So, I bought a pair of Cliftons and fell in love with them fora few short runs. I then went out for a more spirited run and after about 3 miles, it became apparent that the toebox is too narrow and it ended up giving me sore feet. I tried them again inside and they were great, outside again and they sucked after a while. I just wish I had known they sucked before getting into a position that I am unable to return them.
Does anyone have any suggestions for clifton like comfort, possibly weight and is wier in the toebox. I am looking to bump my miles up this off-season and the Brooks Ghost may not cut it for me.
So, I bought a pair of Cliftons and fell in love with them fora few short runs. I then went out for a more spirited run and after about 3 miles, it became apparent that the toebox is too narrow and it ended up giving me sore feet. I tried them again inside and they were great, outside again and they sucked after a while. I just wish I had known they sucked before getting into a position that I am unable to return them.
Does anyone have any suggestions for clifton like comfort, possibly weight and is wier in the toebox. I am looking to bump my miles up this off-season and the Brooks Ghost may not cut it for me.
I cut a hole in the upper so my 4th/5th toes can stick out. I have narrow to normal width feet and they weren’t nearly wide enough for my toes to splay out normally. Unfortunately most shoes are like this, even Altras which seem to be much wider in the toebox until you see the width comes mainly on the great toe side where no extra room is typically needed anyway. Shoes seem like such a simple thing to make, but clearly are not.
I tried the Cliftons and they were too narrow for me. I’ve got a pair of Bondi 3 and find them to have a little extra room in the toe box. Nice and cushioned though. Think I’m gonna try Altra next to see if the toe box is even a little bit more generous.
So, I bought a pair of Cliftons and fell in love with them fora few short runs. I then went out for a more spirited run and after about 3 miles, it became apparent that the toebox is too narrow and it ended up giving me sore feet. I tried them again inside and they were great, outside again and they sucked after a while. I just wish I had known they sucked before getting into a position that I am unable to return them.
Does anyone have any suggestions for clifton like comfort, possibly weight and is wier in the toebox. I am looking to bump my miles up this off-season and the Brooks Ghost may not cut it for me.
Suggestions welcome.
Thanks
I dont think that Hoka One gives a shit about people with wide feet.
I have tried several pairs to no avail.
You can use shoefitr on sites like runningwarehouse to find out exactly how much larger or smaller a shoe’s toe box is, or heel, or midfoot etc. Nothing compares to Altra though.
i can tell you that it ain’t the NB Fresh Foam. i too am intrigued by the Hoka but i am wide-forefoot and high instep so its not even close. so i gave the NB Hoka-esq Fresh Foam a try cause thier 2E’s work well for me. sadly, no. totally different feel from the rest of their line.
anyway, if you find a wide equivalent i would love to hear it.
Altra Torin 1.5 is pretty close to the Clifton. They have a wider toe box and the difference between the Clifton 4mm drop and the Torin 0mm drop probably won’t be anything you notice much after the first 3-4 runs
The Torin and Clifton are not close at all. You can check this on various websites with shoefitr. I have both of these shoes, and the Clifton is ultra narrow.
Altra Torin 1.5 is pretty close to the Clifton. They have a wider toe box and the difference between the Clifton 4mm drop and the Torin 0mm drop probably won’t be anything you notice much after the first 3-4 runs
The Torin and Clifton are not close at all. You can check this on various websites with shoefitr. I have both of these shoes, and the Clifton is ultra narrow.
Altra Torin 1.5 is pretty close to the Clifton. They have a wider toe box and the difference between the Clifton 4mm drop and the Torin 0mm drop probably won’t be anything you notice much after the first 3-4 runs
I believe the Clifton is actually 6mm (or at least that’s what Running Warehouse says). Going from 6 to 0 drop may be a lot for some (but maybe not), so it’s hard to recommend the Altra- even though they are practically the only shoe with a wide toe box. The only other difference is that Clifton’s are quite light, whereas most Altra’s are not (Edited to add- the Altra one2 is super light- but has a lot less cushion than the Clifton or Torin). I am a fan of Altra’s, but they’re not the first shoe I can recommend to someone, without knowing their running history.
I run in Pearl Izumi N2’s and consider them my ‘Hoka-lights’. Not quite as cushy, but they have a much wider toe box.
The Torin and Clifton are not close at all. You can check this on various websites with shoefitr. I have both of these shoes, and the Clifton is ultra narrow.
Altra Torin 1.5 is pretty close to the Clifton. They have a wider toe box and the difference between the Clifton 4mm drop and the Torin 0mm drop probably won’t be anything you notice much after the first 3-4 runs
Getting the correct drop on a shoe like the Clifton is tough, due to the rocker.
And yes, some people can transition to a zero drop, but I know a lot of runners who can’t (me and my husband included). I’ve done the transition correctly (read: slowly), never got any injuries, but my calves and achilles simply wouldn’t adapt. I was sick of having tight achilles and calves all the time so went back to at least a 4mm, and have been much happier. Point being, Altra’s are a great shoe, but not everyone can transition to zero. (Although after looking at the One2 again, I’m tempted to give it another shot! That is a nice shoe!)
You might be right in regards to drop, the Hoka page for the Clifton says 4mm and 5mm on the same page
Still, with a transition period of a couple of weeks it should be OK as long as it’s a gentle transition
Hi Alaina, do wear heeled shoes at work? I found it pretty easy once I started wearing zero drop dress shoes all day as well
Getting the correct drop on a shoe like the Clifton is tough, due to the rocker.
And yes, some people can transition to a zero drop, but I know a lot of runners who can’t (me and my husband included). I’ve done the transition correctly (read: slowly), never got any injuries, but my calves and achilles simply wouldn’t adapt. I was sick of having tight achilles and calves all the time so went back to at least a 4mm, and have been much happier. Point being, Altra’s are a great shoe, but not everyone can transition to zero. (Although after looking at the One2 again, I’m tempted to give it another shot! That is a nice shoe!)
You might be right in regards to drop, the Hoka page for the Clifton says 4mm and 5mm on the same page
Still, with a transition period of a couple of weeks it should be OK as long as it’s a gentle transition
Good question! No, I don’t actually- I wear Toms or very flat Merrels- heeled shoes ALSO hurt my calves! Hmm…this may be an instance of ‘it’s not you, it’s me’- I just have very tight calves! Granted, I live in CO and almost every run involves a minimum of 1,000 feet of gain…so it may be that more than the shoes
Hi Alaina, do wear heeled shoes at work? I found it pretty easy once I started wearing zero drop dress shoes all day as well
Getting the correct drop on a shoe like the Clifton is tough, due to the rocker.
And yes, some people can transition to a zero drop, but I know a lot of runners who can’t (me and my husband included). I’ve done the transition correctly (read: slowly), never got any injuries, but my calves and achilles simply wouldn’t adapt. I was sick of having tight achilles and calves all the time so went back to at least a 4mm, and have been much happier. Point being, Altra’s are a great shoe, but not everyone can transition to zero. (Although after looking at the One2 again, I’m tempted to give it another shot! That is a nice shoe!)
You might be right in regards to drop, the Hoka page for the Clifton says 4mm and 5mm on the same page
Still, with a transition period of a couple of weeks it should be OK as long as it’s a gentle transition
I’ve run in both the Altra Torin and the Hoka Clifton and I don’t think they are anywhere close to feeling similar. The Altra Torin has a much firmer ride than the Hoka Clifton.
The Torin is pretty close to the Clifton in stack height, heel-toe drop but wider.