Discontinued · road · Daily / Tempo · $160
The extended-heel experiment — smooth, odd-looking, quietly loved.
Built for daily, tempo, at a target pace of 7:30–10:00 /mi on road.
This model is no longer in production. The closest shoe you can buy today is Hoka Clifton 11.
Hoka tuned this midsole soft (4/5 on our cushioning scale). Energy return is moderate — comfortable and predictable rather than bouncy. 33 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 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. Forefoot flex is middle of the road. Support is light — neutral, with a mildly steady platform.
The toe-box is standard width — comfortable for most feet without swimming. It fits true to size. Expect roughly 300 miles from the outsole, about $0.53 per mile at $160.
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
255 g / 9.0 oz
20 g lighter than the catalog median of 275 g
Heel stack
33 mm
3 mm lower than the catalog median of 36 mm
Drop
5 mm
1 mm lower than the catalog median of 6 mm
Price
$160
Level with 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
~300 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.
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.
Hoka Rincon 4
228 g / 8.0 oz · 33 mm · 5 mm drop · — · $130
Barely-there lightweight Hoka for quick, cushioned miles.
Hoka Clifton 9 GTX
272 g / 9.6 oz · 40 mm · 5 mm drop · — · $170
Hoka Clifton 9 GTX: 40 mm heel stack, 5 mm drop, 271 g — specs from independent lab testing.
On Cloudsurfer 2(2025)
260 g / 9.2 oz · 32 mm · 9 mm drop · — · $160
CloudTec Phase collapses front-to-back for a smooth, guided roll.