The wild rise of Altra Running and its unlikely trailblazer
Beckstead recalls mortgaging his house to finance the first prototype of the Lone Peak—a move that paid off handsomely
Photo courtesy of Altra
When I met Altra Running founder Brian Beckstead, my initial thought was: if you passed him on the street, you’d never guess he co-founded one of the fastest-growing running brands in the industry. Maybe it was the “Running Is Dope” T-shirt paired with tundra-camo boardshorts, but Beckstead’s laid-back presence perfectly captures what makes Altra, Altra.
The brand was founded in 2009 by Beckstead and Golden Harper with one clear mission: give runners something different. Both came from specialty running store backgrounds and were tired of seeing the same shoe designs churned out year after year.
“People wanted something different, and we brought the toe box and that zero-drop,” says Beckstead. “There was no such thing as ‘shoe drop’ when we started. Now, drop is everything.”
Finding solutions
Both Harper and Beckstead also ran competitively in college. Beckstead says he spent more time injured with stress fractures than actually racing, but he now views those setbacks as key learning moments. “You’ll hear entrepreneurs talk about that a lot—we see a problem and try to solve it,” he says. “I was born with scoliosis, which I think helped me look at running from more of an alignment standpoint.”
One of the biggest misconceptions around Altra, Beckstead says, is the belief that zero-drop shoes are too extreme. While zero-drop can relieve pressure on the knees, it often shifts the load to the calves, which can be an adjustment for some runners. That’s why Altra launched its Experience line in 2023, featuring a 4-mm drop, to offer a more approachable option for runners who may be hesitant about zero-drop.
“We wanted to keep our core concepts intact,” says Beckstead on the creation of the Experience line. “But we also knew it was time to introduce new features to complement the strong lineup we already had. We knew it would be a massive success.”
The brand’s pivot point
In Altra’s early days, Beckstead recalls people laughing about their “different” designs. But the breaking point came during the 2010 Wasatch 100 Mile Endurance Run in Kaysville, Utah, when Beckstead ran the 100-miler in a prototype of the original Lone Peak.
“We had no investors, and my house was mortgaged,” he says. “But after running through the night, I saw the first glimmer of light, literally and metaphorically. It was the runner’s high of runner’s highs. I crossed the finish line and knew in that moment: Altra was here to stay.”
The vision
Altra is no longer just a niche brand from the Rocky Mountains. The company’s goal is to become a global leader in the running industry.
“Canada is our fastest-growing market,” Beckstead reveals. “We’re putting a lot of our focus here.”
Later that night, I joined Beckstead and the Altra crew for a group run with Toronto Trail Runners at Sunnybrook Park. I was surprised to see more than 100 runners show up. All were either wearing or testing Altra shoes as we headed out for a six-kilometre loop through the trails.
“I’m just a guy from Utah,” says Beckstead. “The most exciting thing as a founder is seeing people wear your shoes all over the world.”
To hear more about Altra’s co-founder, Brian Beckstead, and learn about the company, check out the latest episode of The Shakeout Podcast.
