Altra Women's Vanish-R Lace Up Comfort Athletic Running Shoes Red (12.0M)

Nothing comes close to this in terms of lightweight road running shoes on the market right now (At least from what I've tried) - especially if you love the zero drop/wide toebox you get from Altras! I used to do my speedwork and shorter races in super minimal shoes and was waiting for Altra to come out with something lighter that i could use and this is that shoe. While it is stiffer and fits a bit more snug than a typical "minimalist shoe" (Or even other Altra models for that matter) I feel it adds a lot of stability around the foot and will allow me to use it in longer races. It's been great for road racing so far from the 5K to the 1/2 marathon and gives me the confidence that I can wear it in my upcoming marathon (I did just buy a 2nd pair to use for that race). My only asterisk would be that they did start to get real beat up after only about 150 miles where as my typical Altras last 500+ (I did put them through the wringer with my racing and speedwork schedule this past spring/summer but i noticed some other comments about the quality as well)

Great shoe, amazingly well cushioned considering the light weight. I'm pretty sure I'm going to use these for my next marathon. Altra, please clarify the insole situation on this shoe. From another retailer's website re: this shoe: "Important Shoe Note: Two insoles are included inside each shoe, please choose ONE to dial in your perfect fit. Flat insole: Traditional stripped down insole that you'd expect to find in a racing flat. Contoured insole: M" If I hadn't happen to notice that I would have thought I needed to send my pair back for a bigger size. The white insole is very subtlety stuck beneath the black one in the shoe, and really just looks like it's part of the shoe not to be removed.