HOKA has released its latest super shoe today, and we’ve been secretly running in it for the past two weeks!
The HOKA Cielo X1 is a super-fast race day carbon plate shoe that is positioned against the Vaporflys of this world: a shoe you’ll want to save for best to shave off those seconds in your next marathon.
These new HOKA running shoes bring with them a number of new bits to help you run faster, including an exaggerated new rocker profile – this is called the MetaRocker – to push you forwards. There’s also an upgraded carbon fibre plate, which is winged rather than a single solid piece. These are positioned asymmetrically to flex against the length and width of your foot. The plate is positioned between two layers of PEBA foam to create that energy return. HOKA has focused on the knit upper, too, which has been engineered to provide a lightweight, breathable, foot-hugging fit. In terms of the details, we’ve got a 7mm drop, and the women’s shoe weighs 209g in a UK 5.5 (Eur 38).
I’ve had a first run in them (in a ‘blacked out’ prototype version, pictured at the top of this story), and right now my thoughts are: fit-wise, they are a bit on the narrow side around the mid-foot, and as with other super shoes, such as the Vaporfly, it’s a small battle to…
