HOKA Arahi 8 review
Hello pals,
Just dropping my review of this IMHO amazing stability trainer from Hoka, which immensively helped me to recover from an IT band injury.
- Context of the review
After 108 km of running in them, I believe I can give you a nice overlook of pros and cons of these amazing shoes.
I am not affiliated with the brand or sponsored by it
- Context of the runner (me)
Amateur runner, 176 cm tall (5'9 for the non metrics), 71 kg ( 156 lb for the non metrics).
My feet are size 10.5 US, 44.5 EU. Narrow feet and narrow ankles. I am a mid foot striker.
I over pronate a bit, as a result of weak arch support. Normally I can use neutral shoes provided that I put orthotics insoles in my shoes.
I love to race 10 km and half marathons. My race pace is 4'30 min/km for the 10 km races and around 4'50-5'10 min/km for the half marathon.
- Why did I buy these shoes?
As a new fun hobby I decided to try trail running... but running downhill got me an annoying injury to my IT band, which got inflamed and made it impossible for me to run more than 3 km on flat road (or treadmill even).
With the physio and the orthopedic doctor, we decided to switch to stability shoes to help offsetting my mild over pronation during recovery. After a bit of research, I decided to buy the Hoka Arahi 8.
- What did I use these shoes for?
These shoes were intended for easy run and long recovery run. But then I tested them also for shorter and a bit faster workout.
Pace ranging from 5:10 min/km to 6:50 min/km, distances from 6 km to 16 km.
- Short review (for longer see below)
Pros:
great design with a first soft midsole that absorbs impacts and a second H-frame stiff midsole that provides stability
very lightweight for a stability shoes
beautiful rocker geometry that helps you flowing in long runs
outsole with a ton of grip, even in difficult conditions
Cons:
upper is warm and doesn't provide much transpiration
impossible to push tempo runs
- Overall judgement ( long review)
These shoes are phenomenal stability shoes: they are light (265 grams) - much lighter than the competitors, but very stable. I would say almost as stable as the last iterations of the Asics Kayanos or the Nike Structure which weigh around 300 grams for my size.
They have a generous rocker that puts your feet into a flow state. The bottom of the shoes is not super firm, but the stability is provided by this H-frame midsole of very hard EVA compression molded foam (or should I call it rubber at this point?).
As a result the shoes doesn't feel clunky or dead as many other stability shoes (except the Kayanos maybe) even if the foam is not "bouncy" or "springy". Thanks to the rocker geometry, the feet roll one step after the other and long runs happen very easily. The rocker is just amazing and it is able to pick up pace pretty well... Until you hit a wall because there is little to non energy return.
I tried to do some tempo runs with them, but faster than 4:50 min/km I felt like I was using all the energy in my feet and calfs to try to bend a brick. It's not what they are made for.
These shoes work well for all possible striking patterns and that for me it's a must because I tend to strike on the heels when I run slower than 6 min/km, while I strike well in the mid foot as I pick up the pace.
The outsole has an amazing grip, even in wet or muddy conditions, because it has "lugs" similarly to gravel shoes. The midsole is the classic EVA foam, which is thick enough to dampen most of shocks, but hey, it's not a Superblast 3! I would say it is average softness, similar to Hoka Bondi. It really absorbs shocks, but the energy return is very low... It acts a damper.
The H-frame is what makes the shoes stiff and stable. Not the midsole.
Stability is also boosted by a very plush and stiff heel cup. With these shoes I always feel safe that my ankle are protected against spraining.
The upper is durable and well put together... But it is warm and there is not so much transpiration. I live in north Europe, so that is almost a positive feature, but for milder weather, you might sweat a lot.
As a bonus, the upper is equipped with several light reflecting patches.