Quite a few people have asked how I enjoyed my new shoes at the recent Gold Coast Marathon so here’s my report! In short, I loved them. I’d give them a solid 9/10 when it comes to meeting ‘my’ needs for the marathon. Read – older, slower, carrying a bit more load, needing a bit more love over the longer distance. I found these shoes to be very versatile, stable, and surprisingly comfortable.

Apparently Hoka have developed a special Profly X layer in the midsole and combined this with a (for me anyway) groundbreaking Pebax plate and a PEBA-based supercritical midsole foam. The combined ‘ping’ of the plate and the softish landing of the foam makes it a just-about-ideal long run shoe for runners like me.

It was lightweight, snug and the forefoot kind of drops away giving it a comfortable rocking motion. This was an added bonus given the PF that’s been niggling away in my heel. The shoe didn’t slip, and I didn’t need the heel lock. The roads weren’t wet on race day so I can’t comment too much on grip, but I didn’t notice any problems.

I think if I were to offer one small criticism, I would have liked a little more in the way of cushioning, and I think the Puma Nitro does a slightly better job in this department (see my other shoe review on my blog). But overall, these babies got me through a very tough day on the road with no hot spots, discomfort, laces coming undone or irritation. In fact, one of the few areas of my body that didn’t give me grief on marathon day were my feet!

And their final virtue was just how stunningly pretty they are, so big thanks to the Hoka marketing team for being bang on with the Slow Coach brand colours I look forward to many more long runs in these babies.

Side note – I pay for all my running shoes and have no affiliation with Hoka, although I wish I did. I will always disclaim any discounts or affiliations when reviewing gear or events.