Max Cushion

Topo Athletic Atmos 2

Topo's softest road shoe — a 40 mm heel of ZipFoam under a wide toe box, for easy days and long ones.

Atmos is the softest road shoe Topo makes, and the 2 adds foam: a 40 mm heel of ZipFoam on an outsole broken into rubber zones so a platform this tall still flexes. The low Topo drop and the foot-shaped toe box come with it, which is what people buy this line for.

It suits you for easy days and long runs when you want as much as possible between you and the road. It comes in wide sizes as well as a wide toe box, so it is worth a look if width is what makes shoes hurt.

It is not quick. At 281 g on a soft, tall platform it holds a pace rather than changing one, there is no plate to snap you through the stride, and a tempo day will feel like wading. Topo's Cyclone or Specter is the answer for that.