Altra TIMP 3 Trail Running Shoes

Product Information

The Altra Timp 3 stands as a strong candidate for the casual runner with a somewhat wide foot who wants to hit the trails and prefers a low-drop shoe. The shoe remains comfy and spacious even when the foot starts to swell after long miles of running. And the Timp's, having a little more cushioning than the Lone Peak's, would be placed right next to the them. My first step-in feel was WOW. This is quite a soft shoe, with Altra’s signature ample toebox which to me has always felt great, and with enough shoe underfoot that I knew it would be do well for a variety of distances and terrain, but still light enough to appeal to those who don’t like the feel of a ton of shoe. I had high hopes for this Timp already. How COROS Co-Founder, Lewis Wu, and World Greatest Mountain Athlete, Kilian Jornet, Began a New Chapter.

The consequence of this change in the upper design is an increase in weight from 281g to 311g in the TIMP 3. I am not sure if it was the zero heel-to-toe offset, the type of midsole foam, or the weight of the rubber underneath, but these shoes seemed to hinder my run rather than help it. Superb traction Its also a much better looking shoe than the TIMP 2 and for many people this is very important. I love the grey colourway above and the women's shoes are also looking really good. VF is certainly improving that aspect of ALTRA. The Timp 3 has a gaiter trap at the heel and a loop at the base of the laces to take the Altra 2 point gaiters.Unfortunately, despite its comfort and spot-on fit, the Timp 3’s ride disappointed. With each stride, I felt like all of my energy was lost and it was hard to find a smooth transition into my next step. Mike P: An Altra for the people! I think this shoe will do really well for Altra. It looks great, rides great, and feels great on foot. I’m not an avid Altra user, but I am a fan of forefoot space, and these will definitely be part of my rotation going forward. I tended to think of each model of Altra trail shoes as having its own specific niche. LP for hiking, firm feel with super wide toebox. Olympus for max volume and cushioning. Superior for lightweight, more traditional natural feel. Mike P: First impression for me is all about fit and feel. As mentioned in the intro, I found previous Timps to be unexciting overall. They just felt a bit stiff, as well as flat underfoot. I know some people really liked them, but I imagine you’d have to be more of an Altra adherent to appreciate their fit and feel. The upper of the Altra Timp 4 has a solid width of 100.7 mm in the forefoot. This is roomier than the average 98.2 mm.

Personally I tend to prefer less cushioned, more responsive feeling shoes but the flexibility makes these shoes so easy to run in that I find I am often reaching for them for my easier and long runs! A pleasant surprise and I judged them as initially as being too soft for me! Topo MT-3: A similar shaped toe box to Altra. 3mm heel to forefoot drop. A much firmer more responsive ride. Speaking of Hoka, for a moment I mistook the drainage holes on the lateral parts of the Timp’s forefoot to be something akin to Hoka’s earliest models, where the wearer could actually drill their own holes into the lateral aspects of the shoe’s foam to create more inherent stability. But that’s an aside. I didn’t get to test these guys out in wet conditions yet so am unsure how they would have drained, but it seems they thought of every trail condition with this shoe. The shoe felt a bit like running in sand. I felt like I had to adjust my stride from its norm so I could gain momentum, which was frustrating and decreased the enjoyment I got from these shoes. Mike Postaski currently focuses on long mountainous ultras - anywhere from 50K up to his favorite - 100M. 5'10", 138 lbs, midfoot/forefoot striker - he typically averages 70 mpw (mostly on trails), ramping up to nearly 100 mpw during race buildups. A 2:40 road marathoner, his easy running pace ranges from 7:30 - 9:00/mi. Mike shoe preferences lean towards firmer, dense cushioning, with plenty of forefoot space, and he strongly dislikes pointy toe boxes.

Altra Timp 3.0 Conclusion

Shannon’s Score: 9/10 Love it. My other favorites have been the Salomon Sense Ultra (the OG, not the later versions), the Hoka Torrent, the Terra Kiger, and the Asics Fuji Trail Lite. I’d throw the Timp right in there with them and maybe even give them an extra point for versatility compared to some of those previously mentioned. There are flex grooves throughout to complement the midsole’s stiffness for a smooth ride. The zero-drop platform encourages midfoot striking – which also helps smoothen the ride out.

TAYLOR: Not all is good in the hood. I’m not sure that I have ever been audibly frustrated with a shoe before this. Shannon: Like I’ve said before, color is never make or break for me, but oh my did they make this shoe pop. Also my immediate first impression is that this appears nothing like the Timps of old and doesn’t feel very similar either. In my opinion, not a bad thing! Although that’s certainly not to say previous versions weren’t good, this one is just different. Timp 4 is more cushioned, noticeably at the forefoot. MTN Racer 2 wins on traction and rubber durability. I’d take the MTN Racer 2 for moderate distance mountainous runs, and the Timp 4 for everything else on the more moderate side of the terrain spectrum.

Topo MT 3: These are 3mm from heel to forefoot and have a more responsive feel to the cushioning. The toe box is rounded like the Timp 4 designed to allow you feet he room to spread on impact. Here is our review: https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/topo-athletic-mt3-review/ The effort to improve the fit is welcome and the shoe felt very secure on my foot, uphill and downhill and my toes were free to roam as they should in an ALTRA. The fit actually feels a bit better than say the Lone Peak 5 because the Toe Box is still a little narrower.