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Hoka Women's Arahi 7 Sneaker, Blanc De Blanc/Rose Gold, 8

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'Super Shoe Trends?': Call for Runners to Appear on Show

Health & Fitness

Editor, Running Reviews

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Running Shoes

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- On our next, "Super Shoe Trends?" episode, I speak with Runner's World Plus member Carlos about the HOKA Arahi 7. Can you tell me where you are, what you do, and what shoes we sent you? - My name is Carlos Davila. I'm from Alexandria, Virginia. I work for the Federal Emergency Management Agency in Washington D.C., and I tested the Arahi 7 from (indistinct). - Hi, I'm Amanda. At Runner's World, we test all kinds of shoes to help you find the best pair from road to trail, from fit to comfort. And now, we wanna hear from you. How was your run? You said that you've been running for 45 years. That is freaking impressive. Can you please tell me how you got your start running? - When I was 17, I joined the Army, and so I wasn't really much of a runner up up until then, but in the Army I didn't really have a choice and I was in the Army far enough back that when we transitioned from running in combat boots to running in tennis shoes for our fitness test. So that was a long time ago, and I've been running pretty much ever since. - You said that your favorite shoe is the HOKA Mach X. Can you tell me why that's your favorite shoe? - I've tried a lot of different shoes and I think, I hit the, either HOKA hit the right mark with me, or I hit the right mark with HOKA because I find that the Mach X has the right balance of softness and I guess what people would call, pop. And it's a very comfortable shoe for me to run and it fits me right. My foot sits in there correctly, and I enjoy running a lot in that shoe. - That's what it's all about. You have to enjoy running and you have to like love the shoes that you're running in. So because you love HOKA, we sent you the Arahi 7, which is right here. So just a little bit about this shoe. It is $145. It is HOKA's stability shoe. It has some balance cushioning, five millimeter drops. So it's a little low, it's pretty stiff, and it has the HOKA J frame. You can see how dirty my shoes are. I went for a run this weekend, and that J frame helps you with stability so it can control that erratic motion that you get if you over pronate or if you run for a long time and your forum starts to get a little wonky. So Carlos, how was your first run in the Arahi 7? - So my first run, I struggled a little bit because sometimes when I try out a new shoe, I, you know, I tend to try to figure out what's going on more of my feet, try to figure out what's going on. For my first run, it was all right, but I probably had a false expectation that I was gonna be able to jump in and put my foot in there and take off running and everything would work out. - I can see that that's probably a big difference from the Mach X. What are other differences that you noticed off the bat between the two shoes? - The shoe felt a lot more narrow than I expected, especially in a size 12. My size is 11 and a half, but I've found that a size 12 works best for me with running shoes and it still felt really narrow, so that was a surprise for me. - Yeah, actually that was pretty interesting for me as well, 'cause usually with HOKA shoes, I tend to have to size half a size down, but when I went for a run in these, I actually found it was pretty narrow as well. But I have, I'd say I have wide feet. You're a neutral runner. Did you feel the stability feature, the J frame when you were out for a run in the Arahi 7? - I definitely did. I thought it was a lot firmer than I like, and I could definitely tell. And after a couple runs, my calves started aching a little and honestly, you know, I don't know if it was the shoe or I was doing something different, but I've been running, I would say not necessarily completely tweak free for a year and a half, but injury free for sure. And you know, so I hope I'm not, you know, heading toward an injury. So it did, I could feel the difference with this shoe. - Now I've never been to Alexandria. What kind of runs is it like around where you live? Is it pretty hilly, is it pretty flat? And how'd the shoes feel when you were going, like on your usual, I guess, like your usual courses or usual routes? - So we're really lucky here in Alexandria. We have lots of courteous drivers, so road running is pretty good, especially back in the back neighborhoods. But we have lots of really good hills, lots of ridges and so lots of really long hills. And we do have some, I would say flatter areas like along the runs that go that empty out into the Potomac, the runs as in bodies of water, not the running. So lots of hills, pretty humid in the summertime. I think this morning it was 98% humidity and the shoes felt all right going up the longer hills. On the shorter hills, that was a little, it felt a little more clunky, but going up the long hills, that felt alright. - How is the cushioning, because I'm also familiar with the HOKA Mach X and I know like it's the kind of shoe that's like really pumped up with a lot of foam. How did that compare with the Arahi 7? - This might may sound kind of weird, but I have this thing where I feel how my shoes like interact with the sound they're making in my head and my stride, and with the Mach X, for example, I would describe that as my foot striking the ground. And then my, I mean the tennis shoe striking the ground, my foot touching, touching down, and then a really fast return. So all in one, strike, touch, return, just like that. With this shoe, it was a lot firmer and I could actually feel the impact instead of the touch. So it was more like strike, impact, and it was a little jarring, so it was like strike, impact, and then a lot slower return on the return. So a lot slower, goes a little clunkier and harder. - No, I totally know what you mean. So not like that usual spring that you get or that like, that you get like when you run in the shoe, like the Mach X. Now, one thing that I did notice is we have a few local testers, they also run in the shoe, and one of their setbacks with the Arahi 7 was that they felt like the heel was cut a little lower than the shoes that they usually run in. How did you feel in this area? - So I honestly in that area, I felt secure and I think that's partially due to the tongue is padded. And so I usually replace my laces with elastic laces. And for my test, I didn't on this shoe. I tend to tie my shoes pretty snugly. So that didn't bother me at all. And I'm still trying to figure out why HOKA went to this, to the back heel, you know, pointing out like that. But you know, it was all right in that area. - It's for, to make it more dynamic for speed, like a sports car. Look at that. I can tell that you said the shoe was pretty stiff, it didn't really have that balance, but was it, was it comfortable or was it just too stiflingly tight for you? - Overall, it was too narrow for me and it put pressure on my arch and for me, honestly, that's a deal breaker because, you know, why would I put up with that if I didn't have to? And so again, the HOKA shoes usually fit me, especially a half size up. And in this case, I don't know why, especially on the arch it felt so narrow. - Let's say that you got to talk to the HOKA shoe development team. What would you suggest, what would be maybe the number one thing or the top three things that you would suggest that maybe they should change about the Arahi 7? - Use the last that's a little bit wider to make the shoe a little bit wider and maybe a tiny bit more, especially on the forefoot, a tiny bit more foam. - Are there any kind of runs that you would use the Arahi 7 specifically for? - Honestly, I would not, I would say that, and one thing I have been doing, because I was curious, is I have a standing desk at work and I've been wearing the shoe to work and using it to stand in at work and it's great. Not like, again, a little narrow, but it is for like, walking around, standing, it's worked really well and it's not, it's not super soft, which you don't necessarily want when you're standing at a standing desk. - Okay, Carlos, so I guess this question is kind of pointless, but will you continue to run in the HOKA Arahi 7? - I'm gonna stick with my Mach X for my longer runs and probably the Clifton 9 for my in-between those runs. - All right, so HOKA did not totally lose you, so it's totally okay. There are some shoes that work for some people, some shoes that work for others. But I guess an unrelated shoe question to close this off, I know that you're training, right? What is your goal for this year? - My goal is to build some more base miles and to not get injured. I've been injury free for a year and a half, so I'm like trying to do lifting and, you know, some stretch work, but definitely to build base miles and at some point, I want to do a half marathon at a decent pace for a 64-year-old person. So that's my goal.

On this week&rsquo;s episode of Super Shoe Trends? we sent the Hoka Arahi 7 to RW+ member Carlos Davila, who lives in Alexandria, Virginia. The Arahi 7 has compression-molded EVA foam, which provides a moderately cushioned ride. Hoka&rsquo;s J-Frame wraps from the heel to the medial side of the shoe, creating a J-shape to help with stability. Runners looking for an everyday trainer with just a little guidance should try the Arahi 7.