In production · trail · Trail / Race day / Tempo · $150
Sticky, aggressive short-course trail racer with huge grip.
Built for trail, race day, tempo, at a target pace of 6:30–9:00 /mi on trail.
Hoka tuned this midsole firm (2/5 on our cushioning scale). Energy return is above average: the midsole rebounds well without feeling unstable. 22 mm of heel stack keeps you low and connected, with more ground feel than most current trainers. Combined, the ride reads as snappy at 4/5 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 4 mm drop encourages a midfoot landing and keeps the ankle working through a fuller range. The geometry is fairly traditional and flat, so the shoe follows your foot rather than steering it. The forefoot flexes easily, so the shoe adapts to slower, shorter strides. 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 runs small; most runners size up a half. Expect roughly 250 miles from the outsole, about $0.60 per mile at $150.
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
210 g / 7.4 oz
65 g lighter than the catalog median of 275 g
Heel stack
22 mm
14 mm lower than the catalog median of 36 mm
Drop
4 mm
2 mm lower than the catalog median of 6 mm
Price
$150
10 cheaper than the catalog median of 160
Responsiveness
4 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Cushioning
2 / 5
Catalog median 4 / 5
Energy return
4 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Durability
~250 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.
New Balance MT10
204 g / 7.2 oz · 14 mm · 4 mm drop · — · $120
New Balance MT10: 14 mm heel stack, 4 mm drop, 200 g — specs from independent lab testing.
New Balance Minimus Trail
224 g / 7.9 oz · 20 mm · 4 mm drop · Rock · $140
New Balance Minimus Trail: 20 mm heel stack, 4 mm drop, 213 g — specs from independent lab testing.
Hoka Zinal 2
227 g / 8.0 oz · 30 mm · 5 mm drop · — · $160
Featherweight trail racer for short, fast mountain efforts.
Hoka Torrent 4
255 g / 9.0 oz · 29 mm · 5 mm drop · — · $130
Light, flexible and ground-feel oriented for fast trail miles.