I’ve met loads of people that rant about how much they like their Hoka shoes. Whether they wear them at work, or for long distance running.
All this time though, I saw Hoka as a copy-cat to Brooks and assumed that their shoes would feel the same; feel good for the first 1-2 miles on a run, but hurt my feet after mile 3 or 4. I’m happy to share though, to my complete surprise, these Hoka Mach 6 running shoes never hurt my feet.
Add in a few other premium, well-designed parts, and these are a solid pair of running shoes.
Extreme Cushion
I first heard about Hoka from a couple members of my family who are nurses and spend most of the day on their feet. They rave about how much their Hokas help prevent aches and pains in their feet on long days. From the first time I tried them on, and felt the thick, plush foam soles, I wanted to wear these all day.
My goodness are these shoes pleasant to stand, walk, and run in.
In addition to the amazing soles, the Mach 6’s tongue is surprisingly soft and cushions the top of your foot. With this net-like fabric, the tongue is super malleable and shapes to the top of the foot incredibly well. When I first unboxed the shoes, I thought this net-like pattern was just there for looks, but it actually makes the shoes feel custom fitted to you.
Putting Them to the Test
I really thought the super thick soles, traditional heel drop, or the smaller toe box would inevitably hurt my feet on 4+ mile runs. This never happened though. It didn’t matter if I ran 5 miles or 13+ miles or did over a mile of bleachers. My feet never hurt.
However, I had to get used to the thicker soles since they initially felt shaky; in my mind I thought I was running in heels. After 16+ miles I got used to the taller stance, but even now (after 50+ miles) I can tell a difference between them and my preferred Altra Escalante Racers.
Where the Escalante Racers have a thinner sole, larger toe box, and more surface area in the front pad of the sole, I feel more grounded in every step. Whereas the Mach 6s feel sturdy 97% of the time. It’s that small, 3% margin that worries me of rolling an ankle. On more technical terrain, this feeling grows.
The foot-to-ground numbness and thinner toe box are both things you can get used to; especially if you’re coming from shoes that have similar designs. I got used to them, and so can you. Just be aware of this on your first few runs since it’s harder to gauge traction and make sharp turns initially.
Other Odds and Ends
The laces feel a bit “cheap” compared to the rest of the materials. For example, the shoes outer shell is made of this thin, strong plastic material that bends and forms nicely to your feet. (Similar to Altra’s Vanish Carbon 2s.) Meanwhile, the Hoka’s laces feel like my old Adidas Sambas’ laces, just cut in half so their thinner.
Thankfully though, the laces have yet to come undone during a run. Something I can’t say about the Altra Escalante 3s, which have more premium feeling laces but occasionally come undone towards the end of a 2+ hour training session.
The back heel design reminds me of the Torin 7s, which curves away from your Achilles tendon and prevents rubbing on the back of your heel. The only time this causes a problem is single leg squats; when one foot is squatting and the other is placed on an object like a chair. I can’t bend my foot straight and flat because of how high the back heel is.
*This doesn’t happen with similar movements like calf raises, so this may vary person-to-person.
On a side note, my feet sweat more in the Mach 6s than the Escalante Racers. This isn’t so much a knock against the Hokas, as much as a nice feature of the Altras. (Although, the Escalante Racers let really small pebbles into the shoes sometimes, which doesn’t happen with the Hokas.)
The Recap
The Hoka Mach 6s are a great pair of running shoes. They’re exceptionally comfortable, built to form to your feet, and surprisingly don’t hurt mine. I now understand the love for this brand and their shoes, no matter what you use them for.
I’d love to try a pair of the Hoka’s with thinner soles so each step could feel more stable and connected to the ground.