Mention the word ‘Paradigm” and
one conjures up the idea of a “paradigm shift” which, as defined by Oxford, means a fundamental change in approach.
This is what the good people of
Altra are trying to peddle to the
maximalist lovers among the running
community when it came out with the
Altra Paradigm earlier this year. The
highly-cushioned running shoes counterstrike against the minimalist running
shoes was pioneered and is dominated by Hoka. But now, here comes a challenger. The Utah-based Altra came up with the Altra Paradigm early this year and
this is a serious challenge to the Hoka dominance in the maximalist sphere.
The Altra Paradigm offers maximum
cushioning similar to what Hoka offers plus it has the Altra trademark features
of wide toebox and zero drop. Plus, it
is lighter and less expensive than most of the Hokas currently available in our
part of the world. Check out the table below.
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| Table of Comparison |
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| The Altra Paradigm side by side with the Hoka Conquest |
Since getting my blue pair of
Altra Paradigm (my 3rd Altra) from
Singapore, more than a month ago, I have logged more than 200 kms.+ in it. In fact, I got to use it for the challenging
50-km Sungay Challenge last July 13. It
offers the same pillowy soft feel that Hoka shoes offers. Plus it is more comfortable to run with for a long period of time given
the ample space its wide toebox provides my feet.
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| My Altra trinity |
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| My Altra Paradigm in action at the Sungay Challenge |
The Altra Paradigm is a truly
remarkable running shoe. I would imagine
it is constantly being remarked on, not just in Altra headquarters, but also in
the Hoka camp. My proof is that with
the launch of the Paradigm, Hoka came out with 2 new models which seem to
suggest a defensive response :the Hoka
Clifton which is priced at US$ 130 and is lighter at 7.7 oz; and the Hoka Huaka
which is lighter at 8.9oz and has a lower offset at 2mm when compared to
older Hoka models.
Talk about a paradigm shift. The
consuming runners are all the better for it.
Life is good like running on a
beach in Santorini, Greece.
3 comments:
what is the differences between the paradigm and the olympus ??which one is the most cushioning
and better for a marathon run on road???thanks vlasis GREECE.
Thanks Vlasis for the query. The differences are: the Paradigm (9.8 oz) is lighter compared to the Olympus (11 oz); the Paradigm is more for the road while the Olympus is more for the trail. The Paradigm has the most cushioning but for me the Olympus is more durable. For a marathon on the road, Paradigm will have the edge over the Olympus.
thank's cheer's
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