HOKA  Skyward X Road-Running Shoes - Women's

This is my fourth pair of Hokas. I backpack in Hokas, I take walks in Hokas, and I work standing all day in Hokas. Love them all, but the Skyward X is amazing. I may never buy anything but, hopefully new colors will come out soon. I’m an older woman and this shoe has alleviated hip and lower back pain. My legs don’t get tired. As for fit, my feet are a bit wide but I definitely don’t need the wide shoe.

I used these for 20 miles prior to marathon and for a marathon, and these are VERY comfy. Probably the only reason I was able to do such a long distance. Half of the marathon was on dirt (not trail, but dirt) so they were quite dirty afterwards, but with some laundry stain soaking solution and a good wash through the washing machine, they came out looking brand-new. I have put 150 miles on them and warning (this is the minus 1-star): because they are so cushioned, the plush wears down quite quickly and since they are carbon-plated, they WILL start to hurt your feet if you continue to run on them. Mine start to hurt after 100 miles! At $250 a pop, that's $2.50 a mile. That's EXPENSIVE. However, ultra-plush shoes are known to wear down quickly, and I knew this going into buying the shoe in the first place. I largely wear them for walking around now, sometimes on a short run if I'm feeling like a carbon-plate boost, or if I am 27-miles into a looping non-technical-trail 50K and wanted some cushion for the last 7 miles (ahhh, the relief these gave!). Will I buy more? Yes... I'm buying my second pair for my upcoming marathon. They really are the reason I can run more than 16 miles and not completely hate life. I am a Hoka-girl; I have Mach's, Cliftons, Bondis, and Stinson ATR, I used to love my Gaviota's but I ended up with peroneal tendonitis because I didn't need a stability shoe (oops!). So my preference for Skyward X is based on Hoka shoes fitting me well.

I was really excited to receive these shoes, however when I opened the box they were visibly used as they were stained and bent at he toes. Very disappointed to receive obviously used shoes when I ordered new ones.

So disappointing. I am a long time hoka customer, but these shoes totally missed the mark. Sole of shoe is unstable and wears unevenly. I have four other pairs of hokas, but these ones began slanting down on the outside side of my foot. I honestly wish I could return them because they were so expensive. Don't waste your money!

I want to love these shoes but too many concerns. The toe box is too narrow. Hoka doesn't have a Wide option either. Hoka only has 2 color options which REI currently sells only 1 of them. The other option is a sunshine yellow. Blah. The eyelets design change is real nice, but the shoelace length is short so hard to tie if you use the eyestay hole. The foxing is a bit higher than the Bondi 6 - 8 or original X. If my no-show socks were to go down at all during a run, the foxing would rub against my Achilles. I've actually read other reviewers express that concern. Now I really understand what they meant. If you got narrow feet & don't plan to wear no-show socks yet like the color option then this may be a fantastic shoe for you. Otherwise....wait for Bondi 9s to release and hope Hoka does much better. P.S. REI was amazing with how fast they delivered my Ship to Home order. I ordered Fri night (6/21) & expected delivery 6/27. These delivered yesterday (6/24)!!! Awesome svc! REI rocks.