Hoka Mafate 5 Review

The Hoka Mafate 5. All photographs iRunFar/Bryon Powell until in any other case famous.

In the case of advertising and marketing the Hoka Mafate 5 ($185), the model describes the shoe as “gnarly,” which is not any exaggeration. This newest iteration affords extra cushioning and safety than ever, with an outsole that appears prefer it may very well be tread on a small bulldozer. Its beneficiant 43-millimeter stack top on the heel and 35 millimeters underneath the forefoot for girls, with 2 millimeters extra on the lads’s aspect, and precise weight of 11.1 ounces (314 grams) for a U.S. males’s 9 make it something however svelte, but the journey is surprisingly forgiving — absorbing affect with out feeling sluggish. Throughout my latest coaching buildup to a 100-mile race, the Mafate 5 had no scarcity of miles or circumstances to deal with, and it emerged as a resilient, protecting companion that proved dependable for lengthy hauls on rugged terrain.

The Mafate 5 additionally represents a notable design shift from the Hoka Mafate Pace 4. Dropping “Pace” from the identify was smart — this can be a very completely different shoe, if we are able to even name it a real successor. Key updates embody Hoka’s new Rocker Integrity Know-how within the midsole, supposed to take care of smoother transitions over lengthy miles, and a refreshed higher for improved sturdiness, breathability, and gaiter compatibility. The drop has additionally elevated from 4 millimeters to eight millimeters.

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Annie Behrend testing the Hoka Mafate 5 on the shoe-eating granite of Yosemite Valley. Picture: iRunFar/Annie Behrend

Hoka Mafate 5 Higher

A lateral view of the Hoka Mafate 5.

The Hoka Mafate 5 was added to my Strava shoe listing as “Huge Blue,” because the skyward blue and black colorway is difficult to overlook. The higher incorporates a warp-knit development with anti-fray therapy. A TPU cage surrounds the shoe for improved construction and sturdiness, and gaiter attachment factors, a dynamic vamp, and reflective detailing spherical out the design. After roughly 100 miles on blended terrain, Huge Blue stays impressively intact. A buddy who thru-hiked the John Muir Path requested particularly how they held as much as lengthy days in Yosemite Valley this summer season, remembering how granite as soon as shredded his personal path footwear. The Mafate 5 scampered throughout numerous domes with zero notable put on on the higher, or anyplace else. I’d take into account this shoe a terrific alternative for thru-hiking or fastpacking efforts in related areas.

The Mafate 5 runs true to dimension. I examined my standard U.S. girls’s 9, which is a half-size up from my on a regular basis shoe dimension, and it dealt with lengthy coaching efforts with out claiming any toenails. The post-race casualties from my fall 100 miler had been … sophisticated, however I’m not satisfied the Mafates are accountable. The toebox comfortably accommodates my bunioned forefoot, and the lockdown stored my slender midfoot safe.

My greatest gripe entails certainly one of its smallest elements: the tongue. It attaches in a U-shape to a skinny piece of cloth anchored on the base of the laces. Though it isn’t gusseted, I haven’t had points with it sliding aspect to aspect. As a substitute, what I’ve observed is that the tongue is brief and skinny. Straight out of the field, it will probably chew the entrance of the ankle, particularly when you’re sporting shorter socks. It has softened some with use, however it nonetheless appears like an odd space for Hoka to trim some weight. The laces themselves are refreshingly easy and work nicely, and any mid-run changes I’ve made had been strictly to enhance tongue consolation, not lockdown.

Hoka Mafate 5 Midsole

A medial view of the Hoka Mafate 5.

The Hoka Mafate 5 midsole makes use of a burly, dual-density stack of EVA foam with a softer, supercritical foam as the highest layer, and a firmer layer beneath. The mix offers beneficiant cushioning for lengthy technical days. In comparison with the Mafate Pace 4, which has a 31-millimeter stack top on the heel and a 4-millimeter drop, the Mafate 5 is an enormous soar in each stack and drop, with a 43-millimeter stack top on the heel and an 8-millimeter drop. Underfoot, it could really feel extra paying homage to the substantial platform of the Hoka Speedgoat 6 than its personal predecessor.

Hoka’s new Rocker Integrity Know-how is a key addition right here, designed to maintain heel-to-toe transitions easy and protect the rocker geometry over lengthy miles. A curved TPU plate sits between the 2 foam layers, and you’ll really see it on the medial and lateral sides of the forefoot. The result’s a mix of bounce and stability, with the highest layer giving a contact of spring whereas the decrease layer and extensive platform hold issues managed.

My favourite outing in these footwear was a steady-state climb up Clouds Relaxation in Yosemite, adopted by a summit break with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and a barely reckless — however shockingly well-controlled — descent towards Half Dome. Contemplating the shoe specs on paper, particularly the load and stack, I shouldn’t have felt as easy and unbothered as I did, however the mixture of froth and platform width delivers a strong, confidence-inspiring journey that by no means as soon as felt tippy or precarious.

Hoka Mafate 5 Outsole

The outsole of the Hoka Mafate 5.

The Hoka Mafate 5 Vibram Megagrip outsole with Traction Lug know-how feels acquainted to the Mafate Pace 4 or Speedgoat 6. Lined up subsequent to the Speedgoat, the Mafate’s multidirectional 5-millimeter lugs seem noticeably burlier, including to the general beefiness that justifies each little bit of the shoe’s bulldozer popularity. The outsole bites into rock, filth, and every little thing in between with confidence. I haven’t discovered the Mafate overly clunky on the flats, however I additionally used them largely for 100-mile coaching, so I used to be not working in a very excessive gear whereas operating flats. As a fellow reviewer jokingly jogged my memory, having a strong energy coach may additionally affect my nonchalance round coaching and racing in heavier footwear.

After lacing these footwear at mile 65 of the Pine to Palm 100 Mile, they carried me up rocky Wagner Butte, down one of many race’s most technical descents, and thru the lengthy grind again to Ashland. It was nicely into the evening, and I used to be blissfully unaware of what I used to be even stepping on — a testomony to how protecting the outsole and midsole actually are. Stability and safety had been delivered in spades via the wee hours of the evening to the end line.

Hoka Mafate 5 General Impressions

A prime view of the Hoka Mafate 5.

The Hoka Mafate 5 clears the bar for what I count on from the model’s footwear. I’m removed from having run in each Hoka mannequin, however after loads of miles within the Speedgoat 6, my expectations for the model’s path lineup sit fairly excessive. The Mafate 5 delivers a cushioned but managed journey prepared for lengthy, gnarly miles. When you want light-weight or minimalist footwear, you most likely bowed out the primary time I used the phrase gnarly, and for good purpose. However, when you’re out there for a tricky, extremely protecting shoe that may tackle all the weather — rocks, roots, granite slabs, and no matter else your routes throw at you — whereas maintaining your ft from feeling each a kind of miles, the Mafate 5 is a compelling alternative.

In case your native operating retailer carries it, attempt it on and see how the tongue feels together with your go-to socks. I didn’t love the tongue, however I did prepare lengthy and race laborious on this shoe, which says every little thing. Quirks apart, I genuinely preferred it, and it proved itself the place it mattered.

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