Altra Vanish Carbon 3 Review | Comfort For The Long Miles Ahead

The Altra Vanish Carbon 3 brings more to the table than a wide toebox and low drop; its comfort makes it feel like a top choice for race distances beyond the marathon.

This shoe has quite a few differences from the Altra Vanish Carbon 2, adding a 4mm drop, compared to the 2’s zero drop, which makes it more suitable for a larger population of runners.

The 4mm drop can take getting used to, so runners used to higher drops should take their time easing into it.

Altra also changed the carbon plate from a full plate to a forked carbon plate, giving the shoe the signature brand goal of feeling what your feet do when they hit the ground.

It’s definitely a top shoe in Altra’s road shoe lineup, but not what we’ll see Elite marathoners running in, or in any of the shorter road distance races.

I can see this becoming the go-to for ultra-distance road races; the shoe absorbs impact while smoothly transitioning you forward, while keeping the cushioning and comfort in the latter miles.

Altra Vanish Carbon 3 Overview

From the first few miles to now long runs in these, I’m very happy with how they look, feel, and perform.

The Altra Vanish Carbon 3 is a responsive, high-cushion shoe.

What keeps these apart from today’s top carbon-plated race shoes is that they lack the ability to propel a runner forward with each step. These feel a bit flat (or not as snappy) when training for faster paces like the 10k or 5k.

Yes, those paces are harder to hit and maintain, but while other carbon plated race shoes kind of give you that snap to keep rolling you forward, these settle most comfortably and efficiently, in my opinion, at marathon or ultra paces.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Maybe it’s not the shoe for those faster runners who are working toward faster goal times, or those who primarily have a forefoot strike. Midfoot strikers, or runners who spend race days around a threshold and tempo pace, will feel that cushion and the forward roll transition into the next stride.

The way the carbon plate works is that it’s split between the big toe and the other four toes, and from there it comes back on the outside of the heel with a hole in the middle, coming together, but not connecting, at the back of the heel.

This makes it so that you get that snap from the carbon plate while allowing you to engage your big toe, feeling that ground contact versus having a full front plate snap back toward the entire ball of your foot.

The insoles have the outline of the carbon plate, which I think is a cool visual for runners to have and know about.

With this shoe, Altra released a new FAST RCE midsole, which is a two-piece full PEBA foam – a change from the previous version, the Altra Vanish Carbon 2, that used Altra’s EGO Pro with TPE (Thermoplastic Elastomer) foam. 

I’ve found myself really liking PEBA foam midsoles, like the PUMA with the Nitro Elite midsoles and ASICS shoes with FF Turbo and FF Turbo+ midsoles, so maybe this is another reason why I felt comfortable with the Altra Vanish Carbon 3 from the get-go.

The Altra Vanish Carbon 3 rocker begins further back, at the midfoot, so the transition itself from easy to tempo is smooth and seamless.

It’s when I got to the shorter intervals of faster running, where I transition into more of a forefoot strike, that I didn’t feel like I was wearing a carbon plated shoe; instead, it felt like a regular high-cushion trainer.

I also really liked slowing down in these, transitioning from higher paces to easy pace or rest intervals. Some more aggressive race day shoes feel almost jerky and stiff once you’re past the finish line and have to stop before grabbing your medal, for example.

To me, it’s a shoe I’m excited to keep wearing and plan on wearing it for an upcoming marathon.

The Altra Vanish Carbon 3 is heavier than most race shoes currently on the market, but it did not feel heavy on my feet by any means.

The price tag is right in the middle of what we see carbon plated race shoes go for. It is an investment, but I do think overall it is worth it.

Altra Vanish Carbon 3 Fit

Length: True to size
Width: Snug midfoot, roomier forefoot
Toe Box: Roomy
Arch: Neutral
Volume: Moderate

When I first peeked inside the box, I had to double-check that the shoes inside were actually Altras.

The Altra Vanish Carbon 3 looks sleek, and the toebox doesn’t look quite as pronounced as most other Altra shoes. 

My first time putting them on, I immediately felt the cushion, but there were some areas of concern at first. 

The midfoot upper felt a bit too snug for a brand that is known for its large toebox; even loosening the laces wasn’t giving me more room. In contrast, the heel lock wasn’t great.

The bit of cushion on the heel and ankle is a great addition, but it doesn’t help with hugging the back of your foot into place; I even tried a few different lacing methods, and it didn’t make a difference.

The room on the toebox was just right without feeling that my feet would shift too much in the toes.

As I took the shoes out for the first few runs, I realized the snug midfoot upper let go just enough to be comfortable, while still contrasting with the wider toebox to keep my feet in place.

Although the heel lock didn’t get much better for me, this wasn’t enough to make the shoe less enjoyable. Altogether, those different characteristics worked together to make me forget about my feet.

The tongue is very thin (similar to the Adidas Evo SL tongue) and made of comfortable material on the inside.

It’s attached toward the forefoot on both sides to help keep it in place, with a lace lock around the midfoot. This lace lock does make it difficult to quickly adjust the laces because of its stiffness.

The Altra Vanish Carbon 3 laces are my favorite type of laces, with ridges that truly don’t budge even in long miles. 

Overall, I think it’s a shoe that will fit most types of feet, with the exception of very narrow feet. If the heel lock were a better hold on the back of the foot, I think it would work for narrower feet as well, but right now that isn’t the case.

Altra Vanish Carbon 3 Feel

The Altra Vanish Carbon 3 is a cushy and springy shoe, but not a snappy one.

When landing on the midfoot or heel, the shoe beautifully combines absorbing the shock of each step with rolling you into your next one. I felt the cushion but didn’t get that sinking-into-it feeling that I don’t love from many of the max cushion shoes. 

The smooth rolling into the next stride is due to the rocker starting a bit farther back than some other race day shoes, but this is also a feature that slows the shoe down a bit when wanting to maintain those faster paces when I naturally transition into more of a forefoot strike.

Yes, it’s a high stack shoe, but it feels sleek and not bulky on my feet. Even looking down at the toebox, it isn’t as pronounced as some other Altra shoes, and it gives enough room to wiggle the toes and to splay them, without feeling like your toes could unwillingly shift when running.

Having a pronounced rocker on a 4mm drop shoe is definitely an interesting feeling. It feels different than some other carbon plate race shoes, where even standing straight feels funny because it feels like you’re immediately shifted forward.

It’s a nice change, but it does come at the cost of feeling propelled at those higher paces.

The Altra Vanish Carbon 3 was comfortable for easy runs (although not their purpose), significantly reducing the effort of those easier paces.

It worked great for longer tempo intervals or threshold paces.

Where the Vanish Carbon 3 Fits in the Altra Lineup

Here’s a breakdown of where the Vanish Carbon 3 fits in Altra’s lineup:

• Altra Experience Flow 3 – An approachable 4mm-drop trainer for runners who aren’t ready to transition to zero drop.
• Altra Vanish Carbon 3 – A 4mm-drop, carbon-plated race shoe for runners who want maximum comfort over longer distances.
• Altra Torin 8 – A neutral daily trainer that’s a good entry point for runners interested in zero drop, with more cushion than the Torin 9.

Similar Shoes to the Altra Vanish Carbon 3

Our team has tested a wide variety of carbon plated shoes; here are the ones we find most similar in this category:

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