Trends. They come and they go. One minute the magazines are telling you to run barefoot, the next they’re hawking fat-soled clown shoes in neon colors.
But have you seen the Hoka One One running shoes? We’re pretty impressed, and Josh Legg, runner and merchandising manager at Rock/Creek Outfitters is, too.
TRY THEM OUT
For the small price of $1, you can try a pair of Hoka Stinson Trail shoes at Rock/Creek Outfitters before you buy.
The brainchild of Frenchman Nicolas Mermoud, prototypes of these forgiving shoes were road-tested by American ultrarunner Karl Meltzer, and tellingly enough, he never looked back.
They are bulky looking, but stable. The soles are fat, but soft. The shoes are the anti-minimalist movement, sort of.
“Think about the full suspension you get from mountain bikes. They can absorb impact,” Legg says. “Well these shoes, made for long distances and trails, also absorb that impact.”
The maximum cushioning of the shoe lessens the fatigue that takes a toll on your body with every road, rock or root your foot meets. The stability of the shoe partnered with the buffer of the cushion and the added bonus of an engineered light sole, makes a perfect match for long distance runners, trail runners and even just runners in general, he says.
“We know a lot of people who have bought them just for being on their feet all day. We have people with previous injuries … who couldn’t walk without extreme pain, who swear by them,” says Legg.