Plenty of cushioning
Find the best balance of performance and ground feel with these tester-approved shoes.
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Only a decade after the brand’s inception in 2013, Topo Athletic has made a name for itself as one of the top options for barefoot-style running shoe enthusiasts. With wide toeboxes, low drops, and conservative cushioning, Topo’s shoes are made for you to forget you’re wearing them, which makes for a more natural and grounded running experience.
Topo Athletic Cyclone 2 lightweight road trainers to bulletproof, rock plate-equipped trail racers, there are options that make the most of every shoe style’s best qualities while still giving you the roomy, minimal feeling so many runners have come to appreciate.
Our wear testers have spent plenty of time with Topo’s lineup, and we’ve compiled the data and their feedback for you. Read on to see how you can add a low-drop twist to your favorite runs.
The Best Topo Athletic Running Shoes
- Races - Places: Topo Athletic Specter
- oz M, 8.2 oz W: Big lugs and sticky sole for high traction
- How Many Miles Do Running Shoes Last: Tread wears down quickly
- Published: Aug 28, 2023 7:39 PM EDT: oz M, 8.2 oz W
- barefoot-style running shoe: Topo Athletic ST-4
What to Consider When Choosing Topo Athletic Running Shoes
Although Topo Athletic’s shoe lineup spans a considerable range of running styles and applications, there are a few strands of common genes prevalent across the brand. The biggest themes you’ll notice include wide toeboxes, little to no drop (0-5mm), and a pared-down stack height, all designed to create a better connection between the ground and your feet.
Topo’s shoes offer an unquestionably different ride than you’d get from a more cushioned, structured stability shoe, so it’s important to understand that you might have to take time to settle into these shoes if they’re your first pair from the brand.
Do You Like a Wide Toe Box?
For most runners, more space in the forefoot offers a chance to splay your toes out more properly, letting you hug the ground with a stabler and more natural platform. You’re also much less likely to encounter hotspots or pressure points, which can keep you feeling comfortable as you rack up the miles.
All that room around your toes can sometimes feel precarious when you’re shifting your weight in corners or on steep downhills, but Topo’s tendency toward a cozier midfoot and heel fit aims to remedy that loose feeling.
How Does Low Heel-to-Toe Drop Affect Your Running?
Commonly misunderstood as a means of preventing heel striking, low- and zero-drop shoes encourage a stride that lands you more reliably above your center of mass, which can help prevent overstriding and eliminate braking forces caused by beefed-up heels.
Implementing this design often comes at the cost of some padding around the heel, and it’s a fit that takes some getting used to. But proponents of low drop suggest that it’s a more natural ride overall, which aligns with Topo’s main design goals. Zero-drop isn’t for everybody, but Topo bridges the gap well by adding up to 5mm of drop in some of its cushier shoes.
How We Selected
These picks are backed by our test team. The editors run in hundreds of shoes a year, including almost every shoe in Topo Athletic’s lineup. They recommend these shoes based on their fit, cushioning, traction, durability, and how that all relates to the final price tag. We also rely on the input of hundreds of wear testers, as well as data from our lab where we measure flexibility, softness, and energy return to ensure that every shoe we recommend is a quantifiable top performer.
These Topo Athletic shoes are their best kicks you can buy right now. Keep reading to see where and how we think each one performs best.
Pros
- Efficient use of limited cushioning
- Outsole can take a beating
Cons
- Runners with narrow feet will need to lace up pretty tight
Looking more like a standard daily trainer than most of Topo’s other road shoes, the Phantom 3 will keep you feeling the same on your arrival back home as you did on your departure. While a bit firmer than in other shoes of its kind—think the Hoka Clifton or the Saucony Triumph—the midsole foam is still quite comfortable, and that added stiffness does wonders for energy return and helping you maintain a consistent stride. It’s also near-bulletproof: The sole can last hundreds of miles in the best case, giving you plenty of time to get to know this shoe (or, better yet, forget you’re wearing it).
Key Specs
| Weight | 9.9 oz (M), 8 oz (W) |
|---|---|
| Drop | 5mm |
Pros
- Races - Places
- More flexible than other racing shoes
Cons
- Not as much energy return as most carbon-plated shoes
While most racing shoes have trended toward a carbon plate mechanism sandwiched between loads of foam, Topo opted to continue on the more traditional route to avoid creating an overly stiff shoe. With a midsole that masterfully hot-dogs a central layer of Pebax foam between two layers of less pliable EVA, your foot sinks into the center of the shoe more securely, which adds an improved sense of stability when compared to loftier shoes with a greater stack height.
In proper Topo fashion, the toebox is quite roomy, and some of our wear testers didn’t enjoy that extra space on their racier runs. Nevertheless, this is a Topo that’s meant to make races feel a bit less like torture sessions for your feet.
Key Specs
| Weight | 9.8 oz (M), 7.9 oz (W) |
|---|---|
| Drop | 0mm |
Big lugs and sticky sole for high traction Running Shoe
Pros
- Great traction
- Super lightweight
Cons
- Doesn’t have a rock plate
As Topo’s most minimalist trail shoe, the Runventure has always been a mountain goat. The fourth edition of the shoe continues on this trend, offering a barely-there trail shoe that maximizes your ground feel with a thin, thin 20mm stack height.
The traction on this shoe is also phenomenal, thanks largely to the Vibram rubber outsole. Even when sharp rocks and roots might feel a bit rough under the skinny midsole, you can at least rest assured that you won’t lose your grip on them.
Key Specs
| Weight | 9.8 oz (M), 7.9 oz (W) |
|---|---|
| Drop | 0mm |
Pros
- Running Shoes & Gear
- DAA Industry Opt Out
Cons
- Tread wears down quickly
The Cyclone 2, lightweight and cushy as it is, manages to maintain a competitively light weight while offering plenty of cushioning. We can thank Pebax foam for the economical squish this shoe delivers, and other touches like an airy mesh upper and a 1-ounce weight reduction from the previous model additionally help to transform this shoe into a comfort-loving weight weenie’s platonic ideal.
Key Specs
| Weight | 6.9 oz (M), 5.5 oz (W) |
|---|---|
| Drop | 5mm |
Pros
- Big lugs and sticky sole for high traction
- Plenty of cushioning
Cons
- Topo Athletic Cyclone 2
In the rocks, root, and mud, the Mtn Racer 3 means business. Take a look at the lugs on this thing to see why—they’re 6mm thick and spaced perfectly to dig into the rough stuff without making you feel like you’re walking on spikes. The wide sole helps add some stability to the platform, and the midsole in this iteration has an updated layer of cushioning that can make long distances feel like a breeze, regardless of the terrain.
Key Specs
| Weight | 10.1 oz (M), 8.3 oz (W) |
|---|---|
| Drop | 5mm |
Pros
- Minimalist design promotes natural stride
- Generous but secure upper
Cons
- No structure in the heel, which can feel unstable
Made to offer you little more than some added cushion and traction versus your bare feet, the ST-4 is a seriously slim shoe. The zero-drop sole sits at a mere 16mm stack height, almost entirely eliminating the gap between your foot and the road under you. Sure, it’s not the plush ride you’d get from the Cyclone 2 or Phantom 3, but you’ll certainly have an unhindered stride under this shoe’s breezy, malleable, sock-like upper.
Key Specs
| Weight | 7.3 oz (M), 6.1 oz. (W) |
|---|---|
| Drop | 0mm |
Topo Athletic Ultraventure 3 Running Shoe
Pros
- Versatile applications on- and off-road
- Running in the Cold
Cons
- Health - Injuries
Topo’s Ultraventure is made for going the long haul. It’s one of the brand’s lighter trail shoes, but its outsole lugs are also short and broad enough that you can just as easily take it on a road run. There’s no rock plate in this shoe, rather an extra 5mm of foam for added protection that translates onto the tarmac as well as the dirt. It’s tricky to find a pair in stock right now, but it’s nevertheless a worthwhile purchase for anyone looking for a do-it-all shoe.
Key Specs
| Weight | 10.1 oz (M), 8.2 oz (W) |
|---|---|
| Drop | 5mm |
Adam Schram is an Assistant Editor of Commerce at Runner's World, We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article Bicycling and Popular Mechanics, too. A lover of all things outdoors, Adam's writing career comes after six years as a bike mechanic in his hometown of State College, PA. His journalism experience is steeped in cycling and running gear reviews, and he's also a published creative nonfiction and satire author. When he's not writing, riding, or running, you can catch Adam at home mixing cocktails, watching Star Wars, Topo Athletic Specter.
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