After years of minimal Altra posts, we are now back for our second Altra review in about 45 days. How about that?!
As someone who doesn’t necessarily need or prefer a zero-drop, foot-shaped shoe, I tend to “forget” about Altra and leave those reviews to some of our other testers.
Read all our posts about Altra here!
The recently reviewed Vanish Carbon 3 gave me a chance to see what the brand is doing with one of its fastest offerings from a slightly different perspective. Now the Vanish Tempo 2 provides similar visuals, but is geared more toward tempo runs than all-out race-day performance.
The Vanish Tempo 2 is lightweight, plated and built to move quickly, but Altra isn’t trying to make this another shoe that you only want to pull out when you have a race on the calendar (though – admittedly – you probably could). It is designed for those longer, faster training days when you want some extra pop.
Looks
Much like the Vanish Carbon 3, the Tempo 2 comes in three colorways that mirror that shoe. They are all white, white with red accents, and a cool mixing bowl of whites and blues. They all have a pretty clean, race-day look.
And, as I mentioned in the Vanish Carbon 3 review, with this Vanish Line, I don’t get as much exaggerated anatomical look that some people associate with Altra. Yes, there is a noticeably roomy toe box, but these don’t scream “clown shoes” to me. They actually look pretty normal.
Construction
The easiest way to think about the Tempo 2 is as the slightly more substantial training partner to the Vanish Carbon 3.
It has 6mm less stack and comes in just shy of an ounce heavier, which makes sense given the different jobs these shoes are being asked to do. The Carbon 3 is built around race-day speed, while the Tempo 2 is intended to handle those longer tempo efforts and regular faster training.
You still get Altra’s signature roomy toe box, which gives your toes plenty of space to spread out. For runners who already like Altra’s shape, this will feel familiar. For someone like me who doesn’t specifically seek out a foot-shaped shoe, I found the transition pretty easy.
Specs
- Weight: 8.5 oz (M9)
- Stack: 34mm / 30mm
- Drop: 4mm
Upper
The engineered mesh upper is breathable and feels a little more substantial than what I experienced on the Vanish Carbon 3.
One nice touch is the independent bottom eyelet, which lets you snug things down around the midfoot without squeezing the rest of your foot. The result is good lockdown while still leaving the toes plenty of room to do their Altra thing. A padded heel and lightweight, soft tongue also make for a comfortable step-in feel.
Nothing here really gets in the way, which is good.
Midsole
The Tempo 2 uses Altra’s new FAST TRN dual supercritical foam along with a split PEBAX plate.
That sounds pretty technical, but the takeaway is pretty simple: it is designed to be lightweight, responsive and bouncy while still being comfortable enough for longer training runs. And I found it to be surprisingly cushioned.
The split plate also fits with what Altra is trying to accomplish here. Rather than making the shoe feel overly rigid, it provides some propulsion while allowing the forefoot to move naturally.
I wouldn’t describe the Tempo 2 as an aggressive racing shoe. Instead, it has that nice combination of cushion and speed that makes it easy to pick up the pace without feeling like you’re beating yourself up in the process.
Outsole
There isn’t much to complain about here. The outsole has almost full rubber coverage, with only a few small cutouts, and it provides plenty of grip.
I suspect some of that additional rubber is responsible for at least part of the weight difference compared with the Vanish Carbon 3. But I’ll happily take a few extra grams if it means having a durable outsole that can handle regular training miles. So far, the grip has been solid and I haven’t had any complaints.
Overall Impression
The Vanish Tempo 2 makes a lot of sense as a training companion to the Vanish Carbon 3. If you are already a fan of the Vanish Carbon 3, this is pretty much the logical partner: save that one for race day and grab the Tempo 2 when you want to push the pace in training without burning through your race-day shoe.
The 4mm drop is still low for lots of us, but definitely more approachable for the typical runner who can’t go 0-drop. Don’t jump right into a 4mm from an 8mm and expect an immediate comfortability.
But I also think the Tempo 2 is an interesting entry point for runners who haven’t explored Altra in a while. The Tempo 2 reminded me that you don’t necessarily have to be an Altra loyalist to appreciate what the company is doing with its low-drop offerings.
It has the roomy toe box, the lower drop and the natural-feeling ride Altra fans are looking for, but it also has enough cushion, speed and structure to feel pretty approachable to someone coming from a more traditional running shoe. For a shoe designed to live in that space between everyday trainer and race-day weapon, the Vanish Tempo 2 holds its own.