tldr; Zero drop cushioned. Altra EGO foam, 0mm drop, 265g. Wide toe box, Altra for newbies.
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Best praise vs top criticism for AltraFWD Experience
“It's difficult to overstate exactly how fun the original Endorphin Speed was. It was bouncy as hell and wildly unstable, which made for a positively delightful running experience at a time when most companies really hadn't figured out super shoes yet. Basically it was lightning in a bottle that couldn't really be replicated in later versions as product development teams figured out "solutions" to the "problems" inherent to it. The second iteration was pretty close though. It didn't quite capture the magic the same way as the original, but all the DNA was still in there. Version 3 is when it really started feeling watered down. And not to throw shade or anything. I'm sure it was probably a better shoe by every objective metric, but objective metrics aren't what made the Endorphin Speed great. I didn't bother trying the fourth version. If the 5 manages to recapture some of whatever secret sauce was poured into the original, I'm all for it.”
“Some further thoughts: - I don't want to gatekeep, you do you of course. But with the geometry of the shoe, I wouldn't recommend this to the slower part of the pack. The slower you go, the more wobbly it gets. There's just no way around it. Even at faster paces your mechanics matter. - I really felt the plate on my right foot. It was a lot harsher than expected. Could have been some wrinkles in my sock, but this was not a pleasant experience. - If you like a lot of bounce in your shoes, then this is the absolute pinnacle. If you prefer shoes with a quick turnover (like I usually do), I would say there are better options out there.”
3,809 Reddit opinions analyzed • Last updated 2/24/2026