When he said he had signed with a new sponsor they were the last company I thought he would sign with...
When he said he had signed with a new sponsor they were the last company I thought he would sign with...
The Hoka Bondi is a game changer. If it works for you , you will never go back to a traditional shoe. You will know if it doesn't work for sure after 5 minutes running.
Gotta take the money. Hoka has been really aggressive signing ultra guys lately to capitalize on their momentum.
Aquaman#2 wrote:
The Hoka Bondi is a game changer. If it works for you , you will never go back to a traditional shoe. You will know if it doesn't work for sure after 5 minutes running.
And if it doesn't work for you you'll be out how much money for those five minutes of running?
HRE wrote:
Aquaman#2 wrote:The Hoka Bondi is a game changer. If it works for you , you will never go back to a traditional shoe. You will know if it doesn't work for sure after 5 minutes running.
And if it doesn't work for you you'll be out how much money for those five minutes of running?
No, you return them and get something else. They are not for everyone. You should be out 0$. No different if you bought adidas, and the don't work for you.
I had heard Hoka was paying something like half of what an athlete makes in prize money at a race, so if they win $10,000 at the Run Rabbit Run, they'd get an extra $5,000. Newton has a similar deal, paying 1/2 (up to $1,000) in extra earnings per race. Considering most companies only give shoes and gear and possibly crappy bonuses, this is a pretty good deal for a top-level ultra runner or B level road racer. I'm surprised more B level athletes don't seek out sponsorship deals from these smaller companies, but then again Hokas and Newtons are kinda weird. I'll be curious to see if Michael Wardian (who signed with Hoka as well) takes them to the road marathons, or if he worked out a deal so he only wear them for ultras. I just don't see these being an effective shoe for fast paced road racing.
heard around the block wrote:
I had heard Hoka was paying something like half of what an athlete makes in prize money at a race, so if they win $10,000 at the Run Rabbit Run, they'd get an extra $5,000. Newton has a similar deal, paying 1/2 (up to $1,000) in extra earnings per race. Considering most companies only give shoes and gear and possibly crappy bonuses, this is a pretty good deal for a top-level ultra runner or B level road racer. I'm surprised more B level athletes don't seek out sponsorship deals from these smaller companies, but then again Hokas and Newtons are kinda weird. I'll be curious to see if Michael Wardian (who signed with Hoka as well) takes them to the road marathons, or if he worked out a deal so he only wear them for ultras. I just don't see these being an effective shoe for fast paced road racing.
I would say any racing at 5:30ish per mile or faster wear your flats for sure. I'm old and run my 4 mile tempos at 6:20.
The hoka bondi is fine for that. I thought they were rediculous clown shoes till i demo them.
They have a couple new-ish models ; notably the Rapa Nui, which they market as a hybrid. In essence, their unique take on a lower-profile/tempo shoe. See link
I also heard of a possible racing flat or another performance model coming out in the spring.
The new shoes that are coming out Fall 2014 are the real deal. The Clifton is a "racing flat" that is sub 8oz. There is another light weight trainer that is sub 9oz and a 2mm drop. Lots of interesting shoes on the horizon from Hoka.
I have the Stinsons, which are good for what they are for, but not good for fast running. Also the heel rise on my pair seem just a bit on the high side (measured about 9.5 mm, though after 125 miles wear, vs advertised 7 mm), which is enough to interfere slightly with my otherwise flat foot/midfoot stride. The up coming models (Huaka and Clifton) that Sage mentions on his youtube or twitter channels look interesting to me. One of them is a lot lighter 8 oz? and 2 mm drop.
But will he win in these shoes? That remains to be seen. He has spent his whole life in "regular" shoes. I figured it was about money, I don't think Scott was the best sponsor.
Wardian has already run 2:34 in Hokas.
Scott has a lot of good athletes. I'm sure he signed with hoka for the money and the fact that he is the only elite so he doesn't have to share limelight with so many runners like at Scott.
Scott is a better company so I was still shocked to see sage leave. Hoka is kinda ugly and gear is pretty crap. Never seen anyone actually run fast who runs for them. Maybe things will change with him.
Lol. Who cares...
These are the stupidest looking shoes I've ever seen. I hope he gets well paid for this deal because he is going to look totally ridiculous.
heard around the block wrote:
I'll be curious to see if Michael Wardian (who signed with Hoka as well) takes them to the road marathons, or if he worked out a deal so he only wear them for ultras.
Not that it matters, but Wardian has been wearing Hokas already for a while. And in road races.
http://new.runwashington.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Lawrence-Wardian-RnR-13-full.jpgRnR in DC
SpiceGirls wrote:
But will he win in these shoes? That remains to be seen. He has spent his whole life in "regular" shoes. I figured it was about money, I don't think Scott was the best sponsor.
Wardian has already run 2:34 in Hokas.
So basically he's running slower? He was a consistent low 2:20s guy pre-surgery. Of course, age is probably a factor too. He's been a good 10 min. off what he normally runs.
I bought the Bondi months after first noticing them on the guy sitting next to me on the bus headed to the start of Grandmas. He praised them. After that, I saw a couple generally positive reviews with many saying something like "I was skeptical but the shoes were surprisingly comfortable and easy to run in." I picked up a pair at an expo this Fall and they have become my shoe of choice (except for faster stuff).I just looked at the website and it looks like the Bondi may have been discontinued.
Aquaman#2 wrote:
The Hoka Bondi is a game changer. If it works for you , you will never go back to a traditional shoe. You will know if it doesn't work for sure after 5 minutes running.
If Hoka's are such crap, then why are Brooks and New Balance coming out with models that look like them?
Of course, they are saying it's not based upon the Hoka design (or success). Let's be honest and say they saw Hoka, a relative startup in the industry, making serious inroads with the ultra scene. I'm sure Brooks, NB, etc read all the positive reviews, saw how much Hoka got bought for and said "hey, they are on to something." Remember that these are the companies that were almost completely all about minimialism (at least NB was) and now 3 years later it's "oh wait, a ridiculous amount of cushioning is a good thing".
Old Man Runner wrote:
If Hoka's are such crap, then why are Brooks and New Balance coming out with models that look like them?
It shouldn't surprise you that shoe companies will make shoes that people are buying. The shoe industry is faddy so they will make products to cater for those fads. That doesn't necessarily mean they are good shoes.
Clown Shoes wrote:
These are the stupidest looking shoes I've ever seen. I hope he gets well paid for this deal because he is going to look totally ridiculous.
rediculous
