Hoka Clifton - Durability Update

This morning, I reached 150 miles on my Hoka Cliftons.  The miles accumulated far more quickly than I expected, as these are the shoes I reach for whenever I want a fast run with quick leg turnover and without having to think about my feet. 

Conversely, the Cliftons have not worked out quite so well as a shoe for long runs.  At a slower pace, my heel sinks too deep into the cushion, and starting at around mile 10 I develop blisters at the front of my arch that I've never gotten with any other shoe.  I've not been able to solve this problem with better lacing, and others have experienced the same problem: see here.  Nevertheless, it's a fantastic shoe for the right purposes.  (Here's Sage Canaday running 3 miles in 15:30 in his Cliftons).

When initially reviewing the Clifton, several reviewers, including myself, queried how durable they would be, given their insanely light weight.  So, let's take a look:

Overall, the uppers have held up very well, although frame is starting to delaminate from the mesh in some places. 

Turning the shoe over, the rubber overlays are holding up great.  However, the exposed foam near the front of the shoe has worn down significantly, and is starting to wear down elsewhere as well.

My biggest concern, however, is with the midsole.  On the medial (inner) side of the insole, the foam is showing numerous compression lines.  

However, on the lateral side it looks as good as new.

As a result, the shoes are starting to lean inward, and I can feel it when I run.  I worry that pretty soon, they'll be putting me at risk for injury.

 

But to be fair, the midsoles may last longer for lighter runners (I am 190 lbs), or those with different running form.

While I love the Cliftons, at $130 I'm not likely to pick up another pair for use as a frequent trainer.  However, I can't wait for them to go on sale. 
 

Hoka One One Clifton review

There's been a lot of hype lately around the Hoka One One's new lighweight offering, the Clifton.  However, sometimes hype is just hype, so I ignored it for a while.  However, after reading positive reviews by two bloggers that I respect, by Sam Winebaum and Steve Speirs, I decided to pull the trigger.  I've now had them for about week, and have taken them on quick runs, slow jogs, and a long run of 17 miles.

For me, the most important attribute of a shoe is how a fits.  No shoe is going to fit every foot, but happily, the Hokas fit my feet well.  After swapping out the standard insolve for the thinner Ortholite insole (included in the box), they fit almost exactly the same as the Mizuno road shoes and North Face trail shoes that I ordinarily wear. 

The Cliftons are indeed soft, especially at the heel, and I worried a little bit about how well they would run.  It turned out that my worries were unnecessary.  The shoes turn over very quickly and with very little effort, and I consistently found myself to be running faster than I had planned.  And what's more, I was having fun doing it!

There are a few downsides that come with such a stripped down, ultra-cushioned shoe.  When I passed through a few wet spots in the sidewalk, my feet slid.  The Cliftons have very little traction.  And when I ran on the side of a cambered road, my foot sank much deeper into the cushion on the outside, making an otherwise very stable shoe become unstable.  I've also noticed more wear on the sole than I would have expected after 40 miles.  It may be nothing, but we'll see how long the Cliftons last.  (I've now posted an update looking at the Cliftons after 150 miles).

I'd originally envisioned these as a long run shoe, but I'm not going to have a hard time not reaching for them on days when I want to run fast, whatever the distance.