Altra Vanish Tempo Review

Zero-drop shoes mostly lag behind the rest of the running shoe market in terms when it comes to performance. Altra set out to close that gap with the Vanish Tempo, and succeeded in creating a decent daily trainer for threshold workouts.

Performance Comparison

Landing Comfort

The Ego Pro midsole foam in the Vanish Tempo is comfortable, with decent bounce underfoot. Runners used to a more standard shoe will likely find the ride to be on the firmer side, though not unpleasant. We measured 37 mm of foam under the heel.

That's plenty of foam to protect your legs on longer efforts, although if you're not used to zero-drop shoes, these may be a great entry pair. Altra markets these as having 0 mm of drop from heel to toe. When standing, that's exactly how your feet sit within these shoes, which is Altra's defining character of their zero-drop shoes. However, the forefoot stack is actually thinner than the heel stack — by 7mm, when measured according to World Athletics stack height standards. And so, by that definition, these “zero-drop” shoes actually run like a fairly average trainer with good rocker geometry.

Responsiveness

The entire goal of the Vanish Tempo is to bring a more uptempo experience to a section of the running shoe market that doesn't have many options. Altra was reasonably successful in accomplishing that goal — this shoe is more responsive than the average daily trainer.

We still wouldn't really call it a speed trainer. We found it felt best at threshold or slower and struggled to handle faster intervals. It's better for the zero-drop enthusiast who wants a shoe for their tempos or for long runs with segments at marathon pace, but not for one who is regularly running faster sessions. Is it more responsive than the average zero-drop shoe? Absolutely. That's thanks largely to the Ego Pro foam, which has a decent bit of resilience, and the clever rocker geometry, which gives this shoe a much smoother roll and better push-off at pace than a shoe like the Altra Torin 7 or the Topo Magnifly 5.

Stability

The Vanish Tempo feels reasonably low to the ground when you run in it and has a wide forefoot base. Both those features give confidence when running on uneven ground. Additionally, Altra's outsole design aids forward direction.

Upper Comfort

The upper of the Vanish Tempo is light and breathable but not the most comfortable in terms of abrasion prevention. The mesh is a little rough, and while we didn't get any rubbing, we wouldn't be surprised if other runners did. For Altra, the fit is somewhat narrow through the midfoot, but the toe box opens up and provides plenty of room for your toes to splay — a hallmark of most Altra shoes. We found the fit to be very comfortable and true to size.

Weight

This shoe is reasonably light for a speed trainer, coming in at 9.48 ounces per shoe (US men's size 10.5). However, that's still half an ounce heavier than our favorite speed trainer, the Saucony Endorphin Speed 4, and almost an ounce and a half heavier than another one of our favorites, the New Balance FuelCell Rebel v4. Both shoes offer more responsiveness and more cushioning in a lighter package.

Traction

Traction is above average on this shoe, thanks to a tacky outsole, large yet subtle lugs, and lots of siping. We had no issues on loose gravel or wet roads. It's not the best, but we found the outsole to provide plenty of bite during workouts on crushed gravel paths — although picking small pieces of gravel out of the cutouts was annoying.

Should You Buy the Altra Vanish Tempo?

This shoe is meant for runners who want a low-to-no drop vibe without totally sacrificing responsiveness. If that's you, then this is a great option. It's one of the most versatile zero-drop shoes out there. On the other hand, if you're not entirely sure you want a zero-drop trainer, then we encourage you to look elsewhere. There are multiple daily trainers in our lineup that offer more comfort and performance for a similar price point.

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