By Brian Metzler

No matter what your experience level as a runner is, you should know that we’re in a golden age of running shoes. What does that mean? It means the majority of running shoes you’ll find at your local running store are really good. Most shoes are extremely cushy and comfortable with advanced, energetic foams that offer a high amount of energy return. Racing shoes have carbon-fiber propulsion plates and many training shoes have some sort of plate (carbon-fiber, nylon, Pebax or otherwise) and a rocker geometry to contribute to your forward momentum. This modern crop of shoes provides a big assist in our running, no matter what our average pace or experience level might be. 

But now that we’ve seen all sorts of shoes in all sorts of shapes and sizes, including oversized so-called “illegal” shoes, the question remains what should we be training in? What shoes do we like running in on a regular basis? I have to admit, I’ve felt a bit tired of running in so many maximally cushioned shoes and have really enjoyed shoes that are lower to the ground lately. Why? Mostly because those shoes provide a greater sense of proprioceptive feel for the ground and stride control instead of the sensation of bouncing off a high-stack midsole with an increased level of instability. But just then, I started wear-testing the Hoka Mach X 2 ($190), an updated version of a faster, lighter maximally cushioned training shoe that, even though it is best at up-tempo running, turns out to be a great everyday trainer. 

What’s New: The second edition of the Mach X has been greatly overhauled with a lighter, faster construction, a more curvy rocker geometry, and a slimmer, race-like woven upper with more padding around the heel collar and a thinner tongue. The midsole construction is slightly thicker but also slightly firmer, thanks to a new wing-shaped Pebax plate sandwiched between a full-length layer of Peba foam and a layer of soft and resilient EVA foam that combines for a lighter, livelier ride. All in all, the improvements have immensely changed this shoe for the better, so much so that it’s been one of my favorite running shoes of the year so far.

Fit/Feel/Ride: The Hoka Mach X 2 fits true to size with a medium-narrow interior volume in the heel and midfoot and plenty of room in the forefoot for my toes to wiggle, flex and splay. Even though it’s a maximally cushioned shoe, the thin, form-fitting upper (that takes cues from the Hoka Cielo X 1 racing shoe) and the partially gusseted tongue give it the snug fit and feel of a racing shoe, and that, along with the rocker shape, contributes to its a good amount of agility despite its thick midsole. The ride is still semi-soft (but not mushy) and electric, serving up a noticeable spring in every step. It’s not bouncy like some maximalist shoes, but instead it serves up a smooth, rolling and very propulsive sensation at both faster paces and slower and moderate speeds, too.

Why It’s Great: It’s great because it’s light, cushy and energetic, but it doesn’t feel like a typical maximally cushioned trainer. While most max-cushioned trainers are noticeably thick and mushy and unstable underfoot, this one seems like a shoe that’s much lower to the ground and stable. How is that possible? The winged Pebax plate gives the shoe snappiness without being overly stiff (like a shoe with a carbon-fiber plate), so it allows your foot to flex naturally as the shoe bends as it rolls through the midstance moment of a stride to the toe-off phase. That semi-firm nature of the midsole foam, along with the rocker profile and the agility it exudes, seem to make the thickness of the midsole disappear because you can feel the ground a bit more.

Specs

Weights: 6.4 oz (women’s 8); 10.5 oz. (men’s 9)

Heel-Toe Offset: 5mm; women: 38mm (heel), 33mm (forefoot); men: 44mm (heel), 39mm (forefoot) 

Why You’ll Love it: You’ll probably love the Mach X 2 because it’s so versatile. I loved this shoe for all the types of running I have done since August—long runs, tempo runs, and recovery runs. In each case, I found it to be a shoe that promoted a faster pace than I expected without any additional effort. My long runs felt more lively, but my midweek easy runs also felt quicker and my strides felt snappier. This is a shoe that might be a good option for a race-day shoe from 5K to the marathon, especially for someone who doesn’t want the sharpness of a carbon-plated midsole after two hours of running. I also did one track workout—a mix of fast 800s and 400s—but it wasn’t quite as good for that, if only because that’s one place I actually felt like the shoe was too high off the ground.

Pro: There are only four small segments of rubber on the outsole and they provide more than enough traction while enabling the shoe to remain light, flexible and lively. After running 100 miles in this shoe, I haven’t seen any abnormal wear and tear and virtually no breaking down of the exposed foam sections of the outsole.

Con: This is one of those shoes that’s surprisingly hard to get your feet into. It shouldn’t be a deal breaker, but it has an upper that takes some effort to open up (after opening the laces quite a bit) and takes some oomph to slide your heel into the partially reinforced heel cup. It’s momentarily frustrating, but it’s also something I completely forgot about once I was running.