It’s hard to say whether these Mizunos run a little narrow in the forefoot, or runners have just gotten more accustomed to the wide toe box trend. In either case, this shoe is no Altra. The Prophecy definitely has a close fit up front, and while I personally dislike having too much wiggle room (maybe even to a fault), I can say for certain that this model does feel a little short. A size 9 in the Wave Rider fits my foot like a glove, and that same size in the Prophecy had my toes feeling cramped. Our testers felt similar experiences with the shoe’s fit as well. However, the upper mesh isn’t the issue—in fact, the material is super soft and breathes nicely. Rather, the protective overlays around the forefoot and the substantial toe cap mean the shoe can’t stretch as much as a wider foot may need, and can trap some heat.