Leo Manzano signs with Hoka One One

Has Leo trained with John Hayes before? Hows does this coach's history match up with his goals?

So i just checked out the shoes on the hokaoneone website aaaaaaaaannnddd those things look ridiculous. Have you actually tried to RUN in those things? I know it says they're for ultras... but good lord... look like a cross between moon boots and those skecher shape-up lady leg things.

Good for Leo gettin some pay. But seriously. Moon boot shapeups. Wow.

buffalo steak runner wrote:

Hoka signed Leo to endorse their product and entice other runners to buy said product. How can he endorse their product when he'll race in another company's product?

Pretty hard to run in a product that doesn't exist.

I'd be tempted to race 1500's on mondo barefoot (I think if you asked Dr. Daniels, he's predict it would be faster that way anyway) and say that's all I could afford after Nike cancelled my contract.

NJ Possible wrote:

Has Leo trained with John Hayes before? Hows does this coach's history match up with his goals?

I'm not sure Hayes will be a coach to Leo like Salazar is a coach to Rupp. They will probably work together like i'm sure symmonds and Mackey are. I'm sure Leo still has contact with Cook and Ponsoby and he is probably already in a solid routine. Hayes won't just come in there and change everything up. Also it looks like Leo is just getting people that are in the Austin area because that is where Keflezighi is too.

yourmom.com wrote:

So i just checked out the shoes on the hokaoneone website aaaaaaaaannnddd those things look ridiculous. Have you actually tried to RUN in those things? I know it says they're for ultras... but good lord... look like a cross between moon boots and those skecher shape-up lady leg things.

Good for Leo gettin some pay. But seriously. Moon boot shapeups. Wow.

I saw a video of leo running in them and they don't look as bad as I thought. He also says the same, that they are way lighter and less bulkier than he initially thought. Of course he will say good things because he is getting paid by them now. Another thing to remember is that Leo is a 800/1500 guy who doesn't pound out 95 miles a week at 6 min. pace. I would suspect he has many days where he is running much more slowly than his competitors because he trains a bit differently. I would think the same for Rutt who I could see doing some really hard track workouts then going 7:30 pace on his recovery days. That is what these shoes are going to be worn for, the recovery days. I would imagine Hoka spikes are going to be very similar to the nike victory just like saucony did with one of their pairs. It is just about how fast they can start producing them.

Maybe the Hoka's will make him as tall as the competition

When he races, all anyone will pay attention to is the singlet. Leo and Hoka have until the next U.S. outdoor trials to put together a Hoka spike he likes to race in, and until then he is financially secure. This was a very smart move, and it will gain him much more exposure than he would signing with one of the other big brands, as just another athlete in their stable. Just look at how Skechers is using Meb in its ad campaign for the go-run.Can't say I saw this one coming, but it's a move in the right direction for Leo as he looks towards Rio in 2016.

runner85 wrote:

I saw a video of leo running in them and they don't look as bad as I thought. He also says the same, that they are way lighter and less bulkier than he initially thought.

Maybe this one? -

LOL II wrote:

runner85 wrote:

I saw a video of leo running in them and they don't look as bad as I thought. He also says the same, that they are way lighter and less bulkier than he initially thought.

Maybe this one? -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mx-7M4o_HHc

Confirmed: Moon-boot shapeups.

Half Jamin wrote:

Seriously, this guy is the last one to need a shoe like this. 1500 meter runner weighing 90 pounds. And he runs more like a sprinter. This is just taking money for the sake of not getting a real job.

Like you wouldn't do the same if you had the chance.

HRE wrote:

Half Jamin wrote:

Seriously, this guy is the last one to need a shoe like this. 1500 meter runner weighing 90 pounds. And he runs more like a sprinter. This is just taking money for the sake of not getting a real job.

Like you wouldn't do the same if you had the chance.

Exactly, You wouldn't take a multi year contract to run in hoka shoes twice a week?

Wtf how do you run in those things. I thought my adidas glides had a big heel. Those things made my glides look like a minimalist shoe.

Dewey_Runner wrote:

Hoka is developing both a pair of spikes and a light-weight (presumably less cushioned, something like the Nike Streak for fast road stuff) road shoe for their pro athletes like Mike Rutt and now Manzano. Both these shoes are supposedly going to be ready later this outdoor season, until then Leo will probably still race in Nike Spikes like how Rutt races in Saucony's.

Saucony's what?

Didas wrote:

Wtf how do you run in those things. I thought my adidas glides had a big heel. Those things made my glides look like a minimalist shoe.

Pretty sure the foot sits lower in the shoe that it appears. In other words, if you look at the top of the "mid" layer of the shoe from the outside, the foot itself rests lower once inside the shoe.

My understanding was that the overall stack height of Hoka shoes is around 50% more than your typical trainer, and that the heel-toe drop is much lower. This means that your foot actually sits more evenly than it would in a normal trainer, which typically has a heel-toe drop of 10-12mm. At the same time, you have more material between you and the road.

I've never tried one on, but I've held them in my hand, and they are much lighter than they appear. Can anyone confirm the above and give us an idea of how their weight and stack height compare to other leading trainers like the ghost or glide?

So much noise on drops , heights.. The real judge of any running shoe is its road feel , how does it feel when your running. Hoka has achieved a great road feel with an unusual visual , people have to get past what your eyes tell you. Ive run in them I like the feel and cushion. Maybe not a feel you want on every run especially when you want to really feel the road on faster efforts.

Remember this shoe's popularity came about for its ability to cushion in ultra events , they will have to adapt/design to a broader audience and the many different types of running you may do in the course of training.

BTW , great move for Leo , he can stand out from the crowd of sponsorships.

i will admit being skeptical without ever trying HOKAs out. i also didn't know that your foot actually sits all the way down in the bottom of the HOKA shoes.

i just randomly pick a HOKA show & looked at the weight: 9oz, not much heavier than my normal training shoe (8.1oz Adios).

don't understand why you would design a shoe to LOOK heavy/like it has a ridiculous amount of unneeded cushioning...it's like try to sell a ridiculously oversized glove (that functions just as well as a normal glove) to a baseball player. may not affect performance, but will lead to opinions being formed before ever trying it out.

Hoke One One has some lighter weight models with the Huaka and Clifton coming out later this year. I think they'll be worth trying out:

http://blog.runningwarehouse.com/rs/hoka-goes-lighter-with-the-huaka-and-the-clifton/

I've run in the Skechers GoRun Ultra and the Hoka One One RapaNui Tarmac, and I think there's a place for these max cushioned shoes, especially if you want to mitigate the shock.

haha wrote:

Maybe the Hoka's will make him as tall as the competition

The Hoka's what?

This is correct.

print it now wrote:

You dolts are stupid as usual. The shoe does not have a high sole platform. That is a wrap-around counter and the foot is dropped into the shoe. Give them a try, you will probably change your brand.