Altra

Altra is the only other running brand that caters particularly to the demands of wide-toed runners. They design trail, road, and lifestyle shoes with a bigger toe box, which allows the foot to spread out more naturally with a straight big toe, lowering the chances of bunions, hammertoes, and plantar fasciitis. The underfoot padding of Altra shoes ranges from 21mm to 33mm, but every single shoe also has zero drops, which they claim "encourages superior running technique and promotes appropriate form to reduce impact by three to five times."

Drop is the height difference between the heel and toe, and Zero Drop is the heel that is the same distance from the ground as the forefoot. It does seem strange that we put a higher cushion under our heel in a standard pair of trainers, yet we're intended to walk and run with our entire foot. But if you've been healed for most of your life, your body will be acclimated to running with the heel at a different angle, so make the change to zero-drop shoes slowly (1-2 years) to avoid straining or injury to your Achilles and calf muscles.

Founded: 2009
Headquarters: Logan, Utah, U.S.

Official website: https://www.altrarunning.com/