I received my first pair of Hokas in August 2013,听but I couldn鈥檛 bring myself to run in them because of how goofy I thought they looked. Those two shoes sat sadly next to my front door for months before I took them out for a few runs. The jokes my friends made about my choice were merciless, though, so听I quickly caved and gave them away. At that time in my life鈥攆reshly married, just north of 30, with a sweet new columnist gig at 国产吃瓜黑料鈥攍ooking like a career outdoorsman was really important to me. Now听as I sit here听hammering a few paragraphs of gear copy from the听couch while my daughter naps, I can鈥檛 believe how much energy and time younger Joe spent caring about how my shoes looked when I ran.听Because now听comfort is king.
Hoka has been my running shoe of choice since Pearl Izumi stopped making running shoes in 2016. I ended up giving the brand听a real shot after a search for other trail runners left me with sore knees and shin splints. Within a week of adopting a pair of its听shoes, both went away. In the four years since, I have logged thousands of miles in five different models and am currently on my second pair of .
Over those miles, I discovered that Hokas are easier on my body than any other shoes I鈥檝e听run in. I put in anywhere from 20 to 50 miles a week (depending on whether I鈥檓听training for an event), and I honestly don鈥檛 know how I could do that without the extreme cushion they听deliver. I recognize that they may not be doing my gait any favors and that I might be weakening the bottoms of my feet鈥攕omething I try to counteract by using minimalist shoes during sprint and gym workouts鈥攂ut the fact that I can put more miles in comfortably far outweighs those potential negatives.
Due to the time I鈥檝e dedicated, running is the only sport that I鈥檝e听become better at as a father. Thanks to how easy it is to push our favorite running stroller, and my daughter鈥檚 chill demeanor while听riding in it, I鈥檝e averaged 15 to 25 miles a week with her since last summer. The stroller runs听and the world-class trail system just two miles from my house听mean听I can run consistently while still keeping up with childcare and work duties. Hammering those mentally therapeutic miles and not complaining about aching knees afterward听make the ATR 5鈥檚 some of my most cherished gear.
On top of protecting my ragged knees, they run really nicely. Those听mondo soles are remarkably light, and they鈥檙e rockered, which livens up my stride. The deep heel cup locks in my foot when I tighten the laces, and the shoe听actually feels quite nimble when on trails, despite the chunky sole. The ATR 5 has a wider toe box than any other Hoka I鈥檝e used, and听I haven鈥檛 lost a toenail over dozens of double-digit-mile runs and a trail marathon.
That beefy sole feels like a monster truck on unstable downhills or rocky terrain. The wider footprint, the accompanying grip, and the feel of the sole sinking into off-kilter ground鈥攍ike a slightly deflated mountain-bike tire鈥攊nspire a great deal of confidence as I pilot my aging body down steep singletrack.
Besides my own personal changes, a lot has shifted in how these shoes are perceived in the world. In 2016 and 2017, there was a noticable听shift in听fashion, with designer and streetwear brands adopting a chunkier silhouette in sneakers, and we saw brands like Yeezy and Balenciaga making听decidedly fat-soled shoes. Hoka was already there. While I personally don鈥檛 know how to accessorize a streetwear shoe, I have none of that goofy feeling that kept me from wearing Hoka听years ago. Whether that鈥檚 the result of society learning to love听gargantuan soles or me leaving my ego behind on trail runs is beside听the point. I know my Hokas听help with discomfort on long efforts, which helps keep me mentally healthy in the long term. That鈥檚 all that matters.