Altra Running, commonly known as Altra, is an American manufacturing company engaged in the design, development, marketing, and sales of

athletic shoes Sneakers (also called trainers, athletic shoes, tennis shoes, gym shoes, kicks, sport shoes, flats, running shoes, or runners) are shoes primarily designed for sports or other forms of physical exercise, but which are now also widely used fo ...

for

road running Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road. This differs from track and field on a regular track and cross country running over natural terrain. These events are usually classified as long-distance ...

trail running Trail running is a sport-activity which combines running, and, where there are steep gradients, hiking, that is run "on any unpaved surface". It is similar to both mountain and fell running (also known as hill running). Mountain running may, h ...

, and general footwear. Since 2018 Altra is owned by

VF Corporation VF Corporation (formerly Vanity Fair Mills until 1969) is an American global apparel and footwear company founded in 1899 and headquartered in Denver, Colorado. The company's 13 brands are organized into three categories: Outdoor, Active and Wor ...

, an American global apparel and footwear company with other brands like

Icebreaker An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters, and provide safe waterways for other boats and ships. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to smaller ...

The North Face The North Face is an American outdoor recreation products company. The North Face produces outdoor clothing, footwear, and related equipment. Founded in 1968 to supply climbers, the company's logo draws inspiration from Half Dome, in Yosemite ...

Vans Vans is an American manufacturer of skateboarding shoes and related apparel, established in Anaheim, California, and owned by VF Corporation. The company also sponsors surf, snowboarding, BMX, and motocross teams. From 1996 to 2019, the comp ...

JanSport JanSport is an American brand of backpacks and collegiate apparel, now owned by VF Corporation, one of the world's largest apparel companies. JanSport is the world's largest backpack maker, and together, JanSport and The North Face, also owned by ...

Eastpak Eastpak is an American worldwide lifestyle brand founded in Boston, Massachusetts, specializing in the design, development, manufacturing and worldwide marketing and distribution of a range of products including bags, backpacks, travel gear and a ...

and Timberland. In 2016, the company added running and hiking apparel to its products line, with a line of jackets, shorts, shirts, and socks. Altra developed a backless

windbreaker A windbreaker, or a windcheater, is a thin fabric jacket designed to resist wind chill and light rain, making it a lighter version of the jacket. It is usually of lightweight construction and characteristically made of a synthetic material. ...

that can be easily slipped on over a

backpack A backpack—also called knapsack, schoolbag, rucksack, rucksac, pack, sackpack, booksack, bookbag or backsack—is, in its simplest frameless form, a fabric sack carried on one's back and secured with two straps that go over the shoulders ...

or hydration pack during long distance running. Altra has been ranked in the top 10 brands in "run specialty" and number 4 for trail running.

History

Golden Harper cut up and altered different brands of running shoes to design a better performing shoe, which was later named "Zero Drop." The name refers to the lack of height differential between the shoe's heel and toe area. Harper, along with early co-founder Brian Beckstead and business partners Quirl Hansen and Jeremy Howlett, demonstrated their new design to various footwear companies with little success, so they decided to start their own company. "Altra Footwear" was launched in 2009, partnering with Pulse Labs, an engineering firm at

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-d ...

, and with contract manufacturers in Asia. Harper chose the name "Altra" based on the Latin word "altera", which means "to fix or mend something that is broken." The company was acquired in March 2011 by Icon Health & Fitness, a developer, marketer, and manufacturer of fitness-related products. In April 2017, the company announced a partnership with the

Utah State University Utah State University (USU or Utah State) is a public land-grant research university in Logan, Utah. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. With nearly 20,000 students living on or near campus, USU is Utah ...

Outdoor Product Design and Development (OPDD) program. The purpose of the partnership will be to create a "Altra Running Lab" to provide expertise to participating as well as

internship An internship is a period of work experience offered by an organization for a limited period of time. Once confined to medical graduates, internship is used practice for a wide range of placements in businesses, non-profit organizations and gover ...

opportunities. The OPDD students will also be able to design and develop shoes, apparel, and other sports related products in a laboratory setting. In June 2018,

completed the acquisition of Altra.

Design

Altra trail running shoe, Lone Peak, side view

Golden Harper, founder of the company, noticed that the stride and gait of barefoot runners changed when the runners wore traditional running shoes. He suspected that the heel height of most running shoes was too high as compared to the height of the mid-foot or toe. At this time, Harper was working at his father's shoe store called "Runner's Corner", in Orem, Utah and he began modifying traditional running shoes by cutting them open, removing padding from the heel, and then using a toaster oven and glue to put the shoes back together. Harper recruited local runners and store employees to test out prototype shoes where the heel and forefoot were the same distance from the ground. The design proved to allow a more natural running experience where footfalls are in the mid to forefoot area instead of the more typical heel strike. Harper called this design "Zero Drop".

Growth

Word spread about these hacked shoes among the local running community, and Harper began selling them from his father's store. He commissioned a local cobbler to make 1,000 pairs, but soon sold out. After failing to interest established footwear companies, Harper took the idea for the shoe to

venture capital Venture capital (often abbreviated as VC) is a form of private equity financing that is provided by venture capital firms or funds to start-up company, startups, early-stage, and emerging companies that have been deemed to have high growth poten ...

ists and former

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine give ...

designers. The shoe quickly went from a back room operation to an established brand with international production. Altra first entered the North American market in 2011, and won the Runner's World Magazine's 2012 Editor's Choice Best Debut award. By September 2013, Altra Footwear was at 300 percent annual growth rate and opening in 25 to 30 new markets. Each year since 2011, Altra Running has doubled their sales revenue and over 1500 retailers are now selling their zero-drop, foot-shaped toe box shoes.

Outdoor recreation Outdoor recreation or outdoor activity refers to recreation done outside, most commonly in natural settings. The activities that encompass outdoor recreation vary depending on the physical environment they are being carried out in. These activitie ...

gear and

sporting goods Sports equipment, sporting equipment, also called sporting goods, are the tools, materials, apparel, and gear used to compete in a sport and varies depending on the sport. The equipment ranges from balls, nets, and protective gear like helmets. ...

Retailer REI started selling Altra Running shoes in the past year. Altra has also introduced a casual shoe line that are designed to be worn in the office or around town. The brand is looking to use

social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...

, running event

sponsorships Sponsoring something (or someone) is the act of supporting an event, activity, person, or organization financially or through the provision of products or services. The individual or group that provides the support, similar to a benefactor, is k ...

, and

TV advertising A television advertisement (also called a television commercial, TV commercial, commercial, spot, television spot, TV spot, advert, television advert, TV advert, television ad, TV ad or simply an ad) is a span of television programming produce ...

to reach new customers.

Features

Every Altra shoe features a Footshape

toe box The toe box is the section of footwear that surrounds the toes on closed-toe shoes. Toe boxes that are too tight can cause injuries and foot deformities, whereas wider toe boxes may be used to treat or prevent common foot conditions such as Mor ...

that is not necessarily wide, but rather shaped like a healthy foot in a sock. All models of their shoes have ZeroDrop which means that the heel and toe are designed to be at the same height. They offer both neutral and stability shoes for men and women with a variety of cushion levels. The men's version and women's version of each shoe model is built using gender-specific templates to accommodate anatomical differences. Altra calls this Fit4Her on the ladies side, and is the only running shoe brand to do a female specific fit line wide.

Wearables and smart shoes

During the 2015 Outdoor Retailer Summer Market, Altra introduced their first smart shoe, Altra IQ. Powered by iFit, the Altra IQ uses technology to help runners analyze their running biomechanics. Slated to be released in the spring of 2016, the Altra IQ is intended to collect data on stride, pace, foot strike zone (heel vs. midfoot vs. forefoot), ground contact time, left foot vs. right foot imbalances, and more, and to transmit the data via Bluetooth to a mobile device such as a smartphone or watch for analysis. In the spring of 2017, Altra introduced their first smart running shoe combining both tracking and coaching technology. The Torin IQ shoe tracks how fast and how far the wearer runs and is equipped with a voice coach that gives real-time advice, via a tether to a smartphone, on how to run better during a workout. The shoe is designed for both men and women and has an embedded sensor in the insole that measures a runners landing zone,

cadence In Western musical theory, a cadence (Latin ''cadentia'', "a falling") is the end of a phrase in which the melody or harmony creates a sense of full or partial resolution, especially in music of the 16th century onwards.Don Michael Randel (199 ...

, ground contact time, and impact rate. The sensors in the shoe are powered by

button cell A button cell, watch battery, or coin battery is a small single-cell battery shaped as a squat cylinder typically in diameter and high — resembling a button. Stainless steel usually forms the bottom body and positive terminal of the cell; i ...

batteries which can be replaced after an estimated 80 – 100 hours of use.

Sponsorships

Altra has sponsored many prolific trail and ultra races within the United States, including the Western States Endurance Run, held each year in Squaw Valley, California and the

Hardrock Hundred Mile Endurance Run The Hardrock Hundred Mile Endurance Run is an ultramarathon in length, with of climb at an average elevation of over . The race is held on a loop course on 4WD roads, dirt trails, and cross country in Southern Colorado's San Juan Range, US. T ...

. which starts and ends in

Silverton, Colorado Silverton is a statutory town that is the county seat, the most populous community, and the only incorporated municipality in San Juan County, Colorado, United States. The town is located in a remote part of the western San Juan Mountains, a ra ...

. In December 2016, Altra sponsored an event to break the world record for the fastest on a

treadmill A treadmill is a device generally used for walking, running, or climbing while staying in the same place. Treadmills were introduced before the development of powered machines to harness the power of animals or humans to do work, often a type o ...

. Jacob Puzey beat the previous record by more than an hour, running the fifty mile distance in four hours, fifty-seven minutes, and forty-five seconds.

Awards

* 2021:

Runner's World ''Runner's World'' is a globally circulated monthly magazine for runners of all skills sets, published by Hearst in Easton, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Before its acquisition by Hearst, it was founded and published by Rodale, Inc. in Em ...

"Editors Choice", ''Rivera'' * 2017:

"Editors Choice", ''Escalante'' * 2015: Gear Junkie "Gear of the Year 2015", ''Lone Peak Neoshell'' * 2015:

"Editors Choice", ''Superior 2.0'' * 2014: Men's Journal "Best Trail Running Shoes of 2015," ''Lone Peak Neoshell'' * 2013:

"Editors Pick" Trail Shoe, ''Lone Peak 1.5'' * 2012:

Competitor Magazine Competitor Group, Inc. (CGI) is a privately held, for-profit, sports marketing and management company based in Mira Mesa, San Diego, California. The company owns and operates over 40 large scale running, cycling, and triathlon events; of which in ...

Most Innovative "Best Ride", ''Superior'' * 2012:

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Altra VF Corporation Athletic shoe brands Manufacturing companies based in Utah Shoe companies of the United States Sporting goods manufacturers of the United States Sportswear brands Clothing companies established in 2009 2009 establishments in Utah American brands 2018 mergers and acquisitions