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When it comes to running shoes, the Hoka One One Arahi does not disappoint. This review is based off the past couple of weeks into a new running shoe. I’ve been working more on mid distance versus when I was in a Clifton 2 Hoke One One running shoe for my October marathon. With the Arahi, it was personally one of the more stylish shoes out of the Hoka series which attracted me to it the most.
Basics
When first taking a look at the Arahi, it is a very stylish shoe. Personally, I enjoy a vibrant colored shoe, and I chose the pair with bright pink with yellow accents. The material on the outside of the shoe seems to be the most durable in the Hoka One One line. This is a huge plus with cleaning the shoe and making it look like new with ease. The Arahi is most comparable to the Clifton 2, but with the added benefit that it is designed to be a moderate stability shoe. Thus, I preferred the Clifton 2 for marathon training but now going back into mid-distance and speed work in preparation for triathlon season, the Arahi has provided excellent stability. This shoe is perfect for my needs since right now I don’t endure extreme long runs in the shoes.
The Arahi like the rest of the Hoka line has the standard wide base shoe sole, but the Arahi offers more durability along the medial aspect foot and the heel. This running shoe has the new J-Frame midsole technology which is a firmer-density EVA foam wrapping around those high impact areas in your foot. This keeps the shoe lightweight and will help with increased pressure from over pronation. This shoe also consists of a more durable rubber parts on the outside of the shoe. These are all very positive characteristics that the Hoka One One brand is known for.
Breaking In The Shoe
When I started running in this shoe, I did encounter numbness in my forefoot and pain in the Achilles. This was due to the change up in workouts, but I also noticed something else. The Arahi offers a slightly tighter fit on the lateral aspects of the shoe than I am used to. My Achilles issue was from the heel counter of the shoe digging into the back of my ankle. My foot was loose in back end of the shoe, and my heel was moving in and out of the shoe too much during my speed workouts. Both of these issues were fixed simply with the retying of the laces to the higher hole inserts. Now that my feet have adapted to some of these quicker paced runs, I have encountered no unnecessary pain stemming from this running shoe.
Training With The Arahi
With training, the Arahi feels so responsive and great in all different settings of running. For “long runs” around 10 miles to turning left on a track for those repeat 800’s to hitting those intervals on the treadmill, the Arahi is such a versatile shoe that I have enjoyed running in. It even handles bad weather runs well.
Something I am guilty as a runner is not lifting enough to keep with running demands. It was great to be able to know I could depend on the Arahi to be a good shoe to lift in after a quick run at the gym. My prior problem would be I try to lift in a Clifton which was too much cushion. With proper lifting, you need a flatter and more responsive shoe to bear that weight. The Arahi’s moderate stability and outside durability is a great shoe to lift in after a good running session.
I have been pleased with this running shoe and it has helped gain my speed back into my training with ease. It is definitely a shoe I would recommend for versatility, mid distance workouts, and speed workouts.
