HOKA Maximal Cushioning Running Shoes

Conceived just as the minimalist trend was sweeping the running world, HOKA, and its concept of maximal cushioning and oversize technology has taken the running community by surprise and then by storm, rapidly gaining popularity with runners looking for a more forgiving, cushioned running shoe, and achieving award winning success.

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HOKA models look nothing like your average running shoe, and the concept of maximal cushioning seems to go against the recent trend towards more stripped back running shoes. So, what’s different about HOKA? What is maximal cushioning? And how can it help your running?

Development

HOKA was founded by adventure racers Nicolas Mermaud and Jean-Luc Diard, both former Salomon employees with a background in endurance and mountain sports. Both were looking to develop a modern trail shoe for mountain and ultra races which would help protect against the impact shock of endurance running, and take on rocky and particularly downhill terrain, reducing impact forces without impacting on stride. The initial concept was a running shoe equivalent of a downhill mountain bike with big tyres and suspension…a shoe which would "soak up" or float over the terrain, while reducing the stresses and strains associated with it.

The result was a HOKA shoe with a unique ultra-high volume, soft density midsole, built on a wide platform. Made with lightweight technologies and with a low heel to toe differential, it delivered a stable, super cushioned and fluid ride without compromising on weight.

Lauded and validated by the ultra runners it was developed for, HOKA are fast establishing a following of runners of all stripes, from the elite to the recreational runner, across road and trail, with a philosophy of helping all runners to "stay healthy and keep on running."

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The Technology

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Max Cushioning

HOKA models feature a high volume foam midsole which is 2.5 x the volume of a traditional running shoe, with greater rebounding yet ultra lightweight foam to deliver an energising, stable ride, with 50% more cushioning than a standard running shoe.

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Unique Midsole Geometry

It isn’t all about the stack height and cushioning, it’s also about midsole geometry. Meta Rocker technology is incorporated into the midsole which is specifically engineered with a unique "rocker" profile, narrowed at the rear and forefoot, to stabilise the foot and encourage a fluid and consistent gait with a faster transition and propulsive toe-off. Combined with a low heel to toe differential, this helps deliver a more natural stride, despite the increase in stack height.

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Active Footframe Technology

Active Footframe technology allows the foot to "sink" into the midsole to help deliver integrated stability, countering the increase in midsole volume, for a stable supported ride.

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Maximal Cushioning

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Meta Rocker

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Active Foot Frame Geometry

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Is Maximal Cushioning Right For Me?

Just as with natural running and barely-there minimalist running shoes, this all comes down to the individual, how you run and how you like to run. Maximal cushioning has been embraced by ultra runners and longer distance triathletes, appreciating the soft extra cushioning during long hours of running, and reporting less fatigue and almost no negative sensation with the ground. However, this following is growing beyond endurance running, and runners of all abilities and distances are beginning to advocate the plush feel of maximal cushioning.

Natural running enthusiasts will prefer the low profile, close to the ground feel and the increased proprioception and flexion of a more stripped back shoe, but if you like an ultra plush, soft ride and want to reduce the forces of impact shock and the associated stresses and strains on the body, then a max cushioned shoe is an option worth considering, especially over longer distances.

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