Discontinued · road · Daily / Long run · $125
Earlier generation of the Hoka Arahi line, kept for replacement lookups.
Built for daily, long run, at a target pace of 8:30–11:30 /mi on road.
This model is no longer in production. The closest shoe you can buy today is Hoka Arahi 7.
Hoka tuned this midsole soft (4/5 on our cushioning scale). Energy return is modest, so the ride feels protective and damp rather than springy. 34 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 low 5 mm drop encourages a midfoot landing and keeps the ankle working through a fuller range. The rocker is moderate — enough curve to smooth the roll-through without dictating your footstrike. 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 450 miles from the outsole, about $0.28 per mile at $125.
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
275 g / 9.7 oz
Level with the catalog median of 275 g
Heel stack
34 mm
2 mm lower than the catalog median of 36 mm
Drop
5 mm
1 mm lower than the catalog median of 6 mm
Price
$125
35 cheaper than the catalog median of 160
Responsiveness
2 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Cushioning
4 / 5
Catalog median 4 / 5
Energy return
2 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Durability
~450 mi
Catalog median ~400 mi
Within the Hoka line it is lighter 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.
Saucony Guide 19
275 g / 9.7 oz · 35 mm · 6 mm drop · — · $150
Center-path stability that feels neutral until you need it.
Saucony Guide 18(2025)
272 g / 9.6 oz · 35 mm · 6 mm drop · — · $145
Center-path stability with a soft, non-intrusive frame.
Hoka Arahi 7(2023)
272 g / 9.6 oz · 34 mm · 5 mm drop · — · $145
J-Frame support built into soft foam — stability that doesn't feel like a brace.
Topo Athletic Ultrafly 6
272 g / 9.6 oz · 32 mm · 5 mm drop · — · $150
Lightly supportive daily trainer with a heel-wrapping medial post.