I rolled my ankle for the first time in Hokas ... my subsequent roll in different shoes was from not having healed from the first one so  d not trust these 70s platform shoes.

Hey, if they work for folks, fine. My shoes are decent compromises thus far.

What are you wearing?

I have used La Sportiva Helios for my two 50-milers. More protection/cushion than Vertical Ks but still good grip and feel.

I also like the Pearl Izumi N2 so far, but have not used them for more than 20 miles. They are very cushy though so I will have them in my Leadville drop bag as a fall back.

OK Charles. I have a question. I am seriously considering purchasing a pair of Hoka's for a 24 hour event that I am doing in a few months. It is 100% on pavement. Do you use any of the pairs for pure road running? If so, which ones would you recommend?

 

The Bondi B's are their pure road shoe. I like the way they feel on the road. Good shock absorbers and my knees and feet never feel abused. I've also used my Mafates on the road a lot. They seem to have a even softer ride then the Bondi's but the sole showed wear quickly. The Mafates were the first generation so maybe they toughened up the sole a little bit.  I just got a pair of Stinson EVOs, but haven't put enough miles on them to comment on them yet.

The biggest problem with Hoka is that their fit is somewhat variable from shoe to shoe for some reason, although when I tried on several pairs of the Stinsons it wasn't as bad as the Mafates had been when they first came out, so maybe they corrected that problem.

If you're going to use the shoes on trails in the future I would go with the Stinson, otherwise I'd stick with the Bondi's although my  Bondi's handle moderately technical trails very well.

They do make the Tarmac, which is their shoe made for the road.

If I find a killer deal on Ebay, I may try them too.

I have friends that save their Hokas for later in a race to soothe their beat up feet.

I honestly have never felt like they were "platform" shoes at all, but YMMV.

For me - there is no comparison to how I feel after 10 miles with the Hokas and 10 miles with my "normal" shoes.

I don't usually post here much, just lurk occasionally, but wanted to say thank you to the OP and others who provided a lot of good information in this thread.  I currently have a pair of Hoka Evo Stinson Tarmacs.  I really like the cushion.  The fit?  Not so much.  I'd love a shoe that's wider in the toe box and narrower in the heel.  Seriously considering trying the Altra Torins for that reason.  I learned a lot about both brands here.  Thanks again.

Thanks, Mandy.  Definitely stay away from the Hoka's.  They're not made for our feet.  (OTOH, RW has the Asics Fortes in a 2E width now, and my feet thing they've gone to heaven.)