I am looking to buy a new shoe
Hoka or Altra
why should I not buy a Hoka?
School me on why everyone is running in Hoka.
Resistance is futile. Just give in. You’ll understand why.
I am looking to buy a new shoe
Hoka or Altra
why should I not buy a Hoka?
School me on why everyone is running in Hoka.
I bought them because I was getting sore calves, achilles etc and they help. But they can also disguise/hide biomechancial issues. I have sore calves because I don’t stretch, so really running in Hokas has allowed me to continue to be a lazy stretcher. I have since changed my ways and can now run pain free in any shoe, really and although I still run long in my Hokas they will rarely get used for anything shorter than 15, 16km. If you don’t have any injuries or issues I don’t regard them as comfortable running shoes and by that I mean I run more naturally and freely in other shoes.
I am looking to buy a new shoe
Hoka or Altra
why should I not buy a Hoka?
School me on why everyone is running in Hoka.
I bought them because I was getting sore calves, achilles etc and they help. But they can also disguise/hide biomechancial issues. I have sore calves because I don’t stretch, so really running in Hokas has allowed me to continue to be a lazy stretcher. I have since changed my ways and can now run pain free in any shoe, really and although I still run long in my Hokas they will rarely get used for anything shorter than 15, 16km. If you don’t have any injuries or issues I don’t regard them as comfortable running shoes and by that I mean I run more naturally and freely in other shoes.
i second this. leave the hokas for the injured, otherwise they may injure you (or slow you down)
I run in mostly sub 10oz shoes, neutral, etc, and don’t really suffer from any injury issues… Bought a pair that I thought I would like for recovery runs while training for IM Lville. Do NOT like them very much, but I realize I am one of the minority. My $0.02.
I am looking to buy a new shoe
Hoka or Altra
why should I not buy a Hoka?
School me on why everyone is running in Hoka.
they are hideous, over-priced, and slow.
I bought several different pairs of Hokas to replace worn out NB 890s and get me through an injury to my foot.
Don’t even try Hokas.
They’re too comfortable, my injured foot feels absolutely prefect when I run, so now I don’t have an excuse to skip run work outs.
Even worse, the slightly bigger toe box means I no longer get black nails after long runs - how will people at swim class know I run?
I have owned 5 pairs of Altra Instincts (v1.5 and v2). The Instinct 1.5 converted me to low/zero drop and was the best fitting shoe I’ve ever had. Loved that shoe. But all of the Instincts are plagued with uppers that wear out way too fast. I’ve never had a shoe upper fall apart as quickly as the uppers on all of my Altras. And the sole has less traction than any shoe I’ve ever used. I used them on dry tarmac/dirt only. A hint of water on the surface and they became like roller skates. QC on my 2.0 versions was sketchy with some cosmetic deformities on the soles. Altra maked significant changes to the Instinct with each new version which pissed me off as I thought each new version 1.5 > 2.0 > 3.0 got worse in terms of fit and function. Eventually I gave up on Altras. Never tried Hoka.
I developed severe knee pain involving the patellar tendon and it band after running exclusively in Hokas. Certainly did not work for me. Has taken me over a year for the pain to resolve.
I drank the Kool-Aid and ran in them for a year.
There are some nice qualities. I guess. But after being largely injured in over 25 years of competitive running, from high school miler to ultra-marathoner I was seriously injured twice running in these shoes. Both were foot rolls. I’ve rolled my feet plenty of times. Normally I just hobble for 30 seconds, then I’m fine. In these shoes, nope. I got a serious sprain the first time. And strained a knee tendon the second time. When you roll your foot that high off the ground, very bad things happen. Trash bin.
Switched back to my normal Adidas. Breath of fresh air. Feel better connected to the road/trail. Feel faster.
I’ve decided they’re just awful, awful shoes. At least for me. I’ll never again read a Slowman product review without a much healthier dose of skepticism.
Disclaimer, this is an ex-triathlete, now runner only review…My husband has seriously drunk the Hoka koolaid. It’s all he runs in now. He never really got injured before but just felt more beat up from doing high mileage (60-70 miles) weeks with lots of doubles. He switched to Hoka and just doesn’t feel that same daily fatigue as before. He’s also a bigger guy (5’10, 170 lbs) who is relatively fast for his size (2:43 marathoner). At first upon switching, he was afraid the shoe wouldn’t be great for racing but he’s PR’ed his past few marathons in them and again, doesn’t feel so beat up after them.
I prefer minimalist shoes, but I do own a pair of road Hokas and trail Hokas. I have run a few trail ultras in Hokas. I don’t feel any slower in them, and again, my feet don’t feel so beat up after. I keep the road ones around for whenever I’m feeling an injury coming on and want to be gentler on my body.
I have switched to Hoka’s. I find that I am less sore and recover faster from a long run when wearing Hokas.
I think that it may be age related. I think that older runners benefit from the increased cushioning.
I’ve switched to Hokas from the overengeneered breed, like GT2000 and this was an amazing discovery. As I got better and more confident, I’ve started experimenting more with minimal shoes. This is when I’ve discovered how much fun a shoe can add to the run. Now Hokas are my choice for recovery run, but not for much else, to be honest.
Cuz you’ll look like a spice girl?
Or maybe that’s a reason to get them. =)
I am looking to buy a new shoe
Hoka or Altra
why should I not buy a Hoka?
School me on why everyone is running in Hoka.
Opposite ends of the spectrum on the fit between Hoka’s & Altra - I tried Hoka’s and no way I was going to risk running long in them (Clifton 2’s), a very strange forefoot shape, too tight. I’m a standard fit in every other shoe, except Hoka, never been considered having a ‘wide’ foot (in fact the opposite in some cases). Quick search online will bring up info on folks cutting the uppers to solve this problem, does say something for their determination to continue running in the Hoka’s though, so there’s a positive of sorts.
they suck… feels like running on sand
I am looking to buy a new shoe
Hoka or Altra
why should I not buy a Hoka?
School me on why everyone is running in Hoka.
I am looking to buy a new shoe
Hoka or Altra
why should I not buy a Hoka?
School me on why everyone is running in Hoka.
How is your foot shaped?
I will be 66 years old next month. I’ve been running since I was 29. In my 50’s I had bilateral knee surgeries. At 60 I had bilateral hip replacements. Started running again at 61 in Hoka Stinsen’s. They feel like they take 10 years off of my legs.
I don’t wear them for races, but I have to wonder; if i done all my years of running in a shoe like the Hoka, would it have saved me from all those surgeries.
My knee issues flared up only after 2 weeks of use. Returned them and the pain was gone. They aren’t for everyone
I am looking to buy a new shoe
why should I not buy a Hoka?
Because you should buy two.