Altra Provision 6 Review

Today is my review of the Altra Provision 6, the latest mild support cushioned road shoe from one of our top brands. Altra is a brand focused on developing shoes that allow your feet to function and run with a more natural midfoot strike. To allow this to happen, the shoes have a broad and rounded toe box and are ‘Zero Drop’, which Altra trademarked. This allows the foot to be loaded properly so it can spread on impact. This stabilises and cushions you as you hit the ground and then your foot springs you into your next step. This approach to running shoes was developed by Golden Harper and Brian Beckstead back in 2009, when they got disillusioned with selling shoes that didn’t seem to prevent common running injuries and developed a rounder toe box, which helped them avoid injury over higher mileage.

Landing on your midfoot in a shoe that has the space to allow your feet to spread on impact reduces how much most people pronate/roll inwards on impact. However, some runners do still need some support in their shoes to help stabilise their feet before they get used to functioning and get stronger. Also, some runners like the feel of a running shoe that offers some mild guidance to the foot. Therefore, Altra developed the Provision 6.

A lot of shoes that offer some pronation support do it by ‘propping the foot up’ so that the arch can’t compress. This stops the foot from functioning properly and although it reduces pronation, as the foot isn’t working inside the shoe it doesn’t get any stronger! The Altra Provision 6 allows the foot to function in the shoe and only guides the foot if it rolls inwards far enough to touch the guiderails that run around the midsole. This means that over time your foot will get stronger and neutral runners like myself can enjoy the Provision 6.

Altra Last Shapes

Original: The widest shoes with the most volume
Standard: Slightly narrower than the ‘Original’ with less volume in the toe box and a snugger fit in the midfoot.
Slim: A narrow fit for Altra. Like more standard brands but still Zero Drop with a rounded toe box shape.

Men’s vs. Women’s

The Altra Provision 6 is made on Altra’s ‘Standard’ last. The last shape also differs in the men’s and women’s shoes. The lasts are gender specific and designed to suit the general differences of men’s or women’s feet. The men’s Provision 6 has a very similar shape and fit to the men’s Provision 5. The women’s Provision 6 has a more rounded toe box and is slightly broader than the women’s Provision 5. This makes the shape nearer to the Provision 4, which can be seen in the picture with a green/red box.

The Altra Provision 6 offers the foot support in a few different ways. Firstly there are tapes secured at the midsole that come up the side of the foot and thread through the laces. If you pull these tight your foot is held more securely onto the midsole, so you get more support. If you want to reduce the support, you can actually loosen the laces or unthread the laces from these taped areas. The fit is unaffected by doing this as there is still enough lace holds to hold your foot in the shoes.

The midsole offers a broad base, which helps stabilise the foot and reduces an excess inward rotation. The stack height is 28mm and although the midsole foam is Altra’s EGO midsole, which is used in the Rivera and Paradigm 6 to offer a softer ride, in the Provision 6 the foam is slightly firmer, which I really like. This not only makes it more stable, but its versatile enough to be responsive and cushioned to give a very protected feel.

Around the top of the midsole is the guiderail, which is a firmer piece of foam designed to not compress easily and reduce any inward rotation should your foot require the help.

There is no plastic in the heel cup as it is designed to pull in around the heel so it will take the shape of your heel. It does this well and gives a lovely fit. The light padding around the heel cup makes the shoes feel very plush. The tongue is equally lightly padded. This offers enough protection from the laces without feeling bulky. The heel tab curls away from the Achilles. This has the effect of pulling the base of the heel cup in slightly which gives an elastic type of fit at the base of the heel cup.

The engineered mash upper is thin and breathable. It also has a very soft feel to it, which adds to the comfort of the shoes.

I noticed that the outsole rubber was particularly grippy, even on wet & worn tarmac. It is also particularly thick, so should last well. This is particularly noticeable as the current trend is to have thin rubber outsoles to reduce weight and increase flexibility. The shoes are still flexible and the full-length rubber sole feels like it adds to the energy return of the shoes.

The Provision is my daughter’s go to shoe. She enjoyed a couple of pairs of Provision 4s. The Provision 5 was a little too narrow through the midfoot so the shape of the Women’s Provision 6 being more like the Provision 4 was welcomed by her!

The Provision 6 is noticeably lighter in your hand in comparison to the previous model. This lightness is even more noticeable on your feet. The Provision 6 feels faster, more responsive, and more nimble than previous version of the shoes. This makes it a versatile enough shoe for easy runs, long runs and fast running like intervals, tempo runs or hill repetitions.

If you aren’t used to 0mm heel to forefoot drop running shoes, then it’s a good idea to gradually increase the time you spend in the shoes. This is because shoes with a lower heel to forefoot drop allow your feet, ankles and lower legs to function more than high heeled shoes. Gradually increase the time you spend in the shoes and alternate with your current shoes. This reduces the chance of overloading your lower legs and feet, giving them the time to get stronger.

In summary the Altra Provision 6 is a comfortable, cushioned yet energetic everyday training shoe versatile enough for quicker and slower running. It offers some resistance to overpronation for those that need a little support in their shoes or those that like the feel of a supportive shoe.
Other Considerations – Similar shoes in terms of the level of pronation support.

Topo Ultrafly 3: We love Topo Athletic running shoes at Northern Runner for the same reasons as Altra. Lower or zero heel to forefoot drop and round toe boxes! These will feel wider fitting and with more volume in the toe box. They are a low 5mm heel to forefoot. A more cushioned everyday trainer. Perhaps not quite as responsive for faster running. https://www.northernrunner.com/topo-athletic-m105/ultrafly-t158

Hoka Arahi: These have a more pointed toe box and softer cushioning with a rocker. The drop is 4mm. They are available in two widths. The support is quite pronounced compared with a Zeo Drop shoe. https://www.northernrunner.com/hoka-m92/arahi-t96

New Balance 860v12: Available in three widths Men’s and three widths Women’s. These have a more pointed toe box and are 10 mm heel to forefoot. Freshfoam has large bubbles in the heel and the bubbles get progressively smaller as you move to the forefoot of the shoes. This gives a soft landing and a more positive push off. They aren’t quite as responsive as the Provision 6 and so they would be best used for easy runs and long runs. https://www.northernrunner.com/new-balance-m13/860-t101

Brooks Adrenaline GTS 22: The latest version of these shoes has a softer cushioning than the previous versions. This gives them a softer ride more conducive to everyday training runs than quicker sessions. So, they aren’t as versatile as the Provision 6. They have a more pointed toe box and a 12mm heel to forefoot drop. They are available in three widths Men’s and three widths Women’s. https://www.northernrunner.com/brooks-m59/adrenaline-t121

Saucony Guide 15: 8mm from heel to forefoot. A narrow-pointed toe box but, available in two widths Men’s. The midsole is versatile enough for easy runs but is reasonably responsive. So can cope with some faster running too: https://www.northernrunner.com/saucony-m56/guide-t189