How Hoka Is Staying True to Its Trail Running Roots

It’s the primary way Hoka continues to support its original core in trail running: making them shoes. Good ones. At the 2024 UTMB, Hoka launched the Tecton X 3, which presented more of a design overhaul over previous models. “We needed to do something that was bigger, badder, more joyful and propulsive in terms of the experience,” says Rebekah Broe, a senior director of product in charge of performance footwear. To do it, the footwear team tapped Jim Walmsley, a Hoka athlete who in 2023 became the first American man to win UTMB—and set a course record of 19:37:43 in the process.

“We did so many different variations in testing with Jim”—more than 100—”where we looked at the different widths, different lug heights, different thicknesses and stack heights of foam,” Broe says. Walmsley wanted the shoe to be lighter, bouncier, and softer, and Hoka’s designers were able to pull tech over from the road racing side to make it so. He also came up with the integrated gator, which is outwardly the most obvious change from version two. Walmsley’s preferences were distilled into the Tecton X 2.5, a shoe that, despite a limited public run, was really made just for him (and it was the shoe he won UTMB in). For the Tecton X 3, Hoka adjusted things to make the shoe work for more runners. “We take all that feedback and synthesize it and then find those little things that we can dial to make sure that everyone gets to enjoy that same experience that helps pull Jim first place across the line,” Broe says.

Source: https://www.fieldmag.com/articles/how-hoka-stays-true-to-trail-running-roots