ALTRA Men's Rivera Road Running Shoes, Gray/Orange, 11 D(M) US

I've run in the Torin 4.5 and Escalante 2.0 and 2.5 and have enjoyed each of these shoes but always found something lacking or that didn't quite work for me. The Rivera, for me, really combines the best of the Escalante with some Torin qualities to make a killer shoe. The toe box is narrower than these other shoes, as others have described. But, I actually experience less rubbing in these shoes for some reason than with the Torin 4.5, so I am preferring the slightly narrower toe box. The Ego midsole retains that bouncy quality from the Escalante but the extra 2mm stack reduces the harshness of the Escalante, making these more fun for longer runs. The upper is very breathable and extremely comfortable. There's nothing overtly flashy about the Rivera upper, but its simplicity is its strength. It disappears on my foot, and that's about the most I can ask for from a shoe upper. I also weighed my Rivera against my Escalante 2.5. I was surprised that the Rivera was around 0.4 oz lighter than my Escalante (both size 7). Finally, the Rivera hits the sweet spot for me in terms of flexibility and stability. My foot always feels secure in the shoe, unlike the Escalante, but retains much of the Escalante's flexibility. All in all, this is the road shoe I had hoped Altra would make and my shoe of choice for my marathon training.