I’m just wondering if switching to Hokas changed anyone’s running paces. I’m considering giving them a go but wanted some opinions. Also, it looks like the durability is questionable so honestly, how many miles are you getting on a pair?
I’ve been running in Brooks Adrenalines and Brooks Racer St 5s for a while and I don’t have issues, just looking at new technology and seeing if it’s worth giving a shot.
Not sure what version you are getting but I did not see a pace difference in the Clifton’s. If anything, the pace on the back half of my runs was a little faster/felt less strained.
Cannot speak to the durability as mine don’t have too many miles on them but as of right now they are wearing the same as any other shoe I have owned. But honestly, I don’t pay much attention to tread life, etc.
I couldn’t run before I got my Bondi’s, so yeah, my pace has improved 
Seriously, I’m at 400+ miles on them and I’ll retire them shortly - so no issues there. IIRC, the durability issues raised are more on the Clifton’s. I have about 200 miles on them and they are holding up well.
It seems to me the Bondi’s do increase my downhill pace, the Clifton’s not so much. I suspect it’s all that cushion.
I’ve been alternating the two but am leaning towards going with the Cliftons’s exclusively. The Bondi’s are a bit too clunky and as mentioned I haven’t experienced the durability issues with the Clifton’s. Yet. YMMV.
They did not change my pace. The benefits are more subtle, long-term stuff than an immediate increase in pace. E.g. less injury, slightly faster recovery (in my n=1 opinion, not proven).
The durability is horrid for me. Enough that I’m going to start looking for alternatives. Bondi, Stinson, Clifton …doesn’t matter. I’m lucky to get 150 miles. I am a bigger runner (6’3" 175), but still…
They did not change my pace. The benefits are more subtle, long-term stuff than an immediate increase in pace. E.g. less injury, slightly faster recovery (in my n=1 opinion, not proven).
The durability is horrid for me. Enough that I’m going to start looking for alternatives. Bondi, Stinson, Clifton …doesn’t matter. ** I’m lucky to get 150 miles. I am a bigger runner (6’3" 175), but still.**…
Really? I’m 5’10 and wish I was 175 (closer to 195) and haven’t had any issues. What exactly is wearing out, the uppers or the soles?
I do some trail running and am wondering if that has spared a lot of wear and tear. hmmm?
This weekend I raced in my new Cliftons and PR’d my 10K - best time before that was 2005. So, I don’t think my pace was that impacted by Hokas. I have ran in Bondi 2s and logged 13 months @ 25+ per week in them and had zero issues beyond how bad the smelled. Now that sit at work for my mid-day runs and they are fine. I now run in Stinsons and they are doing fine - zero issues and my legs do feel fresher. They are not for everyone, but worth a try.
So - they are durable, I have 1,200 plus miles on a pair and they still work fine. The Cliftons are great race day “flats”, but I wouyld not make them my every day trainer.
If you buy them from Road Runner sports you can use thier return policy to trade them back in if they don’t work - my wife did that after she tried the Conquest and it tore up her heal. She was not a Hoka fan.
Hope this helps!
I haven’t noticed a pace change. I went from running in the Asics Nimbus to the Hoka Stinson and pacing is the same. As far as longevity goes I am getting about 400-500 miles per pair and that is mostly on the road (I am 6 feet tall and weigh 178 lbs). I have a pair of Stinson Trail shoes and they have lasted easily 400 miles and are still going strong.
Pete
What exactly is wearing out, the uppers or the soles?
Kind of a combination of things. The upper mesh sometimes, and several spots on the sole (forefoot and outside of heel) on every shoe.
The sole wear is consistent with the wear pattern I get on other shoes, it just burns through the sole much more quickly.
My running pace has gotten slower but it’s probably my age and some time off from running. It’s coincidental that I moved from Brooks Adrenaline as my every day trainer and Brooks Racer ST as my race shoe to the Hokas. I can tell you that there’s a huge difference in the feel–to me the ST’s feel like I barely have shoes on whereas the Stinson’s feel like I’m running on pillows. It was hard to get used to this in the beginning but my knees and hips definitely appreciate the switch. I don’t know if I’d race in the Hokas, particularly in the heat. On some long runs they have gotten heavy from sweat. No wear issues, both the Stinson’s and the Bondi’s that I have have about 150 miles each and they look new.
They did not change my pace. The benefits are more subtle, long-term stuff than an immediate increase in pace. E.g. less injury, slightly faster recovery (in my n=1 opinion, not proven).
The durability is horrid for me. Enough that I’m going to start looking for alternatives. Bondi, Stinson, Clifton …doesn’t matter. I’m lucky to get 150 miles. I am a bigger runner (6’3" 175), but still…
I’m a bit of a feather weight - 5’8" 145 and I’ve noticed the same benefits as this guy in the Huaka after about two weeks. Prior to the Huaka I was running in the Brooks Pure Connect 3 but needed more cushion and my legs just felt beat up after any run longer than about 20 minutes. If I run into the same durability issues as others, then I’ll have to switch shoes. Probably to the Kinvara 5. It seemed to have similar cushion and ride characteristics.
I’m just wondering if switching to Hokas changed anyone’s running paces. I’m considering giving them a go but wanted some opinions. Also, it looks like the durability is questionable so honestly, how many miles are you getting on a pair?
I’ve been running in Brooks Adrenalines and Brooks Racer St 5s for a while and I don’t have issues, just looking at new technology and seeing if it’s worth giving a shot.
Perfect timing on this question…I did my first two runs this past weekend in the Huaka’s. Previously, i ran in Newton Gravity’s.
Yesterday’s long run had 2/20 min threshhold efforts. I hit the pace i was expecting for both.
Moral of the story…don’t let looks fool you. They may look slow, but from my first two runs in them, looks are deceiving.
What exactly is wearing out, the uppers or the soles?
Kind of a combination of things. The upper mesh sometimes, and several spots on the sole (forefoot and outside of heel) on every shoe.
The sole wear is consistent with the wear pattern I get on other shoes, it just burns through the sole much more quickly.
Guessing that since there is more cushion to “burn” through it looks to be at a higher rate but with plenty of cushion to spare. As far as the uppers, I had Bondi 2’s that the upper mesh started getting holes in them and pulling away from the side. I sent them back and they sent me a brand new pair of Bondi 3’s. And that was with about 300 miles on them.
My pacing went up slightly in my Bondi’s, but my perceived pace seemed a bit slower because of the softer landing the shoes give. I was concerned about the outsole wear when they seemed to be wearing out rather quickly, but that stabilized after a hundred miles or so and I’m still running in my Bondi 2’s with about 600 miles on them.
My Bondi’s and Bondi 2 are doing great. However, I also have the Stinson’s and my pace does feel quicker. Then I just got the Huaka and the pace feels quicker still.
I switched to the Stinson’s after having some posterior tibial tendon issues last winter which kept me out of running for 3 months. I was willing to try anything that would let me run pain free again. It took a while to regain my running form but by the end of this season I’ve now ran 38:48 10K (previous PR was 40:24) and also a half-marathon of 1:25:46 with a previous PR of 1:28:30. They felt heavy and clunky at first but now I feel fast and strong in them and can tell they pay dividends when you up your running mileage. I wouldn’t worry about them slowing you down at all. I have also ran two marathons in them and they felt great for those runs too.
Coming from Brooks, is the sizing the same?
I wore 11.5 Arenalines and the 11.5 Stinsons and Bondis fit the same. For some reason, the Racer STs I used a half size down.
Trail, if you have a problem contact Hoka, they will replace them. I just got a set of Stinsen’s to replace my Bondi’s. This is the second pair of Bondi’s that I’ve had replaced. I run 90% on trails so wear isn’t and issue and the Stinsen’s seem to last forever for me.