On the subject of advertising 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 might be tread on a small bulldozer. Its beneficiant 43-millimeter stack peak on the heel and 35 millimeters beneath 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 trip is surprisingly forgiving — absorbing influence with out feeling sluggish. Throughout my current coaching buildup to a 100-mile race, the Mafate 5 had no scarcity of miles or circumstances to sort out, 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 clever — it is a very completely different shoe, if we will even name it a real successor. Key updates embrace Hoka’s new Rocker Integrity Expertise within the midsole, meant 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. Photograph: 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 tough to overlook. The higher encompasses a warp-knit development with anti-fray remedy. 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 good friend who thru-hiked the John Muir Path requested particularly how they held as much as lengthy days in Yosemite Valley this summer time, 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 wherever else. I might take into account this shoe an amazing alternative for thru-hiking or fastpacking efforts in comparable areas.
The Mafate 5 runs true to dimension. I examined my traditional U.S. ladies’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 have been … difficult, however I’m not satisfied the Mafates are guilty. The toebox comfortably accommodates my bunioned forefoot, and the lockdown saved my slim midfoot safe.
My greatest gripe entails one in every of its smallest parts: the tongue. It attaches in a U-shape to a skinny piece of material 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 could actually chunk the entrance of the ankle, particularly should you’re sporting shorter socks. It has softened some with use, but it surely nonetheless looks like an odd space for Hoka to trim some weight. The laces themselves are refreshingly easy and work effectively, and any mid-run changes I’ve made have 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 mixture supplies beneficiant cushioning for lengthy technical days. In comparison with the Mafate Pace 4, which has a 31-millimeter stack peak on the heel and a 4-millimeter drop, the Mafate 5 is an enormous leap in each stack and drop, with a 43-millimeter stack peak 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 Expertise is a key addition right here, designed to maintain heel-to-toe transitions clean and protect the rocker geometry over lengthy miles. A curved TPU plate sits between the 2 foam layers, and you’ll truly 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 vast platform maintain 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 burden and stack, I shouldn’t have felt as clean and unbothered as I did, however the mixture of froth and platform width delivers a stable, confidence-inspiring trip 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 repute. The outsole bites into rock, grime, and every part in between with confidence. I haven’t discovered the Mafate overly clunky on the flats, however I additionally used them principally for 100-mile coaching, so I used to be not working in a very excessive gear whereas working flats. As a fellow reviewer jokingly jogged my memory, having a stable power 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 effectively into the night time, 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 have been delivered in spades via the wee hours of the night time to the end line.
Hoka Mafate 5 General Impressions
A high view of the Hoka Mafate 5.
The Hoka Mafate 5 clears the bar for what I anticipate 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 trip prepared for lengthy, gnarly miles. When you desire light-weight or minimalist footwear, you in all probability bowed out the primary time I used the phrase gnarly, and for good cause. However, should you’re available in the market for a troublesome, 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 working retailer carries it, strive 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 exhausting on this shoe, which says every part. Quirks apart, I genuinely favored it, and it proved itself the place it mattered.
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They’re not svelte, however the Hoka Mafate 5 are able to deal with something. Photograph: iRunFar/Annie Behrend
