Kit & Gear

The Altra Story - 10 Years of Innovation

From inspiration to innovation to an evolution. Altra Running was founded on an innovative approach to running shoes. An approach that has kept us going for a decade and aims to keep you running for a lifetime. An approach that ultimately inspired and continues to inspire every single Altra shoe.

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NICE TO MEET YOU

Naturally, Altra Co-Founders Brian Beckstead and Golden Harper met on the first day of cross-country practice their sophomore year at Orem High School in Utah. From there, it was off to the races, both literally and figuratively.

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"We ran cross country and track, we practiced hard, we worked at the running store, and we just totally became shoe nerds."

Brian Beckstead, Co-Founder Altra Running

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THE TOASTER OVEN

When it comes to shoes, innovative thinking runs in the Harper family. So it was no surprise when Golden toasted a pair of shoes, heating them just enough to be able to remove the heel and balance it out. What was surprising was the result: For the first time in his life, Golden was wearing a running shoe that he felt wasn’t obstructing the way he ran.

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"For the first time in my life, I’m wearing a normal feeling running shoe. I don’t feel like the shoe is messing with the way I’m running."

Golden Harper, Co-Founder Altra Running

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THE INNOVATION

Wide-lacing shoes inspired a FootShape™ design. A household toaster oven inspired Balanced Cushioning. FootShape™ and Balanced Cushioning inspired 1,000s of people to purchase brand new, unmodified shoes and take them to a shoe cobbler to hack them up and balance them out. That’s the foundation of Altra Running: innovative, disruptive thinking.

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"It just got to the point where we’d show up at a local road race and almost half of the people at the starting line had their shoes with the lacing skipped open in the front half of the shoe."

Golden Harper, Co-Founder Altra Running

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WE'RE 10 YEARS IN...WHAT'S NEXT?

We’re going to continue to innovate. Continue to inspire that break-free feeling of getting out there, far from expectation and constraint. We will continue to earn new perspectives by reaching new heights.

We will continue to blaze trails and explore new roads. And continue to show up unapologetically ourselves as we encourage all who run to do the same.

Join us.

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SHOP ALL ALTRA RUNNING SHOES HERE

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