In production · trail · Trail / Race day / Long run · $275
Twin carbon plates and a smoother ride for long, fast trail racing.
Built for trail, race day, long run, at a target pace of 7:30–10:30 /mi on trail.
Hoka tuned this midsole soft (4/5 on our cushioning scale). The foam is highly resilient — it gives energy back rather than swallowing it, which is what makes the shoe feel eager when you push. 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 explosive at 5/5 responsiveness.
A full-length carbon plate stiffens the forefoot and works with the foam as a lever: it smooths the transition off the toes and cuts the effort of holding fast paces. It also asks for speed — at easy paces a carbon plate feels stiff and does little for you, and it is the main reason super-shoes wear out sooner than trainers.
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. 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 350 miles from the outsole, about $0.79 per mile at $275.
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
278 g / 9.8 oz
3 g heavier 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
$275
115 pricier than the catalog median of 160
Responsiveness
5 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Cushioning
4 / 5
Catalog median 4 / 5
Energy return
5 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Durability
~350 mi
Catalog median ~400 mi
Within the Hoka line it is heavier 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.
Asics MetaFuji Trail
261 g / 9.2 oz · 44 mm · 5 mm drop · Carbon · $180
Carbon-plated trail racer for fast, runnable terrain.
On Cloudultra Pro
275 g / 9.7 oz · 39 mm · 6 mm drop · Carbon · $270
On Cloudultra Pro: 39 mm heel stack, 6 mm drop, 266 g — specs from independent lab testing.
Brooks Cascadia Elite
255 g / 9.0 oz · 36 mm · 6 mm drop · Carbon · $275
Brooks' trail race shoe: PEBA DNA Gold, SpeedVault+ plate, Megagrip Elite.
Hoka Tecton X 3(2024)
292 g / 10.3 oz · 40 mm · 5 mm drop · Carbon · $275
Dual carbon plates for trail racing — propulsive, but stable on uneven ground.