Hoka Delivers Trail Racing Shoe With Two Parallel Carbon Fiber Plates

Running footwear has embraced carbon plates for their propulsive and energy-giving characteristics. But those same carbon plates that move runners forward fast have struggled to handle changing terrains underfoot. Hoka Shoes has a solution with parallel carbon fiber plates in the brand’s Tecton X trail racing shoe, designed to provide the propulsive benefits of carbon fiber but with an update to improve a runner’s agility on uneven trails.

“When you incorporate a carbon fiber plate into a shoe, you get a ton of propulsive benefits that help with speed, but the rigidity of a typical plate can also pose a potential challenge,” says Gretchen Weimer, Hoka vice president of product. “Hoka developed the dual plate design in the Tecton X, hereby maintaining the propulsive benefits of a carbon plate without compromising the dynamic lateral movements needed to trail run effectively and safely.”

Hoka says the first parallel carbon fiber plate design in the industry offers two carbon fiber plates running parallel up and down the length of the shoe working independently of each other. “This allows runners to interact dynamically with uneven terrain on the trail, moving laterally and readily adapting change,” Weimer says.

The plates on the Tecton X, named after the earth’s tectonic plates, get sandwiched between a Hoka Shoes ProFlyX midsole that combines a soft foam underfoot for comfort with a responsible base on the foam for propulsion. With the plates working independently, the medial plate hooks inward for propulsion during the later stages of the toe-off. The autonomous movement on the plates provides a new sense of stability for the trail runner. For example, Weimer says, imagine stepping onto a rock slightly off center. If the carbon plate can’t flex and adapt to that change, the plate might hit that rock and shoot you off to the side instead of forward as you need. By having a dual plate, runners gain a flexibility in their lateral movements.

Hoka, one of the fastest-growing performance footwear brands in 2021, according to Matt Powell, senior industry advisor for The NPD Group, expects trail racers to gravitate toward the Tecton X, which launches in spring 2022 for $200. Designed as a race shoe at 8.5 ounces for a men’s size 9 with the focus on propulsion and support, Weimer says that along with use as a race shoe, trail runners simply looking for a faster, snappier ride for daily training and ultra-marathoners will both also be drawn to the Tecton X.

To make it trail ready beyond the fresh take on carbon fiber and foam, the outsole features 4mm lugs with a Vibram Megagrip with Litebase construction for reliable grip, Hoka Sneakers  ,the brand says. The use of Vibram Litebase reduces the overall outsole weight by 30% by strategically reducing sole thickness.

The Texton X features a breathable engineered mesh upper designed to handle trail abrasions, a lay-flat gusseted tongue and a padded heel collar. The toe box was designed with additional room for the natural swelling and splaying of toes during a long trail run.

The Tecton X debut offers up an initial foray from Hoka into a new approach to carbon fiber. Weimer says the research and design efforts that went into the development of the Tecton X, as well as other carbon fiber footwear franchises, means Hoka won’t slow its carbon fiber efforts.