Hoka Mafate 3 Cascade Review

 

These are my new trail running shoes - they are the Hoka Mafate 3 Cascades specially designed for trail running. 

Up until now I have always been a Nike girl and so far they have served me well but I wanted to try something new for my outdoor running and I had heard very good things about Hoka so I decided to give them a go!

I can't say I have ever reviewed a pair of trainers so I will try and give you the best description and break-down that I can.

I have walked in these, done a treadmill run and one outdoor run on pavements/uneven ground. 

I will break it down into several categories:

Support: ✩✩✩✩/5

I think, especially with outdoor running shoes, support is an important area that you need to look at. I want to make sure that when I am running I won't go over on my ankle or trip on a loose stone that's floating around. These trainers definitely offer a high level of support, I can feel that my feet perfectly fit into these shoes, in fact, I didn't even have to break these shoes in which I always have to do with my Nikes so that was a great benefit! I can feel that my feet are flat and the height of the shoe definitely negates any uneven terrain. They offer a lot of comfort and that serves me well when I am on my long runs. 

Height/Sole: ✩✩✩✩/5

They have a really good platform on them and the tread really helps to grip onto the uneven surfaces when you are running on trails when I was running it was raining and I was not scared of slipping at any point in these shoes. They may be thick but they are incredibly light and I found them very pleasant to run in. 

"Engineered with KPU moulded overlays for protective support, the Mafate Speed 3 from HOKA bites into the ground with an aggressive, dual-density outsole comprised of EVA and rubberised EVA with Vibram® 5mm lugs"

As you can see from the above information they have been designed and engineered with a lot of thought and they have certainly made a shoe fit for trail running.

Design/Look: ✩✩✩/5

I will be the first to admit I like simple trainers and plain colours, if I can I will buy the black/white version of any shoe, this is the first time I have ordered a brightly coloured trainer and in all honesty, I do not regret it! I like the colour of these shoes and they bring a change for me which is refreshing. As most of my running gear is black/grey/white they go with all my outfits, for now. It all comes down to personal preference on this one but I like the design/colour. 

Price: ✩✩/5

These shoes are not cheap, at full price they were £150, however, I did get them in the sale for just £72 so I got them at less than half price (I like to look around for the cheapest price) - so if you're like me and like a bargain, you can go searching for a sale, but if I were to pay full price, I would say based on the first try that they were worth it but I would have to see how well they last over time - you have to get the most miles for your money! 

Positives:

• Well fitted
• Good support
• Light and thick sole
• Good grip for trails
• Funky colours
• The grip goes all the way up on the front of the shoe

Negatives: 

• Price could be an issue for some people (pricey)
• When I run it hits the sole of my feet quite hard and did hurt my shin a little (this could be my own issue, I am flat-footed) 
• Laces ( I prefer the flyknit fit with no laces) 
• Can fit too tight if you don't do the laces up correctly

As you can see most of my negatives are subjective to myself so if you did try these shoes or something similar I would love to know what you pair them with. I have recently invested in compression trainer socks so I have been wearing those to prevent blisters but I think these shoes are still rubbing on the soles of my feet (like my Nike Milers are) so I am unsure how to solve this issue at the moment.

I would definitely invest in another pair of Hoka's in the future, maybe some of their road running shoes instead!

What running shoes do you prefer and why? I would love to know! :)