Hoka Bondi 4

If you want to run on pavement but feel like you're running on turf, these shoes do the trick.

Like many people, the ubiquitous Hoka One One shoes piqued my interest. No one wants to look like they just stepped out of a circus wagon but these amusing shoes promised too much to pass them up. 

My initial thought is that I would somehow stumble over the tall soles as if they were high heels. Never happened; albeit, I don't wear these on the trail. They are strictly my flat ground running shoes. They do feel a little weird at first but you adjust quickly.

After only a couple of runs, I could tell that the Hokas were greatly reducing impact to my joints. I used to run on the grass boulevards of our streets on my daily route in my old shoes but the Hokas created the same feeling when I ran on pavement. 

I examined the soles and they are very similar to the materials used in Crocs. It is extremely light. On my non-digital scale, they weigh in at 10.5 oz (300g) a piece.They do adhere some smaller patches of more durable rubber (I don't really know if it's rubber) on the parts of the sole that experience more friction, namely the ball and the heel. 
The darker parts of the sole are made of more durable material. The light parts are the foam.

I've used the shoes for one summer now. I've put about 500 miles on them (my best estimate). What I've notice is that the soles wear uneven. If you run with your foot landing completely level, you might have a better result but my feet land more on the outside edge of the sole.

Because of this, the more durable rubber wore through earlier on the outer edge. Once you wear through the  tougher part of the sole, the soft Croc like material underneath wears out about twice as fast. This left some noticeable depressions in the sole. 

Despite this, I don't blame the shoe; I blame myself for running unevenly. 

In the end, I must admit, I like my trail running shoes a bit more because I can use them anywhere, anytime. The Hokas are not the best on uneven terrain, wet grass, or catwalks in a fashion show. I still use them for my nightly run in my suburban neighborhood.

If you are tired of achey joints, I think you'll appreciate the Hokas. The squishy "spring" might even shave off a couple of seconds on your runs like it did for me. Get a pair. What do you have to lose except $150 and your dignity as people laugh at you for wearing clown shoes?

(A funny side note: I found these at the thrift store. They looked like they came straight from the box. Did someone receive these as gift and didn't have the flair to wear them?)