I’m interested in buying a new pair of running shoes for training and racing. I’m on the heavy side — 6’1â€, 205-210 lbs — and not really a fast runner. My Zone 2 pace is around 8’45â€-9’00â€/mi, although I need to get back in shape after getting surgery ( unrelated to training) back in March.
I have normal/natural pronation and a midfoot strike. I’ve been running on Newton shoes for a few years — first with the Fate 3 and 4, and more recently, I’ve been using the Gravity 8. However, I’ve been slow down by some Achilles’ tendon and heel pain on my left foot earlier this year. I’ve never suffered any injuries in years of running, so I can’t honestly tell if this is due to the shoes or some other factor. The pain is now completely gone after a few months of wearing a night splint and complete rest.
That said, I’m wondering if you had any recommendations on Hoka shoes I should try. I’m looking for a pair of shoes I could use as my daily trainers. I race mostly 70.3, and I have a Speed Workout (~45 mins) and an Aerobic Endurance Run (1-2 hours) in my weekly training schedule.
Big fan of the Mach 4’s. Very light, and perfect blend of training and racing shoe. Road Runner sports offers a 90 day (I think) no questions asked return policy. Give’em a shot
given your weight and pacing, I would suggest the bondi, nothing softer. there is a new Bondi x coming. yes, the Mach 4 is lighter and faster, but for a big guy like you, may not be what you want as your daily driver. +1 on RRS
I ran in the Cliftons as my daily trainer for years, and only switched because I got a great deal on another brand. The Clifton 5 was amazing, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone as their daily trainer.
Rincon might be a solution. The new model should be out soon. Although Hoka has been having production issues due to Covid in Vietnam shuttering their production facilities multiple times. (Hoka’s not the only brand facing this issue btw)
Look, instead of asking for what people like, just go to the local running shop(s) and try on shoes. Hell you may end up in something non hoka that you LOVE while just only liking Hokas.
I agree with trying them on, but I have yet to find a store around me that carries more then two are three models. The less popular ones like Rincon are hard to find.
While I do like Hoka’s I also find I am very prone to getting blisters in them righter where their insoles meet their uppers.
I’m a shorter but also slightly heavier (muscle = overweight BMI) runner. Unlike you though I have a real arthritis limiter, in that if I use shoes that aren’t sufficiently cushioned and run more than 25-30 miles in a week, I start getting painful bone bruising and stiffness that is characteristic of degenerative arthritis. (Sucks but is surprisingly common after age 45)
I tried:
Mach 4: Great fit for me, lightweight, good balanced, and feels fast due to its lightness. It unfortunately didn’t cushion quite enough for me - after a 10 miler, I was starting to feel my ankles getting banged up.
Rincon 2: I used this as my race shoe before the era of super carbon plate shoes came out, and also did a good number of training runs in it. Also light and felt fast. For me the cushion was great for the first 50 miles, but it definitely faded for me after that - by 100 miles or so I was getting my arthritic ankle pain again.
Bondi 6: When my arthritic ankles are feeling the pain from overuse, these are my go-to shoe. Giant stack height, but weirdly the midsole feels a bit stiff. It delivers on the impact absorption though, and is thus a truly great recovery shoe. Still, I hesitate to recommend it because it is really heavy, and you pay a high speed cost for all that absorption - my paces were a good 15-20sec/mile slower at all efforts, which is pretty depressing even if you know it’s happening.
I weirdly haven’t used the Clifton, but may try one soon - I like the idea of a Mach 4 like shoe but with more cushion at slight cost of speed for a daily trainer for myself. If you’re injury free, the Mach4 is a pretty solid shoe. Although to be honest, given your lack of arthritis or limiter, you should seriously try the Endorphin speed before anything else, as it will work for trainer and racer with aplomb. It’s the 2nd most impressive shoe I’ve ever worn, and I’d argue the most useful of ALL the shoes I own. (The Alphaflys are the #1 for me, but they are quite $$$ and not so comfortable at slower paces.)
I agree with trying them on, but I have yet to find a store around me that carries more then two are three models. …
While I do like Hoka’s I also find I am very prone to getting blisters in them righter where their insoles meet their uppers.
Stores carry more of what’s selling. Hoka is our second most popular line and we stock 7 models. Three years ago we stocked 3 or 4 Hokas.
Stores are going to carry more/less models depending on what % of business the brand is and how it’s trending over the last 12-36 mo. We’ve dropped an entire line of shoes bc we sell more Ora slides than we did shoes from that brand.
Understand the challenges in stocking inventory for a brick and mortar store. Back in the day when my shoe of choice were Asics they had like 40 models.
I think it was the Clifton 4’s that would give me a line of blisters from ball to heel if I ran more than 6 miles. I was slowly building miles at the time and didn’t find that out til I had already put a lot of miles on them. Recently tried the most recent Clifton’s and they just give me blisters on the ball of the foot. Probably just need a wider shoe.
Running Injuries - It’s not the shoes. It’s only the shoes if you are running in completely broken down worn out shoes. If you have been in the same shoes for a good time and get injured there are two other factors. Training is first and that could be you took time off and then jumped right back in where you left off or you did something else in training but virtually all running injuries are training related. The second could be lifestyle. Stress in the job, or stress from something else.
Hoka Shoes - You came to the right place and you will get every option out there. I do market research for all of the running shoe brands. There are three shoes. The Bondi is the #1 selling shoe from Hoka year over year and it’s #2 at every event I cover. Coming from Newton I would suggest the Bondi is too much shoe for you. That brings us to hands down the #1 shoe at events for Hoka One One. From Half Marathons to Marathon and from 70.3 to Full the Clifton reigns supreme. It’s the perfect blend of lightweight, protection and most of all the Hoka One One DNA (Rocker Midfoot/Fore Foot, Total Stack Height, Wide base, Rails that keep your foot centered on the platform). The third shoe which you might enjoy on race day and for some training is the Carbon X. It’s the #3 shoe on the courses I mentioned for Hoka.
All of the other shoes mentioned in the replies are fine shoes. They serve their purposes well. Go to a retail store that carries a good selection of Hoka shoes. Try a few of them on. Select the one that is most comfortable on your foot. My research says the Clifton will be that shoe.