The brand name Altra is derived from the Latin word "altera", which means to repair or mend something broken. Golden Harper, the founder of Altra, has been associated with running shoes at Runner's Corner, run by his father, since he was a child. He has been associated with marathons at a young age. He won the World Youth Championship 2KM category championship at the age of 8. Zero Drop™ is a sole technology exclusive to Altra and used in all Altra running shoes. Zero drop means that the height of the front and back soles of the running shoe from the ground remains the same, rather than the design of most traditional running shoes where the heel is higher than the forefoot.