Topo Athletic Magnifly 5 Review

In our Topo Athletic Magnifly 5 review we explore the neutral road running shoe designed to be light and responsive, but durable and cushioned enough for your everyday miles/long runs, whilst being zippy enough for some quicker sessions.

Zero Drop – Midfoot Landing

Topo Athletic make shoes in a range from 0mm to 5mm drop. The Magnifly 5 is built on a zero drop or 0mm from heel to forefoot last. The stack height is identical, which essentially means that the midsole is ‘flat’ or same distance from the ground in both toe and heel. A lot of casual everyday shoes and running shoes have a raised heel. Zero drop shoes are designed to allow your body to function more naturally by promoting a more midfoot strike. This loads the foot so it can spread on impact, stretch out the Planta Fascia on the bottom of your foot, give you some natural shock absorption and finally recoil and spring you into your next step. To allow this mechanism to take place, Topo Athletic running shoes also have a broad rounded toe box, which gives your feet the space to spread naturally. Plus the midsole, although cushioned, isn’t too soft so your foot ‘knows’ it has touched the floor and ‘gets the message’ to spread.

To reduce the amount of breaking force and shock that your body has to deal with it is best for your foot to touch the floor under your centre of gravity. This is easier to do in a zero drop shoe, as there is no elevated heel to hit the floor earlier.

Zero Drop – Posture

The feel for the ground that cushioning like that in the Magnifly 5 gives you, sends a clearer message to lift your feet up, especially compared with the high stack height soft squishy shoes out there. This tends to increase your cadence and give you a more upright running style. This makes you lighter on your feet and helps you run quicker with less effort. There is no sinking into deep cushion, killing energy efficiency.

I find that I am a lot more aware of what my body is doing in his type of shoe and that the stress of running is spread out over the whole body. I often find that my stomach muscles, glutes and hamstrings feel like they have been worked after a steady run in this type of shoe.

Zero Drop – Versus Rockers

The current trend in running shoes is to have a rocker or curve to the midsole. This guides your foot backwards when it hits the floor, helping maintain a quick cadence and more upright posture. I find that with this type of shoe I feel like I am ‘riding’ the shoe. Whereas with a zero drop shoe, like the Topo Magnifly 5, I am running. Now days I don’t get to run in many responsive zero drop running shoes like the Magnifly, as we’re trending towards rockers and lots of cushioning. When I go back to this type of shoe I am aware that my body is working and improving, where it gets lazy as the rockers have been doing some of the work. Once I get into my run I feel like I am flying. Everything feels so natural.

BROWSE TOPO ATHLETIC MAGNIFLY 5

Zero Drop – Transition Slowly

If you aren’t used to low drop running shoes that have a rounded toe box, designed to let your feet function naturally, then it’s a good idea to gradually increase the time you spend in these shoes, alternating with your current running shoes. This way you are less likely to overload your feet, ankles and lower legs that won’t be used to functioning. If your everyday shoes are narrow and pointed then you may find that your feet don’t spread on impact. This is because the muscles have got weak and the joints a bit sticky! This function does come back, it just takes a little bit of time.

Warning

The feeling that you get from running in this type of shoe is addictive.

Midsole, Heel & Outsole

The stack height of the Magnifly 5 is 25mm/25mm, the same as the previous version. What has changed it that the midsole is made from a newer version of Topo’s ZipFoam. This is lighter, slightly softer and has a bit more bounce to it. I also found the Magnifly 5 was a bit more flexible than the previous version. The Magnifly 4 was initially a little stiff but flexed up as the shoes wore in. The Magnifly 5 has that bit of extra flex that makes them feel more natural from the first run. The weight of the shoes has also reduced. A women’s UK5 is 204g and a men’s UK8 is 246g. As you would expect, this makes them feel very light on your feel.

Topo shoes have a snug fitting heel and are snug through the midfoot then open out into a roomy, rounded toe box. The Topo Magnifly 5 is no exception. The heel cup and around the cuff of the shoe is nicely padded. As is the tongue. The tongue has two lace stays which the laces thread through. These help stop the tongue from slipping to the side when running or walking. The engineered mesh that the upper is constructed from is lovely and soft.

The outsole has a good covering of a slightly sticky rubber. This gives good traction on wet roads. The same rubber is used on the Phantom 3, which is a neutral everyday training shoe with a 5mm heel to forefoot drop and the Topo Cyclone 2, which is a lightweight racer/trainer that has a very light and nimble feel.

Topo Athletic running shoes are similar in length to Brooks, Saucony, NNormal and Altra. If you use Hoka, New Balance, Karhu, La Sportiva or Inov-8 then half a size smaller will give you a similar length.

Summary

The Topo Athletic Magnifly 5 is a neutral everyday running shoe in a nimble, lightweight package. It’s zero drop and has that roomy toe box for runners looking to take advantage of the form and posture benefits they bring. Versatile enough for steady runs, tempo runs and fartleks, but comfortable enough for easy recovery runs and long runs too.

Other Considerations – Zero Drop

Altra Escalante 3: In terms of another zero drop equivalent the Altra Escalante 3 is the only rival currently on the running shoe market. The stack height is very similar as is the broad rounded toe box and responsive cushioning. What differs is the fit. Altra’s have a more relaxed fit. The heel isn’t as snug and supportive and there is more room through the midfoot. This is to allow your foot to work more naturally inside the shoes. Which is better for you will depend on how you like your shoes to fit and the level of foot function that you have. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/altra-escalante-3-review/

Other Considerations

Hoka Mach 6: A 5mm heel to forefoot but with a very bouncy foam and a noticeable rocker. The rocker and bouncy foam does some of the work for your body so it’s not the same offering as a zero drop shoe that has enough space in the toe box for foot function but they are designed for a similar use. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/hoka-mach-6-review/

Brooks Launch 10: Available in a neutral and a pronation support version (GTS) these are light and responsive. The heel to forefoot drop is 10mm and the toe box is much narrower but they are available in two width’s Men’s and Women’s. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/brooks-launch-10-launch-gts-10-review/

New Balance Rebel v4: Like the Hoka Mach 6 these shoes have a soft bouncy foam and a rocker so they don’t stimulate the same foot function but, they are designed for the same purpose. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/new-balance-fuelcell-rebel-v4-review/