Altra Vanish Pulse Review – The Escalante Racer 2, Renamed?

In short, the Vanish Pulse is the Escalante Racer 2 under a new name, and I’m pretty bullish about it.

This is a new shoe from Altra, which is really exciting. The thing is, I think it replaces one of their older shoes. So is it a new shoe? Well, probably not. It’s a rehash of a different model.

Is it fun to run in? Yes, it is. Does it fit like an Altra, and is it zero drop? Yes and yes. So should you buy it? Let’s find out.

Affiliate Disclosure: By clicking through the links on this page and purchasing the products, you’ll be helping me out. This is done because I receive a kickback from the sellers at no extra cost to you! Thank you so much for supporting us!

At a Glance: Altra Vanish Pulse

• Best For: Runners who want a minimal-ish, race-ready zero-drop shoe for a fast 5K or 10K
• Skip If: You want a gym or CrossFit shoe, or a casual everyday shoe
• Stack Height: 22mm | Weight: 238g (8.4 oz) | Drop: Zero
• Overall: 8/10 — It feels pretty much the same as the Escalante Racer 2, with a little more squish in the foam and rubber right across the outsole. It’s the replacement for a shoe I loved.
• Price: $150 | Prices on Amazon

Fit

If it doesn’t fit, there’s no point buying it. So does it fit your foot?

Does the Altra Vanish Pulse fit true to size?

It’s true to size. I wear a US 9 and the US 9 was good.

If you know Altras, and specifically if you know the Escalantes from the past, then you’ll know how this fits.

How wide is the toe box?

It’s an ultra wide toe box, quite nicely squared off on the big toe side. The little toe side tapers slightly, but it’s still rather generous, I would say.

The midfoot is quite accommodating because of the flexible upper. I expanded into it quite nicely.

I did have a little bit of pinching down the outside of the midfoot. That loosened over time, or at least became more manageable once I got the lacing locked in.

Is the shoe made for a high or low-volume foot?

It has a bit more flex and volume than other Altras. I didn’t have to replace the insole to gain any more volume.

That said, this is quite a thick insole for an Altra. If you need extra volume, switch it out straight away and you’ll gain a little more room. That’s a need for many of you.

The tongue is interesting: very thin, and it sits nicely over the top of the foot. It did its job.

The lacing is quite simplistic, something we’ve seen from the Escalantes in the past. The woven upper is nice and flexible and wraps around the foot well.

Does the shoe have a good heel lock?

With a lace lock, it stays exactly in place. The heel has more of that wider, skate-shoe feel we see from the Escalantes, and it’s nice and flexible. I quite like that.

Put a lace lock in, wrap it around the ankle, tighten it, and the heel doesn’t move.

One thing to note: the footbed is not 100% flat. There’s a bit of a rail towards the back of the shoe, around the heel and the midfoot, and a small raised guard on the inside of the foot.

I didn’t find any problem with either. But if you’ve had pressure points in those spots before, keep it in mind.

Feel

The easy thing to say is this is an Escalante Racer 2. It feels pretty much the same.

Is the 22mm stack height good or bad?

It’s 22mm in the heel and the forefoot, which makes it one of the most minimal Altras on the road side. Altra lists 22mm. I said 20mm on camera, then “22mm of foam”, so go with Altra’s number.

Coming from a barefoot-style runner, I wouldn’t call this minimal. It’s actually a high stack height for me.

But if you’ve only ever run in conventional running shoes, it’s going to feel minimal. Your feet will be working hard. So go carefully if you’re trying this type of shoe for the first time.

Want some foot health benefits? Absolutely go for it. Walk around in it first, get a feel for it, and don’t go overboard straight away. My transition guide covers how.

How does the foam feel?

It’s still firm, which I quite like. It does feel a bit different from the Escalante Racer 2 and from an Escalante. It has a little more squish than I remember from the Escalantes, and that’s welcome.

I’ve really enjoyed running in the shoe because of it. It’s probably what people expect these days, with all the super bouncy foams around.

But it’s not on the super squishy side. It still has a lot of firmness, which gives you a bit more ground feel. Personally, I believe that’s a benefit.

Is the shoe flexible?

It’s a little bit stiffer. I’m not going to say it’s stiff, because it’s not. I found the same in the Racer 2.

And I quite like that in this format. Torsionally, it’s decent.

It gives me a somewhat minimal shoe in a race-ready format for a 5K or 10K. I wear barefoot and minimal shoes for most of my training. But if I wanted to run a really fast 5K, I’d reach for something like this.

Is there a rocker?

No, and that’s the point. I just reviewed the Torin 9. There’s some taper towards the front of the shoe, but it doesn’t feel like a proper rocker, and there’s no real toe spring. It’s pretty flat throughout.

If you like zero drop and that feel, this is what you want. Minimal structure without slipping off the side of the shoe, and your feet do most of the work.

How heavy is it?

Altra lists 238g (8.4 oz) for the men’s shoe. I put my US 9 at around 240g. It’s getting lightweight, and I quite like it.

I’d love for it to come down a bit more, though. If you’ve ever run in a sub-200g shoe, you know the feeling and you love it. I’m not going to say this is a bad weight.

Will they work in the gym?

I wouldn’t recommend it. The upper is quite flexible, so you’ll slip side to side and it will be quite uncomfortable. Cornering fast on a 5K, you may feel some of the same.

The rails stop that a little, but not fully. For a road shoe, this is absolutely fine.

For gym work, look at the Altra Solstice XT 3 instead, which is gym focused, or drop down in stack height to a minimal shoe. I’m all about the running.

Durability

How long before the outsole wears out?

It has rubber throughout, which is pretty good to see. The orange may look like foam, but it’s rubber. Pretty good for durability, pretty good for grip.

There’s one small patch on the side that is foam. I never noticed it at first. It makes sense: there’s not much pressure through that point, so it won’t wear quickly.

I’d be interested to see them cut back some of that rubber to drop more weight, like we used to see on other Escalantes. But I didn’t do the testing. They may have a good reason.

I’m not looking for this shoe to be super durable. But the fact it has that rubber? Great.

Will the midsole foam pack out?

It probably flattens out, much like many other Altras. At this stack height, I don’t really care. It doesn’t deform in a way that creates instability.

So keep running them, then make them your training shoe, or your garden shoe. You can keep using these for ages.

Will the upper develop holes?

The upper is the weakest part of the shoe. It’s just a weave. If you have a wider forefoot or create pressure points in it, you’ll likely break out of it at some point.

I don’t put pressure on it myself. The only point is the flex point, and over time those forces will wear it down. But it should do as well as any of the Escalantes before it.

The Bottom Line

The real decision now is the Vanish Pulse or the Escalante 5. If you’re a true runner, I’m always going to say the Vanish Pulse. It’s a lot lighter; the Escalante 5 actually gained weight.

If you want a casual shoe, go for the Escalante 5. It’s a bit more durable, a bit firmer, and probably a little more cost effective too.

But I’m pretty bullish about this shoe. It’s a racer to me, an Escalante racer. I loved them in the past and I still love them now. This is the replacement.

Choose the Altra Vanish Pulse if:

• You want a race-ready zero-drop shoe for a fast 5K or 10K
• You need an ultra wide, squared-off toe box
• You like a flat, zero-drop ride where your feet do most of the work
• You loved the Escalante Racer 2

Skip the Altra Vanish Pulse if:

• You want a gym or CrossFit shoe (try the Solstice XT 3 or a minimal shoe)
• You want a casual everyday shoe (the Escalante 5 suits that better)
• You have a wide forefoot that tends to wear through knit uppers
• You’ve had pressure points from rails or guards in the midfoot