Aspen Times Weekly: ‘Golden Spike’ Cross-Country Running Shoe

A see-through mesh upper, a foam outsole, and five sharp studs under the forefoot define the Golden Spike, a shoe coming to market next month from Altra.

Based in Utah, Altra is known for its long-distance trail shoes made for training runs and ultra events. The Golden Spike is off the spectrum for the brand, with sprint events, track and cross-country running the venue for the new shoe.

I got an early sample for review. Like race cars for your feet, the Golden Spikes do not disappoint in the speed department — they weigh almost nothing and focus all forward motion from the forefoot.

Altra describes the stride as a “powerful toe-off” motion, and in my first test runs the Golden Spike design convinced me this shoe is for the sprint-minded only. Don’t try and do much distance in these shoes, and don’t even think about pavement.

For more on this product, visit https://gearjunkie.com/. Stephen Regenold is the founder and writes about outdoors gear for Gear Junkie.