ShoeGeometry

NNormal Kjerag 02 vs Topo Athletic Ultraventure 5

Two popular shoes in the same category, compared on measured geometry. Each cell carries a provenance badge; open a shoe for sources.

heel boneNNormal Kjerag 02: heel 26 mm, forefoot 20 mm (drop 6 mm); toe rocker not measured, typical shape drawn.Topo Athletic Ultraventure 5: heel 35 mm, forefoot 30 mm (drop 5 mm); toe rocker 34 % of length, radius 44 % of length; heel bevel 11 % of length, 19 mm high at the back, ending about under the heel bone.Topo Athletic Ultraventure 5: toe rocker 34 % of length
  • NNormal Kjerag 0226/20 mm · toe rocker not measured
  • Topo Athletic Ultraventure 535/30 mm · toe rocker 34 % · heel bevel 11 %
Illustrative profiles, not photographs: drawn from published stack heights and photo estimates of the unloaded shoes on a common length (300 mm), heels aligned, toe to the left; dots mark where each toe rocker starts; the dotted vertical line is under the heel bone (12 % of length), so a heel curve reaching past it is a bevel in front of the heel bone. Dotted lines use typical values where a shoe has no measurement. Exact values are in the table below.

Which suits you

If you wantPickBecause
More cushioning under the heelTopo Athletic Ultraventure 526 vs 35 mm heel stack
More under the forefootTopo Athletic Ultraventure 520 vs 30 mm forefoot stack
A lower dropTopo Athletic Ultraventure 56 vs 5 mm drop
Less weightNNormal Kjerag 02230 vs 303 g

From the values below, with differences inside measurement noise shown as about the same. This describes the shoes, not what is right for your feet; comfort in the first few runs decides.

MetricNNormal Kjerag 02
Trail · Trail
Topo Athletic Ultraventure 5
Trail · Trail
Heel-to-toe drop6 mmStated5 mmDerived
Heel stack26 mmStated35 mmStated
Forefoot stack20 mmStated30 mmStated
Weight230 gStated303 gStated
Toe rocker—34 %est.
Rocker radius—44 %est.
Rocker rise angle—29 degest.
Rocker angle at toe—60 degest.
Toe tip over ground39 mmest.38 mm*est.
Visible rocker lift onset—75.4 %est.
Toe spring (relative)16.5 %est.19 %est.
Heel bevel length—11.3 %est.
Heel bevel height—19 mm*est.
PlateNo plateNo plate
Primary foamEExpure+ (supercritical TPEE)ZipFoam
List price$215$155

Key differences

  • NNormal Kjerag 02's heel-to-toe drop is 6 mm, 1 mm higher than Topo Athletic Ultraventure 5's 5 mm.
  • NNormal Kjerag 02's heel stack is 26 mm, 9 mm thinner than Topo Athletic Ultraventure 5's 35 mm.
  • NNormal Kjerag 02's forefoot stack is 20 mm, 10 mm thinner than Topo Athletic Ultraventure 5's 30 mm.
  • NNormal Kjerag 02's weight is 230 g, 73 g lighter than Topo Athletic Ultraventure 5's 303 g.

Read more about both shoes

We measure the shape. For how they feel over many miles, and for lab tests of cushioning, grip and fit:

NNormal Kjerag 02

Topo Athletic Ultraventure 5

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NNormal Kjerag 02 details · Topo Athletic Ultraventure 5 details · Add more shoes