In production · road · Daily / Recovery / Long run · $175
Hoka's maximal stability shoe: heavy, plush and firmly guided.
Built for daily, recovery, long run, at a target pace of 9:30–12:30 /mi on road.
Hoka tuned this midsole very soft (5/5 on our cushioning scale). Energy return is moderate — comfortable and predictable rather than bouncy. 36 mm of heel stack is the modern daily-trainer sweet spot — enough foam for long miles without losing contact with the road. Combined, the ride reads as calm at 2/5 responsiveness.
There is no plate here. The midsole does all the work, so the shoe flexes naturally and stays versatile across paces — easier on the feet day to day, but without the snap of a plated shoe when you want to roll.
A 6 mm drop is the mainstream middle — familiar to almost anyone coming from a standard trainer. The rocker is aggressive: the sole is curved and stiff enough to tip you into the next stride on its own, which saves the calf on long runs but feels strange when you slow right down. The forefoot is stiff, so it rolls rather than bends — a lever, not a slipper. It offers real guidance through the gait cycle — useful for runners whose form collapses when tired.
The toe-box is wide, with space for the toes to spread late in long runs. It fits true to size. Expect roughly 500 miles from the outsole, about $0.35 per mile at $175.
For the foams and plates Hoka uses across its line, read the Hoka brand guide.
Measured against the 542 currently-available shoes in the catalog. The bar shows where this shoe sits in that range.
Weight
310 g / 10.9 oz
35 g heavier than the catalog median of 275 g
Heel stack
36 mm
Level with the catalog median of 36 mm
Drop
6 mm
Level with the catalog median of 6 mm
Price
$175
15 pricier than the catalog median of 160
Responsiveness
2 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Cushioning
5 / 5
Catalog median 4 / 5
Energy return
3 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Durability
~500 mi
Catalog median ~400 mi
Within the Hoka line it is heavier than the brand's median (275 g / 9.7 oz) and sits lower than its median stack (38 mm).
Current shoes with the nearest combination of weight, stack, drop, foam feel and plate.
On Cloudeclipse(2024)
275 g / 9.7 oz · 37 mm · 6 mm drop · — · $180
On's double-layer max cushion shoe for long, easy, protected miles.
Brooks Ghost Max 3
306 g / 10.8 oz · 39 mm · 6 mm drop · — · $150
Plush, roomy max-cushion trainer with the GlideRoll rocker.
Hoka Gaviota 6
283 g / 10.0 oz · 39 mm · 6 mm drop · — · $175
Maximal stability: wide J-Frame base with plush, slow cushioning.
Saucony Endorphin Shift 4
300 g / 10.6 oz · 42 mm · 6 mm drop · — · $150
Big, stable, rockered cruiser for high-mileage easy days.