Altra Olympus 275 HiLo Review

We first tested the Altra Olympus 275 HiLo in July 2026, during a special relay around Mont Blanc that we were invited to by Altra. From there, it came back with us to Scotland for further testing on Scottish trails, including RunClub events in Dundee and Aberdeen.

After many miles of testing, here’s our review of the Altra Olympus 275 HiLo Trail Running Shoes. 

ALTRA TRAIL RUNNING SHOES

Altra Olympus 275 HiLo | What Stood Out

• A comfortable, barely-there upper: The Matryx upper feels light and unobtrusive, while the sock-like ankle gaiter gives a secure feel around the foot. So far, it’s also done a good job of keeping stones and debris out.
• Plush, protective cushioning: The midsole feels soft and protective, but balanced with a good awareness of the ground underfoot. The stack height makes you forget you're in a zero-drop shoe. There’s a good balance between protection and still being able to feel the terrain underfoot. Interestingly, after removing the insole, we found that a lot of the shoe’s soft feel actually comes from the insole padding.
• Confident grip: Our first run in the Olympus 275 HiLo took us onto a spectacular section of the UTMB course, from Lac Combal to Courmayeur. After a 4km climb to one of the course’s highest points, the Arête du Mont Favre, we faced roughly 7km and 1,200m of almost relentless descent. On rocky, groomed paths and dusty trails, the grip felt reliable and gave us plenty of confidence on the steep downhill sections. It was a case of trusting the shoe and letting it run.

Overall, we think the Olympus 275 HiLo is a great choice for long-distance trail running, whether you’re heading out for a long training run or lining up for a race. The cushioning, protection and confident grip make it particularly well suited to keeping you comfortable as the miles add up.

We’ve also taken it along to local parkruns, where it feels equally comfortable over a shorter 5K.

Don’t choose the Altra Olympus 275 HiLo if...

...you want a precise fit for highly technical terrain.

We found the FootShape toe box on the Olympus 275 HiLo provides plenty of room without feeling unstable, and the shoe copes well with rocky, root-filled and steep sections of trail. However, if your runs regularly involve a high proportion of this type of terrain - particularly on shorter, more technical efforts where precision and agility are a priority - you may prefer a shoe with a more precise fit through the forefoot.

For longer trail runs and ultras, though, we found the Olympus 275 HiLo’s roomy fit worked well, offering a good balance of comfort and stability as the miles added up.

Finally, something worth noting, is during one particularly wet and hilly run, where we passed through a section of overgrown grass that had collected rainwater, the insole in the right shoe shifted and didn’t stay fully in place. Thankfully, the issue resolved once the shoe had dried. We haven’t come across any similar reports so far, but it’s something we wanted to flag based on our own testing.

Altra Olympus 275 HiLo | Key Stats

• Women’s approximate weight: 229 grams (UK 6.5)
• Men’s approximate weight: 298 grams (UK 9.5) 
• Forefoot stack height: 33 mm
• Rearfoot stack height: 33 mm
• Drop: 0 mm
• Midsole: EGO™ MAX foam 
• Upper: MATRYX®
• FootShape fit: Original 

Romain Borgeal Romain has worked at Run4It since 2016, joining the team just a few weeks after moving from France. His passion for running - and the outdoors more broadly - stems from growing up in the south of France, where spending time outside was simply a way of life. Over the years, he has completed numerous ultramarathons, with a strong preference for trail and hill running.