Article by Peter Stuart, Jeff Beck, Sally Reiley and Sam Winebaum
Topo Athletic Atmos ($160)
Introduction
Peter: Topo seems to be having a nice run of surprisingly excellent shoes. The Topo Athletic Atmos continues this trend. The Atmos is a max-cushioned daily trainer that weighs in at less than 10 oz and is a joy to run in.
Jeff: Topo is one of two brands that prioritizes natural foot health/shape with every single shoe they make, but while many brands have had a number of maximum cushioning offerings, the tallest Topos have always been…close to max cushion, but not really there. That changes with the Atmos, a massively stacked 38mm heel / 33mm forefoot shoe that is going to put Topo on a lot of runners’ respective radars for all the right reasons. Am I foreshadowing too much? Spoiler alert: this shoe is nothing shy of incredible.
Pros:
Balanced cushioning: Peter/Jeff/Sam/Sally
Comfortable upper: Peter/Jeff/Sally
Rolls through stride very easily: Peter/Sam/Jeff
Feels light on the run: Peter/Sam/Jeff/Sally
Low drop but not low heel at any pace: Sam/Jeff
Very smooth plateless rocker ride: Sam/Jeff/Sally
Light and dynamic enough for daily training, cushioned and forgiving enough for easy miles: Jeff/Sam/Sally
Super stable platform: Jeff
Top notch midfoot/forefoot cushioning: Jeff/Sam
Cons:
The tongue is a bit short: Peter/Sally