I have gone through about 8 pairs of these shoes... The math on that is about 1 pair every 2 to 3 months. What can I say, I'm an ultra runner. I absolutely love these. I've tried Hokas, La Sportivas, Salomons, and others but Altras are the winner by far for long races. I've run several 100+ mile races in these and they're the only shoes that I can run over 30 miles in without getting blisters. They're well cushioned, but also provide a great tread for trail, rocks, and snow. I'm basically going to keep buying Altra Lone Peaks until they stop making them, then I will probably cry.

I've tried the older versions of the Lone Peak and I love the changes that they made for the 3. These are really a big step up. If you're thinking about upgrading, do it! If you're new to Altra, size up at least half a size. I size up a full size because I like to have room for my feet to swell. I've also tried the older version of the Altra Olympus. I liked the cushioning, but it didn't have enough protection around the toe and I ripped two pairs apart mid-race (separate races). These offer better protection around the toe with the rubber bits that reach over the top of the forefoot. These are great! I want to try the Lone Peak 3.5 soon. They look the same, but have a plain black version, which is more my style.

Truth be told, I don't even own road shoes. I ran a 100km road race in these, and it was just fine. Do get some Gaiters, I'd recommend the brand dirty girl gaiters. The top of these shoes is quite wide and Gaiters will really help keep out the rocks, snow, sand, sticks, etc.