HOKA ONE ONE CARBON X
PRICE: $180
TYPE: Road
WEIGHT: 8.7 oz (M), 7.1 oz (W)
DROP: 5 mmThe Carbon X snagged the
50-mile world record just
three days after this shoe
was unveiled. But despite
that accomplishment, it’s
difficult to nail down what
this shoe is designed to
do. Ultrarunners like Jim
Walmsley, who broke the
record, don’t spend a lot of
time racing on pavement.
The shoe’s rubberized foam
outsole isn’t made for trails,
and the model is arguably
too heavy to be a true road
racer. The carbon-fiber
plate is designed to make it
propulsive, but unlike what
Nike did with its Vaporf ly
4%, Hoka isn’t claiming
how much or even whether
the shoe makes you faster.
When rubber meets the
road, a rocker positioned
just behind the ball of your
foot shoves you aggres-
sively onto your forefoot. A
carbon-fiber plate holds the
rocker’s shape throughout
your gait cycle, and that
expedites the heel-to-toe
roll. Without additional heel
foam (the offset is Hoka’s
characteristic 5mm) the
transition bothered some
heel-strikers, who felt their
lower legs had to expend
extra effort to keep up. As
a midfoot-striker, I like the
rocker’s positioning and
stiffness. Whether you like
this shoe may come down to
your footstrike.—D.R.Beneath a thick
layer of “Profly
X” foam (the blue
layer) is a Y-shaped
carbon-fiber plate,
which helps the
shoe maintain its
rockered shape.
It’s split in the
forefoot, with the
thickest part under
your big toe for a
propulsive feeling
on toe-off.
PROFLY X FOAM
Y-SHAPED
CARBON-FIBER
PLATE
THE
CUT-
UPA RUBBERIZED
FOAM SOLE HOLDS
UP TO ROAD MILES.RUNNERSWORLD.COM 45