Carbon plated superboosters you’ll want to wear all the time. But do they have that race-day sparkle?

By far the most normal feeling of the carbon plate shoes, Hoka position this as a racing flat for shorter distances. Interestingly, this is an all-gender shoe (meaning there is no weight difference between men and women’s sizes. I’d put these up against the Nike Air Zoom Tempo Next %.

Having tried Hoka’s Carbon X  (which they suggest for longer distances), I thought they were a little aggressive in their rocker and hard underfoot. These have none of that. They are instantly comfortable.

The first time I wore them was three days after a marathon PB (run in a another brand) when my legs should have been trashed but it felt like someone had taken the handbrake off. I want to wear these every day. I know I shouldn’t train in carbon plated shoes but they are so comfortable and so much fun to run in that I can’t help it.

How do they compare?

Much like other racers in the market the upper is very light with not much structure, though they do have more to hold your heel in place that competitors. The grip is surprisingly good. I’ve recently moved to an area with permanently muddy roads and wearing the Nike Tempo Next % would be asking for a sprained ankle, but the Rocket X handle the situation with aplomb.

As with the Rincon and other shoes, Hoka use the “early stage metarocker” to help you cycle through your gait, but you really don’t notice it.

The “CMEVA midsole” allows for a  stable footing and absorbs impact so that unlike other carbon plate shoes it doesn’t seem to need you to run in a certain way to reap the rewards.

That said, at the moment I don’t think I’d pick these for a race. I can’t put my finger on it but perhaps it’s the fact that they do feel so “normal” even though the pace says otherwise. I don’t feel that frisson when I put them on. But I want to put them on ALL the time, in fact if I want to run slow I have to make sure I don’t put them on. Aaaah I’m so torn.

The Stats

Miles run in testing: 115

Weight: 210g (all gender) 

For comparison (mens weights): Hoka ONE ONE Carbon X = 241g

Saucony Endorphin Pro = 213g

Nike Vaporfly Next = 200g

Adidas Adios Adizero Pro = 226g

Heel-toe drop: 5mm 

Price: £140

Pros
Fast, instantly feel comfortable and just a whole bunch of fun to run in

At the cheaper end of the carbon-plated spectrum
Look very slick

Cons
Pitched as a shorter distance racer which implies some concern about wear
Don’t have that race “sparkle” feeling of other ones on the market
I’m clutching at straws here – but you’ll want to train in them when really they should be race-day shoes (That feels a little contradictory with the last “con”. Ha – Editor)

The post Hoka One One Rocket X appeared first on Fast Running.

Pitched as a “soft, stable, road running shoe” which On say are for “intervals, tempo runs, recovery runs, short runs to marathons, heavier runners, runners that prefer a wider fit”.

First impressions

First impressions are that this is a solid and confidently made shoe. The upper is aimed at comfort and the heel is locked in using a solid collar running over the top of the fabric on the outside and a higher section up behind the achilles.

There are 6 Clouds on each side which are considerably chunkier than the 9 smaller ones you’d find on their lighter, neutral Cloudflow. The combination of the Helion foam in the midsole and the harder material of the Clouds provides protection and comfort whilst still retaining a firm sensation.

This a mild stability shoe, so I appreciate that as a runner who doesn ‘t usually choose to wear support models, it might feel a bit different.

However, as a fan of the Cloudflow and Cloudboom I was surprised that for the first time ever I actually noticed the sensation of the way the sole is sectioned up.

This feeling disappeared after the first ½ a mile and from then on they were, well, a solid, comfortable shoe.

Gill isn’t one for the rules of the street

Built to run fast?

This shoe is lighter than comparable offerings from Saucony or Asics and I’m sure you could do tempo sessions in it if you wanted but it just feels like it’s not meant to be fast. It’s hard to put a finger on it. It feels like crumble and custard, when the cloudflow feels like fruit and yoghurt.

The standard of design detailing is, as you’d expect from On, very high. The taped seams, the intriguing star lacing system, the reflective detailing all make the a beautiful shoe to look at.

There’s nothing wrong with this offering from On. It’s comfy and it’s durable, but there are plenty of other shoes that fit that brief.

The look of it would have to be the differentiating factor here, as there are plenty of nice colourways to choose from. If you’re starting to ramp up the miles for the first time, just run-commuting and want a workhorse, or if as On put it, you’re a heavier runner who likes more under foot then this would be a good shoe to use.

Once you’re comfortable with more volume though I suspect you’ll be looking to the Cloudflow which has more pop and can still eat up the miles.

The numbers

Miles run in testing: 80
Weight: 280g / 210g (Asics Kayano 27 = 314g, Saucony Guide 13 = 289g)
Heel-toe drop: 7mm
Price: £130

For comparison

The CloudFLOW – neutral training and racing neutral shoe (235g /198g / 6mm drop)
The CloudBOOM – carbon racing shoe (225g / 185g 9mm drop )

Pros

A real workhorse shoe. Can’t see this wearing out any time soon
Plenty of protection underfoot but don’t feel spongy
Ideal for recovery runs and building up long miles

Cons

Bigger ‘clouds’ make them more noticeable under foot
Feel chunky even though they aren’t actually heavy
You’ll want to trade up to the Cloudflow after a while

The post Cloudflyer not really for flying appeared first on Fast Running.

The Escalante is a light weight road shoe with a natural foot shape and zero differential from the stack height at the front and the back of the foot. It allows for a natural running style, but unlike previous “barefoot” shoes there is still cushioning to protect the foot and provide a comfortable ride.

Taking these straight out of the box the knitted upper on these shoes gives a very comfortable fit, just like a pair of slippers. They do feel a little on the big size if you’re not used to the extra space in the toe box, especially if you’ve been marathon training in Adidas shoes like I have been. It was almost as if they were a size too big, but after a bit of wearing and running it started to feel much more of a natural fit.

As with any changes to your footwear it is important to not get carried away too soon. Even though I often wear 4mm drop trail and road shoes, the Adidas range are a steeper difference with 8-10mm in some of their Adizero Boost range. Yet done sensibly it can be very pleasant to transition to the zero drop shoes, but be wary of Achilles and calf issues and take your time changing.

Running them in

As mentioned above, these did feel a little too roomy when I first started and it was important to make sure the laces gave a good lock to keep the foot in place. Once used to how they felt then I took the shoes for a few spins on the treadmill (it was a bit snowy/icy to test outdoors in December in Chamonix) and the first couple of runs I could feel my calves the next day.

The running itself felt smooth, the shoes were light and very comfortable. I did feel like I was running a little differently, but I have used previous Altra shoes (The Lone Peak 2.5 trail shoes) and it wasn’t a complete shock to the system. Picking up the pace was not an issue and once comfortable it wasn’t any different to running in any road shoes for a session.

Whilst the Altra Escalante might not be as light as some of the racers I’ve used for marathon or shorter road racing they do weight in at just over 230g so comparable with similar competitors. The new Escalante 1.5 is a touch lighter and the Escalante Racer (which I’m looking forward to testing next) is under 200g (193g to be exact) so should feel like a proper fast shoe. Being able to have a great training shoe and then a lighter version of the same shoe for racing is a nice touch.

Looking sharp

Lastly, but by no means least in this Instagram heavy world, the look. Initially the Altra range did look bulky and a bit strange (due to their natural foot shape style) and it was a little off putting. Whilst how it looks on social media isn’t important, it can be keen to feel and look fast when you’re trying to run fast. We all know the power of the mind in perceiving our effort, so if we feel fast, we run fast.

The new Altras, including the Vanish-R, Superior 4.0 and these Escalantes do look a little difference but they look good. Putting a pair on I can imagine myself running fast in them, particularly the Superior 4.0 trail shoes which may get a review later on.

It worth noting that these shoes were provided by Altra for review, but I have since purchased a pair of Vanish-R and Superior 4.0s from my own money.

The Pros and Cons

Pros: Lightweight, comfortable, zero drop shoes that look nice.

Cons: Feel very roomy to start and worth trying on to get a good fit. Time to transition to zero drop is important.

Robbie is sponsored by Odlo, Profeet Sports Lab and Precision Hydration. If you want to follow his training chasing rather varied goals across the world you can also see it here on Strava or the highs and lows on Twitter and Instagram.

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The post Zero drop road running with the Altra Escalante appeared first on Fast Running.