Summarised Review of the Topo Athletic Specter 2

The Topo Athletic Specter 2 features a full Pebax midsole with 37mm in the heel and 32mm in the toe for a heel-to-toe drop of 5mm, the highest drop in Topo’s lineup. In our review of the Topo Athletic Specter 2, we found they worked best as an all-rounder, a perfect one-shoe-fits-all, if you will. There’s enough stack height for easy days (though, you may favour something a little softer on recovery days), the lightweight, anatomical upper helps ensure maximum comfort on long days, and the Pebax midsole provides sufficient pep for when you need to pick up the pace. It’a shoe that, in our opinion, effortlessly settles into any pace you throw at it. On the soft-to-firm scale, the midsole sits right in the middle. Consequently, our review of the Specter 2 makes us believe it’s a shoe that could work for almost everyone.

Introduction

Every week, sometimes multiple times each week, Jason and the team at runtrimag.com promote one of their advertising partners, Topo Athletic. Sometimes these are simple posts of appreciation, while others, such as Trivia Thursdays, provide participants the opportunity to win a pair of Topo Athletic shoes of their choosing. Unfortunately (or perhaps rudely, I haven’t yet decided), I’m yet to win one of these competitions.

But rather than throwing shade at Jason for his honest drawing of competition winners, his inclusion in this introduction serves a different purpose. Without him and without runtrimag.com, there’s a strong possibility I’d never have heard of Topo Athletic. While some UK-based retailers stock the brand, these tend to be smaller, less well-known companies. The bigger players, the ones I know the majority of buyers utilise, haven’t gotten involved just yet. Perhaps that’s because Topo Athletic are less well-known here and it wouldn’t be worth their time, nor make fiscal sense, to place small “test” orders. This, for reasons we’ll get into, is a huge mistake.

Who are Topo Athletic and what makes their shoes so different?

Topo Athletic was established by Tony Post, an individual who fell in love with the sport while running D1 track and cross-country at college in Oklahoma, later moving to Massachusetts to run competitively. Like many runners, Tony’s ambitions were often thwarted by a multitude of running-related injuries, providing the necessary impetus to design a product that would help reduce his, and later others’, incidence of injury.

In 2013, alongside a small team, Tony launched the game-changing Topo Athletic. Akin to the mission statement of many athletic brands, Topo Athletic’s was to inspire others to move their bodies so they could lead happier, healthier lifestyles. But Tony and the team had an additional vision. For Topo Athletic, it was about more than just moving. They wanted people to “move better than they ever have before.” After spending 30 years in the industry, Tony recognised the preponderance toward shoes that allowed for more natural running. But he also acknowledged the benefits of cushioned, modern day running shoes. Alas, Topo Athletic’s trademark anatomical toe box (or in layman’s terms, their “foot shaped” design) was born.

How does the anatomical toe box and upper of the Specter 2 feel?

The first Topo Athletic shoe I was exposed to was the MTN Racer 3. The intention at the time of purchase was to become more involved with trail running. While I liked the feel of the MTN Racer 3, it quickly became apparent that while well intentioned, there was no chance I was squeezing in an extra sport. Road running and climbing are enough, at least for now.

Anyway, the reason for bringing up the MTN Racer 3 is this. The wide toe box was exceptionally noticeable. They were quite nerdy, which is totally fine – that’s me through and through. The Specter 2’s, on the other hand, don’t seem to be quite as wide as the MTN Racers. Topo’s trademark anatomical toe box is there, but it just doesn’t look or feel as pronounced. In my eyes, that’s win-win. The shoes are noticeably more comfortable than a typical pair, providing ample room for the toes to splay, but they also just don’t have that same nerdy look that the MTN Racer 3s had. Perhaps that’s just the difference between Topo’s road and trail shoes, with Topo anticipating more foot swelling over longer distances. But as I’ve not tried any of Topo’s other road shoes, I can neither confirm nor deny this hypothesis.

When it comes to the upper itself, all I can say is it’s extremely comfortable with padding in all the places you need it. Interestingly, it’s also very lightweight. I’m sure that’s down to the Pebax midsole, too, but the official statistic from Topo are that the Specter 2 weighs just 215 grams or 7.6 ounces.

Comfort Rating: 10/10

How does the Specter 2’s Pebax midsole feel?

As mentioned in the TLDR review of the Topo Athletic Specter 2, the Pebax midsole sits bang in the middle between soft and firm. While I do favour a midsole that sits on the softer end of that spectrum, the Topo Athletic Specter 2 has been the shoe I’ve selected for practically all of my recent runs. If I were in charge of the midsole’s design, I would make it just a tad bit softer. But, having said that, Topo have clearly got the balance right if I, lover of soft shoes such as the New Balance 1080V13, have been choosing the Specter 2 over everything else in my rotation. Consequently, unless you’re only a fan of super soft shoes, the Specter 2 is likely to work for you.

The Pebax midsole (which is the official version, rather than PEBA or PEBA-blended) provides ample rebound. It’s of course not the type of rebound you’ll get from a super shoe, but nor is it intended to be. There’s sufficient propulsion for faster sessions, but the midsole also settles in to whatever pace you decide to throw at it. I’ve not done any super fast sessions as of yet, though I do intend to do a rolling 300s session in them soon, but they’ve handled paces from 4:00/km to 6:00/km with comfort and ease.

One thing I’d love to do is test out the Cyclone 2, which is essentially a lower stacked Specter 2. My theory is that the lower stack of the Cyclone 2 means there’s less foam to compress and will, therefore, feel softer. If Topo Athletic want to help me out here, I’d be very appreciative.

Midsole Rating: 8/10

How’s the outsole of the Topo Athletic Specter 2?

I don’t think I really need to say much here. Topo are very involved in the trail running industry, and the security of outsole grip on the Specter 2 has seemingly carried over. I live in a wet part of the UK (I could have just said the UK), and have ran across muddy grass where necessary. I’ve had absolutely no issues with the outsole. It’s secure, grippy, and I reckon it could even work well for light trails.

Outsole Rating: 10/10

Conclusion / Who should buy the Specter 2?

Today’s running shoe market has become a little bit complex. As soon as companies realised they could get away with charging a small fortune for shoes with carbon or nylon plates in them, they seemed to include them in just about every shoe – even those preloved iterations that were plateless.

If you haven’t already gathered from this review of the Topo Specter 2, I’m a huge, huge fan. Yes, I’d love it if the midsole were slightly softer, and perhaps a future iteration of the shoe will be. But what Topo have done excellently is create a shoe that focuses on simplicity. From the comfortable, anatomical fit upper, to the Pebax branded midsole and lack of plate, Topo have focused on the important aspects of a running shoe, and they’ve got them absolutely right.

As mentioned previously, unless you’re someone who can only run in super soft shoes, the Specter 2 is likely to work extremely well for you. I have an extensive rotation. Some of which are plated, others which aren’t. Some are extremely soft, others are on the softer side of the soft-to-firm spectrum. Nonetheless, not only do I reach for the Specter 2 more than any other shoe, it’s a shoe that actually makes me want to get out running – and that’s the most important thing.

I’m really intrigued about other Topo Athletic road shoes, specifically the Atmos for recovery, and the Cyclone 2 for faster, potentially softer, days.

While I’ve not yet focused on price, the Specter 2 retail at £160, which, considering the current market, is extremely fair. They can, however, be picked up for significantly less.

While I can’t yet comment on their durability or whether the shoes will work for faster sessions, I’ll provide an update to this review as soon as possible. But for now, my best advice is to buy, buy, buy! I really hope some of the bigger retailers here in the UK start to stock Topo’s range, because honestly, they’re excellent.