Super-trainers. Maybe you've heard of the phenomenon, maybe not. It's a category of running shoes that draws on some of the brands' premium technologies, typically focusing on luxurious foam materials and carbon plates. You see this type across nearly all brands; examples could be adidas Prime X Strung 2, New Balance Supercomp Trainer v2, Asics Superblast, and Saucony Kinvara Pro.
What makes this category of running shoes extremely interesting is their great versatility. Some super-trainers lean more towards speed, while others lean more towards comfort. screams comfort, and it does so from start to finish. Read on in the article, where I will take the shoe apart a bit and delve deeper into the technologies of this fantastic super-trainer.
Before we do that, here are some sharp facts about HOKA Skyward X:
Facts:
Type: Volume trainer, neutral
Heel drop: 5mm
Stack-height: Men 48mm in the forefoot, 33mm in the heel Women:: 46mm in the forefoot, 41mm in the heel.
Midsole material: Two-layer PEBA
Carbon: Wing-shaped carbon plate.
Weight: 314g in US 9.5
HOKA Skyward X - A soft welcome
Prepare to read the word comfort in this article, and the upper is certainly a prime example. Here you find a flat-knit upper, with Zonal Engineering technology from . My immediate impression, the first time I slipped my foot into Skyward X, was that this shoe is going to win many hearts. There were absolutely no issues securing a safe lock-down over my foot. Overall, Skyward X offers the same level of comfort in the upper as the most specific recovery-day running shoes, such as , , , shoes in that category. The tongue is thick, soft, and plush, without being cumbersome. The heel counter sits nicely between rigid and flexible, perhaps slightly towards the stiff side.
HOKA Skyward X - Double foam, double the fun?
The midsole is hot. Not in the sense that you can only use the shoe in sub-zero temperatures and bare feet. It's highly relevant and follows many of the trends that are popular at the moment. In the next lines, I'll invite you on a journey through the midsole, so be prepared for a little bit of everything.
A full 48mm of foam in the heel and 43 in the forefoot, chew on that. With a little quick math, that gives a heel drop of 5mm. Back to comfort, in the midsole it comes in the form of a double-layered midsole consisting of PEBA on top, and super-critical EVA on the bottom. In between, a carbon plate, in what is called an H-frame design – imagine stepping in the middle of the H, and that part propels you into the air again, while the remaining part of the H helps with stability. It's no coincidence uses two different types of foam materials, PEBA is extremely popular, especially in the really fast race-day shoes, and it's a super nice material to have as the first thing your foot feels when you run. Super-critical EVA is a bit firmer with more structure, making it ideal for shaping this MetaRocker™ which you find in the midsole.
HOKA Skyward X - A real cruiser
Now that we have the technological aspects of the shoe covered, let's try to tune in to the feeling leaves us with. 48mm of foam in the heel leaves quite an impression, it's a lot, really a lot. With Skyward X, you get a relaxed run, the midsole is really soft, but perfectly tuned for you to get this smooth roll, thanks to the MetaRocker™, which Hoka is absolutely sublime at creating in their shoes. Skyward X is made for long days in running shoes or repeated runs day after day. My experience with Skyward X is that it performs best at lower speeds. It's not just a field it excels in; it's a category of running shoes I think it goes in and dominates. It's not a speedster, but if you're looking for a max-cushioned , with a super smooth expression in foot transition, then Skyward X could be a really exciting option.
HOKA Skyward X - Conclusion
HOKA Skyward X is a thoroughly excellent volume trainer, and one might ask oneself the question “can it really get more comfortable than this?” Only time will tell, but in my best judgment, Hoka Skyward X is one of the most comfortable running shoes on the market in 2024.
If we look across Europe, and look at registrations for big races, the trends are that many races are sold out quickly, more runners have joined, and more want to run long. I am convinced that Skyward X could make life easier for so many of those runners. In the end, Skyward X positions itself as one of the comfortable “super-trainers”, a real cruiser, but not a speed devil, which some of the other super-trainers tend more towards.
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