Hey Zack....yeah, both shoes are like that. I do appear to supinate, but have never seen shoe wear like this. It is usually farther forward, near the forefoot and no where near this level. I just think the sole material here is so soft that it lends itself to significantly faster wear, especially for my stride / foot strike.

I can take some pics of my other shoes and send those your way, if you would like to compare (both Hokas and some other brands).

Don't get me wrong...I LOVE the Cliftons. I just can't really recommend them as an everyday shoe. My plan right now is to use Bondis as my primary trainer and use the Cliftons for longer runs / races.

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Interesting comment about the water absorption. I got the Clifton's maybe 2 weeks before IMCHOO. I've never worn Hokas before but decided to try them, and since they were feeling so good in training, I decided to use them for the race. I didn't notice any water absorption issues during the race, even after it rained and after I managed to run through some big puddles. I've run in shoes before that feel like giant sponges after they get wet but I didn't notice anything feeling different after my Cliftons got wet. I was wondering if they would start to feel heavy if they got drenched but was pleasantly surprised that they never did (to me). So I guess I didn't experience the water absorption issues that you did. Also, I think this was my first ironman where I had zero blisters anywhere on my feet or toes post race!

Zack I've been wearing a 10 in the Bondi 3. I'm looking to get a pair of the Cliftons but have read they're a little bit narrow and I've got wide feet. Unfortunately none of my local shops carry them for me to try on. Do you suggest I size up or stay with a 10?

I have the 11 in both Huaka and Clifton...unless you have wide feet, don't worry about sizing up.

Also, the Blue Cliftons stain the top of my white socks blue :( Better start wearing black socks to run in...

Doh! I do have wide feet and somehow forgot to write that. Edited my op.

So do you suggest a 10.5? I don't have massively wide feet but wider than the average person.

Id probably go 10.5 then if I were you. They feel amazing btw

I have been running in the cliftons for a few weeks now rotating with my brooks running shoes. I have about 80 miles on them and they essentially look like the photo that power13 posted. The white section of the outside of the shoe is completely worn down though I don't notice wear anywhere else on the shoe, even the black section on each side of that still looks brand new. I am not sure if this is an issue that will affect me or not. I have also ruined a few good pair of white socks as the tongue has bled on them and turned the tops of them black. Also, the design webbing on the shoe is peeling off. I say 'design' because I assume that is all that it is there for. One more thing that I don't know if I can explain well, but will try, is the the insole on the shoe around the heal has small creases on the top of it that I can feel on every step. It hasn't caused any real problems, just something that is somewhat annoying though I do my best to forget about it. So a lot of small issues for a shoe that should be somewhat still relatively new. Other then the wear on the sole of the shoe, which is a lot for shoes with 80 miles on them, these are all issues that I have never had with a pair of shoes before, so not exactly thrilled with them.

Other than that I have no real complaints with them. They feel good when I run in them and definitely notice a difference when I switch back to my brooks that takes some time to get used to running on hard concrete again. If they could work on those few issues, i would definitely buy another pair. I wouldn't mind them being an ouce or two heavier as I use them for training. Their previous models of 12-13oz were too much for me and I think the clifton at 8oz isn't quite enough.

I see the Huaka is listed on Hoka's website under the trail shoes and said it can be used for road or trails. The soles look soft and the lugs don't look very substantial for the trails. Has anyone used these on the trails? I'm currently running in the Cliftons and would like something similar to the Cliftons for trail running and races. I've tried the Stinson trail and it was way too heavy and stiff.

I used mine Sunday (parts had loose rocks) and they gripped pretty well. In wet conditions or more gnarly terrain though I would go with the Stinson's (bigger, more lugs)

Thanks for the feedback. There is just no way I can run in the Stinson. I tried but they are just way too stiff and heavy for me. It seems like the Huaka might be my only Hoka option for trails as far and being fairly light weight and flexible. I'm just worried the lugs might wear down fast. I guess as my husband said, if they don't work great on the trails I'll have another road shoe to rotate with the Clifton.