Do you ever suffer from choice stress when you need to pull out the right running shoes for your training? HOKA offers the solution to your luxury problem.
Looking for a shoe for your daily trainings? Fine. Prefer a shoe that can push the pace on race day ? Good. Meet the HOKA Mach X – a hybrid running shoe that is comfortable enough for longer distances, but also proves its services for faster work during tempo training or races.
The facts at a glance
To make sense of the versatility, let’s start with some facts. We owe the comfort, resilience and stability mainly to the midsole.
The ProFlyX™ midsole is composed of three elements. First is a renowned Pebax® plate, which gives you that extra push forward to fly through your miles full of energy. This plate is wrapped by resilient PEBA foam and EVA foam. Interesting here: the layer of PEBA foam in this shoe is up to 34% more resilient than the foam of similar models such as the HOKA Carbon X. The combination of these three components creates an energetic feel and the necessary stability.
In short, reactivity and stability are combined in the same shoe.
Versatility is the second name
The multitude of valuable technologies makes this shoe multi-purpose. This is because it combines the comfort and support of a training shoe with the speed of a race shoe.
Both the average recreational runner looking to be challenged by a slightly faster pace for a change, and the competitive runner looking for a comfortable tempo shoe will benefit from this Mach X.
We couldn’t let such a beauty pass by. Our Runners’ lab advisors had the opportunity to test the shoes during their workouts. The verdict? “A stable, soft running shoe to enjoy cruising in or to push the pace,“ the testers unanimously echoed.
The race version of the HOKA Mach 5
“While running, I experience a very similar feeling to the Mach 5, only this Mach X is just a little softer and heavier,” says one of the consultants.
The shoe also features a Pebax® plate – not a carbon plate, which many might expect. This plate has a propulsive character that allows you to push the pace. And so we come to the fact that this shoe is ideal for the average recreational runner who wants to venture into a slightly faster shoe.
“I was especially a fan of the sticky rubber on the wear sole. It gives a stable feel on paved and unpaved surfaces. Ideal during my longer endurance runs.”
The counterpart to the HOKA Carbon X
“The stiffness of the shoe due to the Pebax® plate definitely proves its usefulness at faster tempos,” says a consultant who has run his tempo workouts on it. “Also, the PEBA foam feels tremendously responsive.”
With this Mach X, we did find the alternative to the Carbon X. Although this Mach X does not contain a carbon plate like the Carbon X, it still offers more resilience. The layer of PEBA foam in this shoe takes care of that. So you see: even for faster athletes, this shoe is a gift.
Test this HOKA Mach X in one of our Runners’ lab stores, or check it out online in the webshop.
