Nope, I have no advertising relationship with Hoka, in fact I have no direct contact with the company as yet. I’ve only even run in the Hokas myself once. My interest is in helping people find shoes that let them achieve their running goals, and for some people Hokas are the answer to that. For one example, my own wife has been able to run pain free for several months now thanks to these shoes. She tried minimal and it did not work for her. If I ever become overly dogmatic in my beliefs about footwear in the absence of compelling evidence that one style is best for all then I’ve failed to do my job well.
I will say I had the same attitude about these shoes just a few months ago, but I know to many people who have found benefit from running in them to close my mind to them as an option.
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The minimalist movement has definitely spawned some holier-than-thou attitudes towards non-minimalist shoes. I also thought they looked a little crazy when I first saw them, but reserved judgement until trying them. Glad I kept an open mind. I think that the more people that try them, the more people are going to realize that Hoka is really on to something- for a wide variety of runners….size, age, distance, etc…

I’m loving the Pearl Izumi EM Road N1 – should have a review up soon.

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Pete Larson’s Web Links:
-My book: Tread Lightly: http://ow.ly/bdUO0
-Blog: https://runblogger.com
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Pete, how are you finding the sizing of the Road N1 say vs. the Kinvara or the Brooks Pure Flow/Cadence? Thanks.

If the question is can you run with good form in these shoes, the answer is yes. I had great success in my trail 50k with them. They keep you from getting beat up on long runs too. I wouldn’t race a marathon in them, but for long runs or trails my Bondi Bs work great.

It’s also worth noting that they look more ridiculous than they are, thanks to the way the mid-sole comes up around the upper. The stack-height on these is 21/26. That’s quite normal for a well-cushioned shoe, comparable to a Saucony Peregrine or Pearl Izumi N2. It’s actually lower to the ground overall than a Brooks Cascadia or a New Balance 1210. I’m no big fan of Hokas because of the price and their awful uppers and toe boxes, but their stack heights aren’t quite as absurd as they initially appear. Overall, I think everyone who runs long, hard miles has come to realize that the “all cushioning is bad for you” paradigm is silly and dangerous. Higher stack heights do take some getting used to, and initially make me more likely to trip and turn my ankle, but that’s not the same as cushioning being bad for you in and of itself. Rather, the higher stack height is an unfortunate byproduct of the increased cushioning. On a separate topic, Pete: I wonder if you’ll have a chance to weigh in on the exaggerated toe spring/ rocker “technologies” that are in Hokas, Pearl Izumis, Scott Shoes, and a few others now. It seems like another new trend that flies in the face of the basic tenants of “minimalism” but may offer advantages to many people, including top runners.

Loving the Trail M2 myself. Contacted PI to see if they had plans for a Road M1 or M2, as I need the higher density foam for pronation control. Unfortunately no clues from them on lighter road stability shoes. Road M3 and H3 are too stiff and bulky IMO.

My wife has the same issue with the Bondi B – we’re trying a half size up to see if it helps. The EVA lip is a problem and the upper tore right along it.

—-
Pete Larson’s Web Links:
-My book: Tread Lightly: http://ow.ly/bdUO0
-Blog: https://runblogger.com
-Twitter: http://twitter.com/Runblogger
-Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Runbl…
-Discussion Forum: https://runblogger.com/forum

Haha. It looks like Altra is coming out with their own maximal offering, the Olympus. I actually like the way the Hokas look better, but would be willing to give either shoe a try-not that I run enough to ever need that kind of protection.

Yep! Keeping in pretty good shape for my age :-) Thought best to change the pic!