Altra Vanish Carbon 3

The Altra Vanish Carbon 3 is the American brand's first full-blown super shoe and also its first racing shoe with a carbon plate to abandon the zero drop that defines the brand, settling on a reasonable 4 mm. As if they had not given up enough of their principles, the Vanish Carbon 3 has a Racing FootShape™ fit that is narrower than usual. It takes over from the Vanish Carbon 2, a generation that showed promise but fell short on foam, geometry and durability, and this time the development has clearly gone all in. Within the Altra Vanish collection it sits above the minimalist Vanish Pulse, with which it has little in common beyond part of the name, much like the well-known cleaning products.

The synthetic mesh upper is light and very breathable, with few added elements and a thin tongue that aims to save grams and avoid pressure points at high paces, but is not stitched to the sides. The fit debuts the Racing FootShape™ mentioned above, a sportier version of the brand's fit: the heel and midfoot are held much more securely than in the brand's other models, while the front keeps room for the toes to splay, an unusual combination in a racer of this segment. The heel counter is flexible, good news for sensitive Achilles tendons, and the fit is true to size.

The midsole debuts FAST RCE foam, a supercritical PEBA compound split into two pieces and, according to the brand, the lightest and most responsive material it has used to date. Between the two layers sits the most striking technology of the model: the Split-Toe Carbon Plate, a carbon plate that splits in the forefoot so the big toe keeps some freedom in the final phase of toe-off. The package is completed by fairly pronounced geometry to ease the transition and the 4 mm drop, the first time Altra has moved away from zero in a racing shoe, although it is common in shoes of the Experience range such as the Experience Wild 3. The outsole has more rubber than usual in this kind of shoe, which suggests a somewhat longer lifespan than normal. Ideal for neutral runners with deep pockets who want a racer for distances from 10K to the marathon, with surprising stability for such a tall stack, and who do not mind it not being the lightest in its category.