Altra launched the Torin 9 this week, and the biggest update will be found under your feet: an all-new Vibram XS DURA outsole compound, exclusive to Altra for the next six months, that the brand says grips the road 8.5 percent better than the outgoing Torin 8.
Altra has been challenging running shoe convention since 2009, when Golden Harper and Brian Beckstead, friends since high school and working at the Harper family running store in Orem, Utah, started widening and softening conventional trainers in a toaster oven, so they could lower the drop and widen the toe box, coining the term zero drop along the way. The brand built its name on the foot-shaped toe box and balanced cushioning, was acquired by Icon Health & Fitness in 2011, and was subsequently acquired by VF Corporation in 2018. I’ve been following their journey since the beginning.
The Torin has carried that philosophy on the road since 2013, when it debuted as a lightweight cushioned trainer and spent years as the deepest cushion in Altra’s lineup. It became the shoe for runners who wanted serious padding underfoot without abandoning the natural-running platform the brand was founded on, and the 9 doesn’t mess with that formula. The signature Altra Fit, with its roomy forefoot that lets toes spread out, and the level zero-drop geometry both carry over unchanged, now sitting on new P35X dual-density midsole foam that puts firmer foam on the outside of the midsole and softer foam within for a more stable ride. A reworked heel shape, a raised tongue and a mesh upper built to breathe round out the changes.
The outsole is the real story here. Altra and Vibram developed the new compound for city miles where the surface changes block to block, from slick crosswalks and crumbling asphalt to metal grates and cobblestone, then tested it on the streets of Mexico City, where smooth pavement and rough cobbles trade off constantly.
“The Torin built its reputation on one promise: comfort that doesn’t quit,” said Kylee Barton, head of global product and merchandising at Altra. “The 9 is us making good on that promise again, same room for your toes, same plush ride, just better than ever.”
“Together, we developed a new outsole compound engineered to deliver the durability, grip, and confidence runners need for whatever the road throws their way,” said Fabrizio Gamberini, global chief brand officer at Vibram.
Altra is also launching the Torin ST alongside the 9, a stability-minded companion that adds the brand’s GuideRail technology and runs on Altra EGO MAX midsole foam.
Both shoes are available now at altrarunning.com and select retailers for $160.
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