Altra Men's Vanish-R Lace-Up Zero Drop Athletic Running Shoes Black (9.0M)

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)

as a minimalist-running-shoe guy, i've been waiting for a low-stack-height Altra option for a long time. i'm not disappointed. with both insoles (fancy contoured and simple flat) removed, stack height drops to the range i like, the shoes fit nicely, and they are ridiculously light. i already wore them for Bloomsday 12K last month and plan to wear them for my next marathon. five stars! -- with an asterisk, depending on durability. (i hope to get at least 250 miles out of 'em.)