The following review was written by Sarah Barber and features Altra and SOAR. Product was provided at no cost for the test and review.
Some pairings defy the odds, like the unique friendship between Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart. Other dynamic duos make us wonder how either member of the couple could exist without the other—peanut butter and chocolate are fine examples. But when an apparel company forms a partnership with a shoe manufacturer, the potential for synergism is limitless.
Benefits of collaboration
We’ve all seen trail shoe innovators branch out under the illusion that excellence in one department—making shoes—might translate to excellence in another, say, producing running clothing. This is rarely the case. The better approach is collaboration in which subject matter experts from two different fields bring their products together and market them as one unit. And that’s what Altra and SOAR have done with their recently released race-ready capsule.
Altra, though lacking the massive market share of Nike or HOKA, has a devoted following among trail runners who appreciate a roomy toe box and low-to-zero drop shoes. London-based SOAR is a high-end running apparel brand looking for a toehold in the U.S. Could this long-distance relationship actually be a match made in heaven?
By harnessing the expertise of both brands—SOAR’s mastery in technical apparel and Altra’s reputation for its specific niche in trail footwear—this collaboration promises more than the sum of its parts. The result is a trail racing get-up where every piece is meticulously designed to meet the demands of elite competitors and passionate amateurs alike. Every detail, from the cut of the shorts to the grip pattern of the shoes, reflects a shared commitment to performance and comfort.
The shoe
The Altra x SOAR Mont Blanc Carbon trail shoe is essentially a style upgrade to Altra’s fastest trail shoe, the Mont Blanc. Boasting a full-length carbon plate for both propulsion and underfoot protection, the Mont Blanc is a supershoe cousin, but it lacks the characteristic high-rebound foam midsole of the truly super supershoes. Instead, it trades springy momentum for stability on uneven surfaces, leveraging its Vibram outsole for unparalleled grip. It also remains true to the original Altra features: roomy toe box and zero drop.
Color pairings
What makes the Altra x SOAR Mont Blanc Carbon different from any other Altra Mont Blanc is the limited-edition prism-colored upper that pairs with the colorways of the SOAR x Altra Trail Race Top, Printed Run Cap, and Trail Race Shorts. No doubt about it: the entire ensemble is snazzily attention-grabbing, both in concept and appearance. My job as a product tester was to determine whether function would match—or even exceed—form.
The shorts
The SOAR Trail Race Shorts would match anything—they’re black. They’re also quite long, hitting my relatively leggy frame at just above the knee, but the snugly compressive fabric is worth every extra inch of coverage for someone who likes her muscles to feel swaddled (and I do). Constructed without a true waistband but with silicone grippers to prevent creep, the Trail Race Shorts are reinforced with trademarked RHEON strips for added support and shock absorption.
In case you didn’t know (because I didn’t), RHEON is an energy absorbing “super polymer” invented by NASA and designed to be flexible in its natural state and then stiffen when force is applied. This so-called “metamaterial” is absolutely brilliant for trail running when you consider the fact that a twenty-mile jaunt might involve anywhere from eighty-thousand to a bazillion foot strikes, depending on your stride length and perceptual reality. RHEON aside, there’s also something magical about the crotch (a phrase generally reserved for the Thunder From Down Under). In my experience, clingy compression shorts generally require a bit of adjusting to keep the nether regions free of chafe or other irritation. Not the SOAR Trail Race Shorts, though. I pulled them on and that was it—no fuss, no fixing needed.
The Trail Race Shorts have open pockets at the waist to stash snacks; the attention-to-detail by SOAR are the little pull tabs that make it easier to access the contents when pressure and fatigue make fingers fumbly. A zippered pocket on the back is big enough for a standard cell phone or other valuables. The final touch is an integrated stretchy cord that can be used to tie layers or affix poles when not in use.
The top and cap
SOAR’s Trail Race Top is equally high-tech, engineered with a UPF-50 rating on areas of high sun exposure (think back and shoulders). It’s ultra-lightweight and mostly white to keep the wearer cool—the only touches of color are the same prism pattern as the coordinating, quick-drying Printed Run Cap which completes the look. In all honesty, I’m more of a visor person than a hat person when it comes to trail running, and I tend towards sleeveless tops, but SOAR’s intentional designs are incredibly appealing. For example, they kept the shirt’s neckline relatively high to prevent chafing for athletes using hydration packs, and they included a simple draw cord adjustment feature to keep the cap from bouncing.
Tech is not cheap
It’s hard to ignore the fact that each element of each garment was created deliberately. There are no mistakes from SOAR. Except the pricing—which probably isn’t a mistake, because tech is not cheap! The question is whether the trail running community will choose to invest in products like this. We’re more accustomed to paying top dollar for shoes, and shoes with carbon in them, like the Altra Mont Blanc Carbon, typically cost more. But have you ever spent more money on a pair of running shorts than on the kicks you wear with them? Me neither.
And wait…there’s more
All that being said, here’s a teaser for a future story: I loved the stiff and responsive feel of both the Altra Mont Blanc Carbon shoe and the SOAR Trail Race Shorts so much that I will be sporting them in my first 50K race in a few days. Who knows whether I’ll still like that stiff and responsive feel after going full send for thirty-one miles, but I’m game to find out!
Editor’s Note: ATRA’s gear wrangler Sarah Barber is one of the more than 300 runners slated to compete at Tamalpa Headlands 50K on Saturday, August 16. Read the preview story by Andy Wacker here and stay tuned for Barber’s post-race article.
