Someone might come on here and say Altra Olympus... but they would be wrong. Nothing is like a Hoka yet.

Why would they be wrong? I have the same complaint about the Hoka and so I tried on the Altra last week. They felt great, nice and roomy in the forefoot.

I'm still running in my Conquest, but would try the Altra in the future.

It's wrong because the Olympus does not have the 'guidance' or 'support' that Hoka has (I know those terms can be argued as wrong so I put them in quotations). Olympus shoes do have the thicker sole and wide toebox but it is not a Hoka.

The Altra Paradigm might be the shoe you are looking for. Neutral max cushion with "moderate stability" and the standard Altra wide toe box.

http://www.altrarunning.com/...tra/Men/paradigm-men

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Rodney
TrainingPeaks | Altra Running | RAD Roller
http://www.goinglong.ca

Check out the Skechers GoRun Ultra. The cushioning is similar to the Conquest and the toe box is much larger. I just got a pair on the recommendation of an ultra runner friend. So far I'm impressed with the fit and feel. The other plus is that they are only about $65.

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Gary Mc
Did I mention I did Kona

I tried on the GoRun Ultra and found them to be too narrow personally.

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My business-eBodyboarding.com

Nice review on the main page of the Altra Paradigm with a comparison to the Conquest

http://www.slowtwitch.com/...digm_2014__4395.html

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Rodney
TrainingPeaks | Altra Running | RAD Roller
http://www.goinglong.ca

Never tried the Hoka. Someone suggested it. I'm coming off 2 knee surgeries. I really like minimalist shoes (i.e. the feel of light weight trainers or even racing flats -- been in Kswiss, Brooks). Hoka looks pretty bulky. How heavy? Do you like it/recommend it? Thanks in advance.

The Olympus is a bit different than the Conquest. It's zero drop, and spongier/softer and less responsive than the Conquest.

IME the Olympus works great for midfoot strikers looking for maximal forefoot cushioning. It's my go to training shoe. I'm looking forward to trying the Paradigm since the Olympus is heavier than I'd like.

PS: The wide toebox is awesome. I've never had issues with other toeboxes, but after using the Altras it's hard to go back.

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ECMGN Therapy Silicon Valley:
Depression, Neurocognitive problems, Dementias (Testing and Evaluation), Trauma and PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

Do a search here in Slowtwitch for "Hoka" and spend the next year reading all the threads and info.

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My business-eBodyboarding.com

I just got a pair of paradigms and did my my first run in them today.

I love the fit with the wide toebox, but they didn't feel as cushy as the Hokas

I think the Brooks Transcend are great alternative....

I finally got tired of the narrow Hoka last (having tried Stinson, Conquest, Bondi, & Mafate). My well broken in Stinson Tarmacs probably stretched as my feet re-widened from those first steps (3 months post-op) to many Km's over the course of 1.5 years: Though they provided the needed cushioning they never gave me the room I wanted.

The Altra Provision 1.5 is an amazing shoe with lots of toe room! They have less cushioning than the upcoming Hoka Clifton (29/24mm) but their width and flexibility allow my feet to spread out and do the shock absorbing that they are meant to do, while still providing some impact absorption of their own. The shoe material expands nicely around the metatarsal joints and is extremely comfortable. The Provision and Topo Athletic MT's (my favourite shoe, tho it's now being rivaled!) have very similar lasts with differing stack--25mm (22 without wedge) & 0 drop vs. 19/17mm & 2mm drop.

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/Howie Nordström

Try the Repitition if you want a stability shoe with max cushion.

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Rodney
TrainingPeaks | Altra Running | RAD Roller
http://www.goinglong.ca

My experience is that the Olympus has a softer feel, similar to the Bondi, and the Paradigm has a stiffer feel, similar to the Conquest.

I personally prefer the Altras over the Hokas. I've come to really love the wide toe box (though I don't have wide feet). The Altras also have less of a "stability shoe" feel to me than the Hokas. I don't feel like I'm fighting the shoes. The added width of the forefoot in the Altras also makes them feel less wobbly to me than the Hokas that I've tried.

Is there any consensus on which model Hokas are widest in the toe box?

Is there any consensus on which model Hokas are widest in the toe box?
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Bondi

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Train safe & smart
Bob

According to Hoka CS it's the Mafate. I personally found the Mafate to be a touch wider than the Bondi 3. Although I preferred the running feel of the Bondi, I got the Mafate for width, which, in the end, was still sadly far too narrow.

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/Howie Nordström

Ah, too bad for me I have a warranty claim in to get a new pair of B3's I should have tried to get a pair of Mafates. My feet aren't even considered wide but I still blow the sides out.

I have a pair of size 10's I'd be happy to sell you for a good discount. They have maybe 60k on them and look brand-new.

(The store where I purchased them will probably refund or take them back for store credit, but I won't be back in my home town for a couple of months and I'd rather just unload them.)

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/Howie Nordström

According to Hoka CS it's the Mafate. I personally found the Mafate to be a touch wider than the Bondi 3. Although I preferred the running feel of the Bondi, I got the Mafate for width, which, in the end, was still sadly far too narrow.
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I forgot about the Mafate since it gets so little attention.

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Train safe & smart
Bob

I just tried the Altra Instinct 2.0 at the IMCan expo. Wow! What a shoe. Immediately felt like I could run a race in them (but I won't).

• The Paradigm is a very comfortable highly cushioned shoe--Hoka but wider, more flexible and way more comfortable!
• The Instinct 2.0 is less cushioned and even more comfortable. A definite alternative to Conquest. the 2.5 next year will have slightly less stack and be a bit more responsive.
• The One2 is lovely comfortable, but certainly not Hoka-like.

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/Howie Nordström