HOKA - Cielo X1 3.0

These are great shoes for me feel best at HM pace (7.00 min/mile) or faster. Personally wouldn't take for marathon. They feel good at marathon pace as well but if your form breaks down they feel pretty unstable.

So, it seems I have quite different opinion. Just finished my first run with 3.0 and... it feels a completely different shoe vs the previous versions. Main differences vs 1.0: 3.0 is really narrow. Because of this 3.0 is really unstable. 3.0 is softer. And this adds additional unstability. 3.0 is more "untamed". 1.0 was quite similar to Alphafly 2 with its "on rails" feeling. 1.0 was good for long runs, 3.0 feels too unstable for those. Some of that unstable feeling is lost when running faster. Closest comparison for me is Sky Tokyo. I didn't find 2.0 that different from the 1.0. Ok, the cut added some unstability but otherwise it felt similar. 3.0 is the least stable. Too early to say if I like the shoe or not.

Did you try the shoe on a long run with target pace blocks? How did it work for you. For me the fairy tale of the early miles became nightmare after mile 13 or so. Completely a me problem, not a shoe problem. When my form broke down, heart rate, cadence, and stride all stayed stable, but I started fighting the shoe and pace became a lot harder to maintain. Opposite story for the early miles, my pace was a lot faster than my heart rate and perceived effort suggested. Fastest shoe I’ve tried, which feels sad it didn’t match my form. Still, I can appreciate it’s a phenomenal shoe.

I tried this shoe a few weeks ago at the Mesa marathon expo and loved the ride, bounce, and stability. I would use it for long run workouts or to race a marathon. Definitely top of my list for my next marathon training block.

As a note, the Cielo x1 2.0 has a massive cutout on the medial side of the mid/outsole. It’s a great shoe with an aggressive rocker, but it’s likely going to be more squirrelly than the EVO SL and Neo Vista. If you want something more firm/stable and in line with the SB2, the Cielo x1 2.0 is not that at all. If you can find v1, it’s closer. And v3 might be an option, but I wouldn’t choose v2 for your use case. If you want to try Hoka, rocket x2 or 3 would be closer (3 has a more aggressive rocker). If you’re looking for something on sale, endorphin pro 4 is on markdown and it’s fairly stable (and not particularly soft). Megablast may also work - although it’s not “poppy” and it’s not cheap.

Cielo x1is a great training shoe for these exact runs. Endorphins Speed 4 is also very good.

If you can find them the Cielo X1 is perfect for what you’re looking for. Alternatively the Puma Deviate Nitro Elite is a brilliant shoe that would also fit the bill.

Cielo X1 is the best shoe ever made for midfoot strikers seeking LR w/pick ups.

I ran Chicago in hoka cielo (carbon plates) and ran a 3:21. My prior marathon was 3:29 in regular trainers. Aside from the boost I believe I got from carbon plates I feel like I’m recovering faster (despite worse sleep since I now have a 1yr old). Maybe the quicker recovery is just in my head but worth the new shoes IMO

Why the waterproof(ish) versions of shoes? If you’re running a marathon, you probably want your foot to breathe. If you like your Clifton’s, why not look at Hoka’s road racing shoes - the Cielo X or Rocket X? If you don’t want pure racing shoes there are so many good all-rounder’s to choose from, but nobody can tell you what will be best for you. Also, good luck on your first marathon!