In production · road · Daily / Long run · $170
Hoka Clifton 9 GTX: 40 mm heel stack, 5 mm drop, 271 g — specs from independent lab testing.
Built for daily, long run, at a target pace of 7:30–10:00 /mi on road.
The midsole is CMEVA, tuned soft (4/5 on our cushioning scale). Energy return is moderate — comfortable and predictable rather than bouncy. At 40 mm of heel stack this sits in max-cushion territory; legs stay fresher on long efforts, but the platform is tall. Combined, the ride reads as lively at 3/5 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 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 is a neutral platform with no built-in correction.
The toe-box is narrow and performance-oriented; wide-footed runners should try before buying. It fits true to size. Expect roughly 400 miles from the outsole, about $0.42 per mile at $170.
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
272 g / 9.6 oz
3 g lighter than the catalog median of 275 g
Heel stack
40 mm
4 mm taller than the catalog median of 36 mm
Drop
5 mm
1 mm lower than the catalog median of 6 mm
Price
$170
10 pricier than the catalog median of 160
Responsiveness
3 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Cushioning
4 / 5
Catalog median 4 / 5
Energy return
3 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Durability
~400 mi
Catalog median ~400 mi
Within the Hoka line it is lighter than the brand's median (275 g / 9.7 oz) and sits taller than its median stack (38 mm).
Current shoes with the nearest combination of weight, stack, drop, foam feel and plate.
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.
Adidas Adistar 4
272 g / 9.6 oz · 40 mm · 5 mm drop · — · $140
Adidas Adistar 4: 40 mm heel stack, 5 mm drop, 275 g — specs from independent lab testing.
Mizuno Neo Zen 2
241 g / 8.5 oz · 40 mm · 6 mm drop · — · $150
Mizuno Neo Zen 2: 40 mm heel stack, 6 mm drop, 237 g — specs from independent lab testing.
Adidas Adistar 3
270 g / 9.5 oz · 40 mm · 5 mm drop · — · $150
Heavy, durable and forgiving — built for very high mileage at easy effort.