founded 2009 ; 7 years ago 2009 founder golden harper brian beckstead jeremy howlett headquarters logan utah united states area served worldwide products athletic footwear website www.altrarunning.com footnotes references 1 2 3 4 5 altra running also known as altra footwear or altra is an american company engaged in the design development marketing and sales of road running trail running and general footwear . 6 altra has been ranked in the top 10 brands in run specialty and number 4 for trail running . 7 in 2016 the company started to manufacture running and hiking apparel with a line of jackets shorts shirts and socks . altra developed a backless windbreaker that can be easily slipped on over a backpack or hydration pack during long distance running . 8 contents 1 origin and history 2 design 3 growth 4 features 5 sponsorships 6 awards 7 external links 8 references origin and history edit golden harper brian beckstead and jeremy howlett cut up and altered different brands of running shoes to design a better performing shoe which they named zero drop . the name refers to the lack of height differential between the shoe s heel and toe area . 9 harper beckstead and howlett demonstrated their new design to various footwear companies with little success so they started a company called altra footwear in 2009 partnering with pulse labs an engineering firm at brigham young university and with contract manufacturers in asia . 1 6 9 10 harper chose the name altra based on the latin word altera which means to fix or mend something that is broken . 7 the company was acquired in march 2011 by icon health & fitness a developer marketer and manufacturer of fitness related products . 11 design edit side view of an altra trail running shoe which highlights a feature of all altra shoes where the heel and forefoot are the same distance from the ground . golden harper founder of the company noticed that the stride and gait of barefoot runners changed when the runners wore traditional running shoes . 12 he suspected that the heel height of most running shoes was too high as compared to the height of the mid foot or toe . at this time harper was working at his father s shoe store called runner s corner in orem utah and he began modifying traditional running shoes by cutting them open removing padding from the heel and then using a toaster oven and glue to put the shoes back together . 13 harper recruited local runners and store employees to test out prototype shoes where the heel and forefoot were the same distance from the ground . the design proved to allow a more natural running experience where footfalls are in the mid to forefoot area instead of the more typical heel strike . harper called this design zero drop . 12 growth edit word spread about these hacked shoes among the local running community and harper began selling them from his father s store . he commissioned a local cobbler to make a 1 000 pairs but soon sold out . 7 after failing to interest established footwear companies harper took the idea for the shoe to venture capitalists and former nike designers . the shoe quickly went from a back room operation to an established brand with international production . altra first entered the north american market in 2011 and won the runner s world magazine s 2012 editor s choice best debut award . 14 by september 2013 altra footwear was at 300 percent annual growth rate and opening in 25 to 30 new markets . 9 each year since 2011 altra running has doubled their sales revenue and over 1500 retailers are now selling their zero drop foot shaped toe box shoes . outdoor recreation gear and sporting goods retailer rei started selling altra running shoes in the past year . 15 altra has also introduced a casual shoe line that are designed to be worn in the office or around town . the brand is looking to use social media running event sponsorships and tv advertising to reach new customers . 15 features edit all altra running shoes feature a cushioned zero drop platform that places the heel and forefoot at the same distance from the ground . altra shoes feature a wider than average toe box . 7 the men s version and women s version of each shoe model is built using gender specific templates to accommodate anatomical differences . 7 during the 2015 outdoor retailer summer market altra introduced their first smart shoe altra iq . powered by ifit the altra iq uses technology to help runners analyze their running biomechanics . 16 slated to be released in spring of 2016 the altra iq will collect data on stride pace foot strike zone heel vs. midfoot vs. forefoot ground contact time left foot vs. right foot imbalances and more and will transmit the data via bluetooth to a mobile device such as a smartphone or watch for analysis . 17 18 sponsorships edit altra footwear is the official footwear sponsor of the western states endurance run held each year in squaw valley california 19 and the hardrock hundred mile endurance run . which starts and ends in silverton colorado . 20 awards edit gear junkie gear of the year 2015 lone peak neoshell 2015 21 runner s world editors choice superior 2.0 2015 men s journal best trail running shoes of 2015 the lone peak neoshell 2014 22 runner s world editors pick trail shoe the lone peak 1.5 2013 23 competitor magazine most innovative best ride superior 2012 24 competitor magazine editor s pick the lone peak 2012 25 runner s world best debut the instinct 2012 26 competitor magazine editor s pick for innovation of the year the instinct 2011 external links edit official website references edit a b when to retire a running shoe . well the new york times . the new york times company . 2013 02 18 . retrieved 2013 04 27 . dinha nineveh 22 april 2013 . 5k charity run raises money for boston marathon victims . fox 13 news . kstu . retrieved 2013 04 29 . ultra experience . retrieved 2013 04 29 . youtube . retrieved 2013 04 29 . starting a business jeremy howlett . retrieved 2013 04 29 . a b metzler brian 22 march 2011 . what s the deal with zero drop shoes . running times . rodale inc. retrieved 2013 04 29 . a b c d e frazier lance 2015 03 06 . in four short years icon s altra shoes have carved out a significant niche . the herald journal . the herald journal . retrieved 2015 03 14 . dengate jeff 2016 03 31 . altra now makes apparel track spikes . runner s world . retrieved 2016 04 07 . a b c johnston mark 2013 09 02 . 100 miles orem runner has run it five times and counting . daily herald . daily herald utah . retrieved 2013 09 11 . zero drop shoes . runner s world . rodale inc. september 14 2011 . retrieved 2013 04 18 . icon breaks tradition by purchasing shoe company . snews . cruz bay publishing inc. august 15 2011 . retrieved 2013 04 27 . a b pang nicholas . the minimalist runner transitioning from traditional running shoes to minimalist running shoes . isbn 978 145382435 1 . retrieved 2013 09 11 . bachman rachel 2014 07 23 . better than barefoot running shoes seek middle ground . the wall street journal . retrieved 2015 04 02 . 2012 award winning shoes . runner s world . rodale inc. december 19 2012 . retrieved 2013 09 11 . a b verry peter 2016 03 11 . all in stride pdf . footwear news . p. 47 . retrieved 2016 03 10 . altra running introduces the altra iq powered by ifit the world s first shoe able . reuters . 2015 08 04 . retrieved 2015 11 03 . altra footwear to launch iq powered by ifit running shoe . footwear news . retrieved 2015 11 03 . a stride coach in your shoe . runner s world . retrieved 2015 11 03 . altra named exclusive footwear sponsor . retrieved 2015 12 02 . partners . retrieved 2015 12 02 . gearjunkie top gear of the year 2015 . retrieved 2016 01 27 . the best trail running shoes for 2015 . mensjournal.com . men s journal llc . retrieved 2015 11 03 . fall 2013 trail shoe guide . retrieved 2015 03 31 . fall 2012 trail running shoe review . 2012 11 05 . retrieved 2015 03 31 . 2012 trail running shoe review . competitor.com . competitor group inc. 2012 07 13 . retrieved 2015 03 31 . altra instinct 2.0 men s . runner s world . rodale inc. retrieved 2015 03 31 . v t e running shoe brands running shoe brands adidas altra running asics brooks fila k swiss li ning merrell mizuno new balance newton nike north face puma reebok saucony spira under armour tyka related athletic shoe v t e icon health & fitness brands altra running freemotion fitness gold s gym ifit image nordictrack proform weslo weider retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title altra running & oldid 727363467 categories athletic shoe brandscompanies based in utahshoe companies of the united statessporting goods manufacturers of the united statescompanies established in 20092009 establishments in utah navigation menu personal tools not logged intalkcontributionscreate accountlog in namespaces article talk variants views read edit view history more search navigation main pagecontentsfeatured contentcurrent eventsrandom 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