uniquely shaped to fit into Altra’s shoes. The result is maximum propulsion, which I felt on my first five-mile run in the shoes.

The Vanish Carbon is insanely comfortable

Along with the carbon fiber plate, which felt like it was springing me forward with every step, Altra decided to place the proprietary Active Stance Rocker 65-percent forward when measured from the heel, which is the farthest back in any Altra shoe, and provides a more efficient toe-off; when I ran in the shoe, the rocker rolled me from one stride into the other with ease.

In other shoes, I can start to feel a little knee pain by mile 3, but in the Vanish Carbons, I felt myself going faster — and further — than my typical run. The foam in the Ego Pro midsole is squishy without losing propulsion, and maintains comfort from start to finish.

The Vanish Carbon is affordable

Yes, the price tag is $240, which on the surface doesn’t sound affordable — but when one considers the tech that’s been pumped into this new road runner, and the performance you’ll be able to achieve while wearing it, that price tag starts to look more and more reasonable. According to Altra, during the shoe’s prototype testing, Altra Elite Team athlete Cal Neff set the Canadian 50K record in an early prototype pair, and Altra’s Frank Lara clocked an insane 2:11:32 in his marathon debut at Houston Marathon in January, earning top-American honors. If that kind of performance isn’t worth a couple hundred bucks, I don’t know what is.