I am happy to say, I have a fantastic relationship with my Dad. He’s a huge supporter of the shop and the world’s best Pop to my kids. He is also extremely fit, walking up to 7 miles a day and biking 2-3 days a week. It’s amazing to see him staying so active as he’s approaching the big 8-0. Still, it bugs me when we’re wearing the same shoes.
I still like to think of myself as a semi-speedy runner, so it irks me when I come back from a run, still trying to hold onto some of the old school speed I pride myself on, only to see my Dad strolling up the driveway in the same shoes. He’s old, I am young and spry. The shoes I use for uptempo runs around town should also not be the same shoes for mall walkers.
I say that not knocking the importance of good shoes for laps around the retirement community. The number of Hoka shoes we provide for seniors is fantastic. But the reality is when we first started carrying Hoka in 2014, that was not the intended audience I anticipated having for them. Truly, for a lot of walkers, people with Plantar Fasciitis, arthritis, Hoka shoes are life changers. We love that we can confidently pull a brand that has had such success for runners, walkers and professionals alike looking for comfortable shoes to make walking and working easier.
The other side to that is, they started as a running brand. They were originally designed with ultra marathoners in mind. They absolutely are responsible for some of the biggest changes we’ve seen in shoes over the past decade plus. You can’t understate the impact the brand has made on our industry.
All that to be said, it’s hard to still feel cool and speedy in the shoes your Dad wears. While Hoka has some faster shoes in their lineup, like the Mach, their everyday stuff has leaned heavy into walk. Their flagship shoe, the Clifton, has continued to skew more walk than run. Especially over the last few years when more brands have come out with models with bouncier midsoles to either replace their signature shoe or go hand in hand with it. New models from rival brands like the Asics Novablast and Mizuno Zen showed you can have a shoe that is meant for daily training that does not have a plate and is not $200. While that sentence sounds like a niche category it is probably the most important category for brands to be in now. Runners want shoes that are meant to be run in. Not shoes that are running shoes and shoes you’d wear to the airport. And frankly, that is where the Clifton has started to be most seen.
So, now Hoka has come out with the Clifton Pro. A more runnable version of the Clifton. Same drop (8mm), similar level of cushion and similar fit. Just one has a lot of pop and one is a little firmer and more stable. Wisely, they do not replace the Clifton with a new midsole and call it a running shoe. People’s expectations of the Clifton have changed so much it is hard to put that genie back in the bottle. Instead, they made a whole new model and launched it at the same time as the Clifton, which was the better play. For a retailer and a consumer, it simplifies things greatly. You want a more traditional Hoka shoe? Great, you’ll love the Clifton 11. You want to run a few days a week and maybe run a 10k in the fall? Fantastic, here is the all-new Clifton Pro.
Years back, Hoka tried to make a shoe like this called the SkyFlow. They billed it as a shoe between the daily cushion of the Clifton and their max cushioned Bondi, but with a more performance style midsole. I jokingly called it a ¾ cushion shoe. It was a short-lived experiment for the brand. However, from my vantage point it did not flop because it was a bad shoe, it was just poorly executed. It was too short, narrow and poorly explained to consumers. People did not know if it was a workout shoe, if they should size up or if it was replacing the Clifton. I believe had they called that model the Clifton Pro and made the fit truer, we’d be on version 4 of the SkyFlow right now and not starting over with the Clifton Pro.
When I got to see the Clifton Pro last year, it was clear the brand was ready to make a clean break from the direction of the Clifton. The new Clifton 11 is just a minor upper update, and they left the real tech for the Clifton Pro, making it feel even more current. The Pro features a new midsole foam they call ProGlide+, something I assume we’ll see in a lot of their shoes in 2027. It’s similar in direction to what we are seeing in the market now in light, bouncy and fun. Heck, even the color palettes and designs tip their hand. The Clifton Pro proudly has HOKA loud and proud on the side with bold color choices, while the Clifton 11 has much tamer color offerings.
When I first got my Pros, I was surprised how boring it felt in hand. Some of the new stuff out these days almost feels futuristic when you hold it. When you squeeze the new Brooks Ghost Amp, you can tell how the shoe will be before slipping it on. The Clifton Pro on the other hand felt like a Clifton when I gave it a thorough examination. It was not until running in it did I appreciate the difference between the two Cliftons. This was even more apparent when I put one of each model on and trotted around. Heading to the track, the smooth and efficient feeling of the Pro gave me what I want in my age, speedy cushion. Also, a shoe I could control, which can also be an issue on shoes in this category. What struck me running in it was how I felt when I started running in the Clifton back in the early days of Hoka. When they were so fresh and unique. The Clifton Pro was smooth, efficient, bouncy and consistent. In my first run I did my normal 5 mile maiden voyage loop, which includes laps on the track and a designed negative split pace. The best miles for me were 2-4. At first, it felt like it was too bland, but as I picked up the pace, I could tell my gait never changed. It was just like pressing down on the pedal but not having to change my form. And unlike running in the Hoka Mach 7, it had ample cushion for my old bones. When I got down to closer to 5k pace for the last bit of my run, I felt like the shoe had too much width to it to let me really speed up. To be fair though, it is not really meant for 200 meter repeats or to replace your race day shoe. It’s meant to be a runnable Clifton and in that, they nailed it.
Two things worth noting though. First, it felt like they overcorrected on the sizing. I don’t think I could go down from a 12 to an 11.5. I could have used like an 11.75. It also ran wider than I expected. This is a model that should lean a little narrower and it felt a smidge wider than the Clifton. Also, I wish it had a little better rubber outsole to it. We have had a hot and steamy summer here in Maryland and my track was wet with sweat and summer rain. They tended to slip even on the flat track from the moisture, something I was not expecting from a shoe that has a lot of good rubber protection.
Overall, though, Hoka did a great job on this new shoe. So far at the shop, it is crushing as well. It’s been our bestselling shoe during the first two weeks of its launch. Our video on YouTube has also been receiving lots of attention, telling me people were excited and anxious for a shoe like this. Whether it’s the right time, right brand, right name, people seem to be excited to see a new option from an old favorite. No offense to my Pops, but I’m happy to put an end to our shoe twinning moments while we both respectively pound the pavement.
Want a pair of the new Clifton Pro? Pick up a pair from Run Moore today!
