Hoka was one of many first manufacturers to launch a carbon plate operating shoe designed for straightforward each day coaching runs, with the Hoka Bondi X popping out in 2022. That was not a very good shoe. It was agency, missing in bounce, and usually not enjoyable to run in.
The Hoka Skyward X is a special beast. It’s bouncy, comfy, and nice enjoyable to make use of for straightforward and lengthy runs. It’s too massive and heavy for my style, and I didn’t take pleasure in it as a lot for quick runs, but when the value isn’t too off-putting the Skyward X is a springy choice for each day coaching.
Hoka Skyward X: Value And Availability
The Skyward X launched in April 2024 and prices $225 within the US and £185 within the UK. That shocking disparity in costs means it’s slightly cheaper than related super-trainers just like the Asics Superblast and New Steadiness SC Coach v2 within the UK, however dearer than those self same sneakers within the US. Wherever you might be on this planet, nonetheless, it’s not an inexpensive shoe.
How I Examined This Operating Shoe
I ran simply shy of 40 miles within the Skyward X, utilizing it for a variety of marathon coaching runs together with a 15-mile future. I’ve additionally examined Hoka’s different carbon plate sneakers, together with the Mach X and Bondi X, and a variety of super-trainers from different manufacturers.
Design And Match
There’s rather a lot occurring within the midsole of the Skyward X, which comprises two foams and a convex carbon plate. The primary foam is a bouncy Peba-based materials, with a supercritical EVA foam used to create a body that makes the Skyward X extra secure. Your foot additionally sits throughout the foam behind the shoe, and there’s a big plastic heel counter, each of which enhance stability.
The stack top is excessive—48mm on the heel and 43mm on the forefoot within the males’s shoe, and 46mm on the heel and 41mm on the forefoot within the girls’s—with a 5mm drop, and the experience is easy due to the rocker design. All that stack provides as much as a heavy shoe: the Skyward X is 11.3oz/320g in my UK dimension 9, which is heftier than most different super-trainers, with the equally excessive Asics Superblast being 8.8oz/251g.
Hoka says the convex carbon plate, which bows upwards within the heart, creates a extra cushioned and “suspended” really feel to the experience. It’s not a full plate, with the gaps in it being seen within the massive cutout on the underside of the shoe.
The Skyward X has a knit higher with quite a lot of padding on the tongue and collar for added consolation. I discovered it fitted properly in my traditional operating shoe dimension and it’s not as slim as another Hoka sneakers, such because the Mach 6. There may be good rubber protection on the forefoot and heel, with a thick outsole that needs to be sturdy—and gripped properly in moist circumstances. I’ve taken the shoe on some gentle trails, too, with no indicators of wear and tear and tear from that rougher floor.
Operating Efficiency
The Skyward X is a giant shoe, however a deceptively easy and fast one. My first run in it was 15 miles the place many of the first half was downhill and the second half uphill. It protected my legs properly when pounding down hills; even when going uphill I used to be shocked by how easy and straightforward to select up it was for such a giant shoe.
All through my runs, I’ve persistently discovered myself shifting quicker than I anticipated for the hassle stage put in. That’s partly as a result of it’s tougher to guage velocity when you’ve such little really feel for the bottom as a result of it’s such a cushioned and tall shoe, but in addition as a result of the froth and plate mixture does a very good job of propelling you in your method effectively.
There’s a restrict to how briskly you possibly can run comfortably within the shoe. I did a few progressions runs, together with one the place I completed at round my marathon tempo of 3min 30sec/km and it felt a bit cumbersome for that form of tempo. It’s not as versatile as different super-trainers just like the Saucony Endorphin Pace 4 or Asics Superblast, however the Skyward X is extra cushioned and comfy than these. Cruising via simple runs within the shoe felt nice.
But, even with all its positives, it will likely be too massive a shoe for some. I choose the lighter, nimbler really feel of different super-trainers or extra common sneakers, just like the Hoka Mach 6 and New Steadiness Insurgent v4, for many runs, together with simple plods, however when you love a cushioned experience the Skyward X delivers.
Is The Hoka Skyward X Value It?
You don’t must spend such a lot of cash to get a terrific each day coach, with the Hoka Mach 6 or plated sneakers just like the Saucony Endorphin Pace 4 providing extra versatility at a lower cost than the Hoka Skyward X. In case you’re planning to simply use it for straightforward and lengthy runs then a extra regular cushioned shoe just like the Brooks Glycerin 21 will do an excellent job at a a lot lower cost.
The Hoka Skyward X is one thing slightly totally different to most sneakers, nonetheless, which can make its excessive worth extra palatable to some. It’s extra cushioned than different super-trainers, whereas nonetheless being fairly versatile and secure sufficient for each day coaching. I choose a lighter and smaller shoe, even for straightforward runs, and even when you love a max-cushioned shoe the Asics Superblast is one other cushioned (and costly) choice that’s lighter and extra versatile than the Skyward X. The Hoka is bouncier and extra comfy, and it gained me over greater than I anticipated throughout my testing.
