What do Jim Walmsley, Vincent Bouillard, Ludovic Pommeret and Hayden Hawks all have in common? They all smashed ultra marathons this year wearing the same pair of Hoka trail running shoes.
In case you haven't heard, on Saturday, little-known French runner Bouillard surprised everyone including himself when he won the UTMB 100-mile race around Mont Blanc in the third-fastest-ever time. Just behind him in fifth place was another Frenchman, Pommeret, who had taken the top spot the grueling Hardrock 100 in Colorado just weeks before aged 49 years old.
Last year's winner Walmsley dropped out after around 80 km, but that was due to knee pain that he says started when he won the Western States in the second-fastest time ever on the course. And the day before, US runner Hawks took his second win in the 100 km CCC race at the same event.
Advnture can now reveal that all four champions raced while wearing the Hoka Tecton X 2.5. If you're racing to bag yourself a pair now, slow down – Hoka only released 100 pairs of the X 2.5, but the shoe is the prototype for the now-available Hoka Tecton X 3 which boasts carbon-plated propulsion and a nifty knit collar to keep trail debris out.
The Tecton X 3 has gone all in on stability, grip and protection. The California-based brand is infamous for its plush, maximalist approach to midsoles and the X 3 still features a mighty stack, plus a rocker sole, but the brand says they've repositioned the two carbon plates and added winglets to improve stability and responsiveness. The plates are sandwiched between one soft and one firm layer of EVA foam for that bouncy ride you expect from Hoka, and are meant to ensure comfort over long distances to keep ultra runners happy.
The Hoka Tecton X 3 is available now in men's and women's sizing in black / hoka blue and stormy skies / cerise colorways for $275 US / £220 UK.
