Altra Vanish Carbon 2 Review

The Altra Vanish Carbon 2 is a race day shoe designed to give the runner some extra propulsion to help them run faster. The Vanish Carbon 2 is a little different to the original Vanish Carbon. Although it is still a zero drop shoe which means that the midsole is the same thickness at the heel as it is in the forefoot. A design that allows for a more natural midfoot landing. The thickness of the midsole has been increased by 3mm to give a 36mm stack height. The foam used is Altra Ego Pro which is a highly cushioned and responsive foam. It is firmer than the foam used for the original version and has a higher level of rebound or responsiveness. Which gives the Altra Vanish Carbon 2 a slightly more bouncy feel compared to the previous version.

Altra have also managed to reduce the weight. A men’s UK9.5 weighs 229g and a women’s UK6.5 164g.

Like all Altra shoes the shoe has a broad rounded toe box to give your feet the space to spread on impact. Altra use three different last shapes. The Original has the most width and volume, the Standard slightly less and the Slip fit, which is the last shape used for the Vanish Carbon 2, has the narrowest fit and offers the snuggest feel. This has been used for the Vanish Carbon 2 so that the runner’s foot is held onto the midsole even when cornering at speed. This gives the runner more energy return from the midsole and prevents the foot from turning inside the shoes. Keeping the runner moving in a forward direction.
The original Vanish Carbon was also made on a slim last. However, the fit of the Vanish Carbon and the Vanish Carbon 2 is very different. The original Vanish Carbon has a very narrow fit which felt like it restricted my toes a little in comparison to other Altra shoes. The Vanish Carbon 2 has more volume in the toe and a bit more width.

Super Shoes which is the name given to the category of race day shoes that are designed to give you some extra propulsion to aid in running fast do a lot of the work that your feet and lower legs should be doing. Altra is a brand that was developed to allow your feet to function inside the shoes and therefore promote a more natural midfoot landing and a better posture. This reduces injuries and allows you to run quicker. This is at odds with the Super Shoes that have a carbon plate to replace the foots planta fascia and give the runner some spring, a midsole foam that is so soft and bouncy that the runners foot doesn’t know that it has touched the floor so it doesn’t spread on impact and a rocker or curve to the midsole to do some of the work of the runners calves, hamstrings and glutes to pull the leg back on impact and maintain a quick cadence. Altra set about developing a Super Shoe that gave the runner the extra propulsion they craved but didn’t take away foot function. My experience running in the Vanish Carbon 2 would suggest that they have achieved this aim.

The original Vanish Carbon had a Carbon plate in the forefoot that was fork shaped. This shape allowed for some foot function which still adding some spring to the shoes. The new Vanish Carbon 2 has a full length carbon plate. Similar to the carbon plate in the Altra Mont Blanc Carbon the plate is very flexible. Which means that the foot can still flex and function inside the shoes. The midsole of the Vanish Carbon 2 has more flex grooves to help make the shoe more flexible. The result is that the Vanish Carbon 2 has a very natural feel to it. With other carbon plated shoes the plate is stiff and there is a noticeable rocker. When your foot touches the floor in these shoes the combination of the rocker and the stiff plate takes over and pulls your foot backwards. In the Altra Vanish Carbon 2 you wouldn’t know there was a carbon plate in the shoes unless you were told. The feel to the rocker is also very subtle which means that they feel very natural to run in. Other than my awareness of the additional stack height the ride feels is just the same as it is in the Altra Escalante 4 to me.

I feel like I can trot a long in the Vanish Carbon 2 at any pace I choose. Which means that I can warm up in them at a slow pace. Complete some quicker intervals and then jog home. In other carbon plated shoes the shoe forces you to run at a quicker pace whether you want to or not. It would be easy to jog down the road in the Vanish Carbon 2 and feel like they didn’t increase your speed at all. However, this wasn’t my experience. I found that although I couldn’t feel the propulsion I was getting about the same as I did in other carbon plated shoes when on easy runs and the same during faster efforts. The difference between the Altra Vanish Carbon 2 is that I can run in my usual running style without feeling that the shoe is taking over. In effect I feel like I am running in the shoes rather than riding the shoes.

BROWSE ALTRA VANSIH CARBON RANGE

A lot of carbon plated shoes have very soft midsoles. The drawback to this is that you can’t feel the ground so your foot doesn’t get stimulated to function. So, you lose the natural spring that you would get from your feet. The soft midsoles also bottom out when running down steep hills and you sink into the midsole when running up hills. Which slows you down and makes it feel like you are running through deep mud. The Altra Ego Pro foam used for the midsole of the Altra Vanish Carbon 2 still feels cushioned but, doesn’t compress easily which makes it feel a lot more responsive. This meant that I could run quickly downhills without feeling like I was sinking into the shoe or bottoming out the midsole. On up hills it felt like I was getting a bit of a push from the shoe and I was able to maintain good form to the top of the climb. I have even used the Vanish Carbon 2 for some fast one minute hills. Which made them all a few seconds quicker.

Even though you don’t feel the carbon plate as much in the Altra Vanish Carbon 2 as you do in other carbon plated shoes it is still advisable to only use them once a week or less. This is because the shoes do some of the work for your feet and lower legs. They are best saved for the faster days and races while using other shoes that stimulate your feet and lower legs on your other runs. This way your feet and lower legs will get stronger and be able to propel you down the road faster.

As you would expect in a shoe designed for race day the upper of the Altra Vanish Carbon 2 is designed to hold your foot onto the midsole of the shoe and nothing more. The mesh in the forefoot is an open, airy mesh. Which means that you can see your feet through the shoes. There are a few tapes that are attached to the lace holes and the base of the shoe to help pull the upper in around the foot. The tongue is very thin with a thin piece of padding running down the centre to offer some protection from the laces. The tongue is lightly gusseted and come up high enough to curve around the ankle. This is to stop the tongue from moving around when running and to give the shoes a snug, race day feel. There is no plastic in the heel cup so the heel of the shoe can mould to the shape of your heel. The heel cup is very thin with a pad of cushioning on each side.

There is an extra lace hole. So, you can make the heel fit snugger by threading the laces through it or by butterfly lacing the shoes. The fit of the heel is snug but, I did find that on longer runs the tab did rub a bit on my Achilles. A sock with a thicker cuff fixed this issue.

Altra shoes are similar in length to Brooks, Saucony or Topo. If you use Hoka, New Balance or Karhu then we would suggest trying half a size larger to get a similar length. The slim fit last and rounded toe box will make the Altra Vanish Carbon 2 feel a bit roomier than another running shoe with a narrow pointed toe box. If your used to Topo or Altra then the space in the toe box will be a little bit less but, unless you have broad feet this should cause any restriction in foot function.

In summary the Altra Vanish Carbon 2 is a carbon plated road racing shoe designed to give the runner some forward propulsion without taking away foot function and allowing a more natural running style.

Other Considerations

New Balance Fuelcell SC Elite v4: Much softer feel to the cushioning. Not as good for running up or downhill. A more bouncy feel makes you feel like you are getting more propulsion. Less feel for the ground. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/new-balance-fuelcell-sc-elite-v4-review/

Brooks Hyperion Elite 4: A similar feel to the cushioning in that you have some ground feel. The ride is less natural as the rocker/curve in the midsole is more noticeable. These are similarly good on hills. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/brooks-hyperion-elite-v4-review/

Hoka Rocket X 2: A much more pointed toe box allows less room for your feet to spread. The midsole is very bouncy which makes the ride feel less natural than the Vanish Carbon 2. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/hoka-rocket-x-2-review/