THE SMOOTH, FLAT LACES
LOOSEN OVER TIME AND
CAN CAUSE SOME SLIPPAGE.SALOMON SUPERCROSS
PRICE: $110 | TYPE: Trail
WEIGHT: 10.9 oz (M), 9.5 oz (W) | DROP: 10 mmThe Supercross is
essentially a budget-
conscious version of the
company’s Speedcross,
a shoe designed to blaze
over soft, sloppy trails.
It has the same styling
and aggressive lugs, but
everything is built for
better value. The out-
sole still has deep tread
that bites into muddy
trails, but it’s made
with a more durable
(read: harder) rubber
compound than the
Speedcross. It also has
a ripstop upper similar
to the Speedcross, but
the tongue is different
and you have to tuck
the speed laces underan elastic strap—the
Speedcross has a lace
garage at the top of the
tongue to tidy up loose
ends. But, even so, this
shoe costs just $110 and
has plenty of cushion-
ing and protection for
technical singletrack
trails. Testers loved
that the shoe’s upper
shed muck rapidly and
still looked clean after a
month’s worth of abuse.
“I worried about wear-
ing them to our July
4th Hash,” said one
tester, “because one of
the rules is that anyone
caught wearing new
shoes has to drink out
of them.”—J.D.If we gave out a “Didn’t
Mess It Up” award,
Hoka’s light and fast
trail racer would
earn one this season,
thanks to some minor
updates making the
shoe better than the
debut model. Named
for the remote region
along the Diagonale des
Fous on Réunion Island,
the Mafate is made for
aggressive running on
technical singletrack
trails. The highly dura-
ble Kevlar fiber Matryx
upper gets a few tweaks
to increase comfort over
long miles. While many
Hokas are relatively
narrow, the Evo Mafate
2 is roomier. Testerspraised the extra space,
especially in the toe-
box, and loved the
new soft and stretchy
panel over the top of
the toes that allows the
shoe to expand with
the foot during each
step. The ride is largely
unchanged from the
first version. The tall
stack height provides
plenty of cushioning and
protection from trail
debris. The rubberized
foam midsole provides a
soft landing for comfort,
with good energy return
to go fast. I also like the
heel cushioning overall,
though it took a little
time to get used to the
soft feeling.—P.H.HOKA ONE ONE EVO MAFATE 2
PRICE: $170 | TYPE: Trail
WEIGHT: 10.3 oz (M), 8.9 oz (W) | DROP: 4 mmTHE SUPERCROSS
RUNS A HALF-SIZE
LONG, SO SIZE DOWN.TRAIL
58 RUNNERSWORLD.COM