Hoka OneOne (Read 590 times)

Like all shoes, it all depends on the indivdual person, their feet and what they are using them for.  I like the extra cushioning. Before Hokas I was only able to run 7-8 miles on the road. At that time I'd develop a lot of foot and knee pain.  Now I can do 15-18 miles without any problems. I haven't run longer on the roads with them.

Fit can be a problem and can vary between models and even pairs of the same model. I found the older Mafates to be a little on the large side, running about a 1/2 size big, with the older Stinsons and Bondis to be more true to size. This is my biggest complaint with them. The second biggest complaint was that the outer sole may not be as tough as they should be.  This varys from model to model and I'm not going to go into detail too much as they have changed a lot of their models around in the past year or two so my info would not be current.

The biggest reason I continue to use them is because of the cushioning. I've not found anything yet that is as good as they are. I use them both on the trails as well as the roads. I've detailed my road experience above. For the trails I can bomb rough, rocky trails that in all other shoes I have to slowly pick my way through. Last year I trained for a 50k using Hokas then switched to NB 1210s for the race due to draining concerns. While the 1210 is a great shoe that I use a lot I could tell a major difference and ended up with cramping feet and calves. In the future I'll train more with the 1210s to toughen up my feet and legs.

One major concern is twisting ankles due to the higher stack heights. I have twisted a ankle with them. But I have twisted many more with other shoes so i don't blame the shoe.

My overall advice is that you just have to try them for yourself. There is a reason there are so many brands and models of shoes. Everyone is different and what one person likes another may not like or even be able to wear.

I just pounded this out really quick since I'm at work and gotta run or the boss will get mad. Hope this helps.

I really like my Hokas.   They are more lightweight than you would imagine for a shoe that size.    I have several versions and the fit is a little different between them.   One thing I've struggled with a bit is some are too wide for me....this seems to be more true with the Mafates than the Bondis.

I used to have pf and shooting random foot pain duringrunning. 3 years ago I bought hokas for road and hokas for trail. No more foot issues.

Agree with the "Hokas are inconsistent " theme in this thread.  I was a pretty early adopter had the Hoka Bondi Bs when that was pretty much the only style they had.  Now, saying you like Hokas is almost as vague as saying you like Asics... Hoka keeps rolling out new models and some work for me and some don't.

My first advice, if you do get a pair, give them a good 50 miles to decide.  I was really iffy in my first pair for far more than the 20 miles I usually would feel I needed for a new pair of shoes.... these do take some getting used to, you're a bit higher up... I felt like I was "scuffing" my feet for a while there... so take 'em on some short runs, then some long runs, and after a a few weeks, you'll have a full opinion.

Brief History:

Hoka Bondi B - loved. 2 pairs

Hoka Bondi 2 - loved. 2 pairs

Hoka Bondi 3- hate.  bought a pair, cut it up trying to make it work for me... and so am sucking it up as a treadmill shoe, but hate it.

Hoka Stinson - worked for me, didn't love it.

Hoka Tarmac - loved it. On my 2nd pair now.  Great for a 10K, half marathon, tried it for a full, think I'll  stick with Bondis for fulls.  Did use it for  the last20 miles of a 50 miler and liked it in that circumstance as its a bit lighter than the Bondi 

Hoka Clifton - like it pretty well, but like the Tarmac better.  Took a good 35 miles to get this one going, and heads up, the toe will stain your socks w/ dye  if you get the melon or other bright color (what the heck hoka... lost of folks have documented this so hopefully they figure it out for Clifton 2) .. liking it quite a bit  more as I get some mileage on it.. it has about 60 now.

So... all that said.  I had knee surgery in '06 to repair a knee injury I'd been ignoring since x-c back in 1995 and finally couldn't ignore any longer so i often had some knee pain on longer runs.  Hoka's have made life awesome for me! They also help with my bad form tendencies to heel strike (got myself a great case of heel bursitis thanks to emphatic heel striking). I was worried about the height on trails, but its been really good to me. I can face plant on anything, and have a huge scar on my "good knee" from a trail face plant...ever since I moved to Hokas I've been much better off.  They can roll over rocks/pinecones/etc, and if you toe into one, the cushion gives you a bit of "rebound bounce back" that a less maximal shoe doesn't do. So I also really like 'em for that

So all that said, I really like Hokas... most Hokas.  I encourage you to try on a few different Hokas to find the right one for you.

Finally, as for sizing, I'm an 8.5 street shoe, and 9.5 running shoe - that's held pretty true for most all shoes for me, and in Hokas I've been good with the 9.5.  Back with the orig bondi's I did do a 9 once, but in general, once size up

I love my hokas and I hate my hokas.

I credit my Stinsons with getting me through my 150.  I wore the same pair for about 120 miles of it.
I wore a different pair of Stinsons for the 12 hour I won and the first time I managed to hit 100 miles under 24 hours (at Across the Years, one of the easiest places on the planet to do that). Didn't change shoes for either race.

I was wearing a pair of Bondis when I set my course PR at the Cowtown 50k.

Although the soles look creepy, I'm pretty sure I'll get 500+ miles out of each of these shoes.

However.

I fell three times in the damn Bondis while running the Cowtown 50k.  On roads.

That pair of Stinsons that was so lovely for my 150 tried to separate my foot from my body by way of my ankle when I took them on technical trail.  They will never see technical trail again.

I did wear a pair of Rapa Nui 2 in a trail 52k today that had some decently/technical bits.  I was pleased with them.

However.

I own two pairs of Rapa Nui 2.  One came out at the beginning of the model year.  The second came out halfway through the year.  Both "Rapa Nui 2".  I assumed the only difference was color.  Unh unh.  They do not feel like the same shoes at all.  The first pair are way stiff... still cushy underneath, just stiff.  The second pair are not.

I have worn a lot of different models of Hokas over the last few years and like most of them.  I did not like the Conquest.  I felt that it was stiff and didn't feel like Hoka cushioning.  There is now a Conquest 2 out, so maybe they changed it.

I love the Bondi- and I was fine with Bondi 1, 2 and 3.  I like the Stinson.  I like the Kailua Trail (I wear it on roads and get better sole wear than with the other Hokas).  I like Clifton and Huaka which are both lighter weight- especially Huaka.   I do not get much over 200 miles on mine (more on Stinson) because I really destroy the soles by the way I drag the outside of my left forefoot when I land.  I keep beefing it up with Shoo Goo, which helps, but still......   I am usually able to get my shoes with some sort of discount code, so they really aren't more than what I would pay for most other brands.

I have some other brands in my shoe rotation, but Hokas are my definite favorites.  I am 62 and need the cushioning.

I am a 71 year old runner, who has run over 81,000 miles since 4/76. Was an Asics guy for several decades. Not sure if it is my age and cumulative running miles that I began to feel the road more and more. Bought a pair of Hoka Cliftons in mid-November. Have over 500 miles on them and love them. What is amazing to me is they don't feel like the have degraded much. Running down hills is more "fun", I don't feel the pounding. I should mention all my miles are on the roads. Did a 50 K ultra in December and my feet and my recovery was better than I could recall. I still run 40-50 miles a week and have bought another pair of Cliftons. I will probably switch over when I get to 600 miles on them.

An interesting thing I have noticed with my Cliftons is they seem more comfortable once I get a mile or 2 into my run. I have found that if I pick up the pace a little, the shoes even feel better. Only negative I have experienced with the Cliftons was I would scuff my feet from time to time. Never an issue with other shoes. That rarely happens now. No issues with the width for me. Not a great walking shoe for me but they have been great for my running.

i put my street creds in the post so you know a guy who has done some serious running over the years(18 marathons and 27 ultras) is not just blowing smoke. Thanks for letting me share.