Which HOKA Running Shoe is Right For Me?

Whether you’re embarking on your regularly scheduled miles or pushing the pace through a grueling set of repeats, we recommend the HOKA Mach 6 as your introductory, “little bit of everything,” HOKA shoe.

The Mach 6 offers a high-quality sampler of everything that makes the HOKA brand unique. It's a fantastically lightweight trainer that lets you experience HOKA’s signature oversized midsole and their responsive foam with each step. You can pick up the pace in this shoe, and you can feel it as HOKA’s MetaRocker design keeps you from landing flat on your feet, sloping your stride into your toe and pulling you forward through your runs.

The shoe is accessible enough to slip on for your regular mileage days, it’s cushioned enough for your long runs, and it has enough pep in its step for your speed workouts. Whatever your running style or goals, The HOKA Mach 6 can give you a taste of what the brand can do, and would serve as a good branching off point for the more specialized shoes in the HOKA lineup.

Since 2017, the Arahi has been a cornerstone model for the HOKA brand. Taking everything that worked for them with the Clifton (more on the Clifton later), HOKA fine-tuned the Clifton’s approach into a lightweight, midsole-stacked stability shoe. The results were incredible. Now in the eighth generation of the shoe, the Arahi has grown into its own beast, beyond just being “the stability Clifton.” It’s proven itself to be a reliable, max cushioned, and yet still inherently supportive stability shoe that isn’t afraid to try something new...

...speaking of which...

The Arahi 8 is a noteworthy model because it replaces the lineup’s standard J-frame midsole design with a newly conceived H-frame design. The new H-frame design extends the shoe's support through the shoe’s medial and lateral sides to provide an even more solid base than we’ve grown accustomed to, providing a whole new level of support for mild-to-moderate overpronators. It’s innovative protection that still feels light and soft; the total package of the usual requests for a stability shoe.

Okay, okay, okay. We went with a wildcard pick for this one, we’ll admit. But if you're looking for a fun, unique performance trainer from the HOKA lineup, then we have to talk about the HOKA Skyward X. In the words of Running Warehouse’s Loucas Kobold: “It’s like you’re running on a bouncy house.”

The HOKA Skyward X is built different. With a PEBA superfoam midsole and a 48 mm (!?) stack height at its peak, the Skyward X makes sure that, if you want a maximum cushioned performance trainer, then you are going to get a MAXIMUM cushioned performance trainer. And yet, through all of its foamy cushioning, somehow the model doesn’t lose sight of that performance aspect of its name either. With a carbon fiber plate in the middle to support HOKA’s Early-Stage Meta-Rocker Geometry, the shoe finds a way to provide a smooth ride, despite what you’d expect. It maintains plenty of rebound and pop, even while raising you up to Flagstaff-like elevation, and the high abrasion rubber in its outsole manages to keep your feet on the ground even while the rest of you is riding high.

It’s a shoe that has to be on your foot to be fully appreciated, and it’s bound to be divisive, especially if you don’t love a high stack. But if we’re looking for a HOKA Performance Trainer that’s willing to live a bit ridiculously? One that’s gutsy enough to go totally off the wall, and to still somehow stay effective? Then the HOKA Skyward X is a fun, unique choice from the HOKA lineup.

First, let’s address the Cielo in the room. HOKA is proud to have two quality racing shoes in their lineup: our pick for this list (the Rocket X) and the Cielo. Both are fantastic at what they do, but we chose to highlight the Rocket X (and specifically the Rocket X 3) because of its lower stack and its more standard underfoot geometry. The Cielo, in contrast, caters to a specific kind of athlete instead of going for mass-appeal. So, we’re give the Rocket X 3 the edge for its accessibility.

Digging into the Rocket- The X 3 is an elite tier racing shoe. It has a superfoam and winglet plate combination built into its midsole which work together to provide a firm, springy race-day feel while keeping the shoe stable and ultra lightweight. Additionally, the single-layer lightweight mesh in the upper lets your foot breathe from starting line to finish line, and its sticky rubber outsole is ready to give you confidence in the most variable conditions.

The HOKA Rocket X 3 is a great racing shoe that’s approachable enough to push you through a local 5k, yet fine-tuned enough to propel professional level athletes through their marathons. No matter where you fall on that intensity/duration spectrum, the Rocket X 3 can elevate your race day experience.

The HOKA Challengers are the swiss army knives of the HOKA trail lineup. They’re a consistently versatile road-to-trail trainer, meaning whether this is your first HOKA trail shoe, or your first trail shoe in general, the model is ready to guide you into things, with its emphasis on providing trail runners with a maximally stacked comfort cruiser.

The Challenger 8, specifically, comes equipped with a reworked outsole. 4 mm lugs combined with Durabrasion rubber give you extra sticky grip for any running surface while the upper relies on ultra-light materials to keep the shoe’s weight down. With an additional 3 mm worth of foam stack added since the Challenger 7, and a newly adjusted 8 mm heel-to-toe drop bringing the shoe more in line with standard road shoes, the Challenger 8 is worth a test run even if previous editions didn’t quite cut it for you. Add to everything else an extra plush collar to keep out pesky rocks and wood chips, and the HOKA Challenger 8 is ready to take you to the rocky, technical-footing loving mountaintop.

On top of making a name for themselves as a pure running shoe, the comfort and style of the HOKA brand has caught the attention of lifestyle shoe enthusiasts, with the HOKA Bondi 9 seeming to be especially adept at fitting both sets of feet. With the plush, neutral stability needed to propel you through your easy mileage days, and the breathable upper and cushioning needed for more constant, casual wear, the Bondi 9 can stay on your feet all day.

The Bondi is, at its core, a maximally stacked shoe which could have challenged the Skyflow for a spot in a Max Cushioned Trainer category. But in the end, the Bondi 9 is just so good for long days on your feet that that aspect of it warrants its own praise here. There’s a reason the Bondi has become a favorite amongst nurses, Disneyland fans, and other enthusiasts who need something reliable and comfortable to cut down on their 20,000 steps per day grind.

One thing to note about the HOKA brand is that their shoes tend to run narrow. If your foot skews towards the wider side of the spectrum, then we would recommend starting your HOKA journey with a Clifton 10. The HOKA Clifton functions as HOKA’s regular mileage workhorse and comes in both D Medium and 2E Wide models (available on our website). But even if you aren’t looking into those specialty shapes, the baseline Clifton 10 tends to provide a more ‘average’ fit than the rest of the HOKA lineup. With expanded space in the midfoot and toe box especially, the shoe runs well and fits different than the standard HOKA does.

In the end, if you’ve been graced with a wide foot, then we recommend coming to one of our stores to try the shoes on. Or, if you aren’t GA/CA local, remember that we offer #NoSweatFreeReturns within 90 days for those shoes that just don’t work out. You might not find what you need here, but if you are wide footed and intent on sampling a HOKA, then the Clifton 10 is where you should start your research, as other models run even more narrow and more snug.

Although durability will vary based on which model of HOKA we’re discussing, and the types of miles and terrain you are running across, HOKAs tend to hold up well compared to other brands. But, as always, this will vary from shoe to shoe, with HOKA’s Trail Shoes made to be tougher, sturdier, and more durable than their road racing shoes (as a bit of an extreme example).