Olympus 6

The ride is soft, cushioned and deliberately unhurried. This is a shoe that rewards patience rather than pace. On easy long runs the deep platform soaks up rocks and hardpack alike, and your legs feel noticeably more protected late in a run than they would in a firmer trainer. Push the pace and the Olympus 6 shows its limits. The foam is plush rather than springy, so there is little snap back when you try to accelerate, and the 345g weight is honest about what this shoe is for. Settle into a steady rhythm and it comes into its own, carrying you over technical terrain with a planted, confident feel. It is a cruiser, not a sprinter, and it is very good at the job it was built for.

Cushioning is the whole point of the Olympus 6, and it delivers. This is one of the most heavily padded trail shoes you can buy, with a tall, soft platform that stays comfortable deep into ultra distance efforts. Rocks, roots and jagged descents are muted rather than transmitted, which spares your feet and legs on long days out. The trade off is that all that foam sits high off the ground, so you lose a little trail feedback and precision compared with a firmer, lower shoe. For runners chasing all day comfort and joint protection over big mileage, that is a trade worth making. If you prefer to feel the ground and read the terrain, this much stack will be more than you want.

The Olympus 6 is a neutral shoe with no medial posting, so it does not actively correct overpronation. What it offers instead is a wide, planted base that spreads your weight and gives a reassuringly stable platform for a shoe with this much stack. On flatter trails and steady climbs it feels grounded. The caveat is the combination of a tall platform and zero drop on genuinely technical, off camber ground, where the height can feel a little tippy until you adapt to it. Runners new to zero drop should build up slowly, as it loads the calves and Achilles differently to a raised heel shoe. For neutral runners doing long, non technical miles, stability is a strength rather than a worry.

The upper is built for long haul comfort. There is enough structure to keep your foot secure on uneven ground, but the materials are forgiving where it matters, with a roomy forefoot that lets your toes move freely over hours on the trail. The tongue and collar are padded enough to take pressure off the laces without feeling bulky, and the lockdown holds up on descents once dialled in. Breathability is reasonable for a trail shoe, though the protective build means it is warmer than a stripped back racer. Over ultra distances the generous volume and lack of pinch points are exactly what tired, swollen feet want. This is an upper designed to disappear on your foot rather than demand attention.