26. March 2026

Hoka Mafate X Review

I was lucky enough to be hanging around at MyRaceKit when the Hoka Mafate X trainer arrived, obviously when the Cinderella moment occurred, and the show slipped onto my foot effortlessly, I had to purchase them. I’m usually a wide fit in Hoka, but I sized up slightly to the 9.5 and it felt like it was made for my foot. I ignored the advice, I needed a new pair of trail shoes, I didn’t care what anybody else thought, they were coming home with me. I hid them in the car for two days, especially as I was leaving for a race the day after, but yesterday I decided they needed their maiden voyage.

The Hoke Mafate X has an 8mm drop, which seems like the new standard, a 3.5mm lug, and weigh in at 344g (not sure what size that is but I’m trusting Hoka’s website). The shoe feels light, a similar fit to a Clifton 10 fin my opinion. I decided to break them in on a 12k trail run with my fellow runners from Leigh-on-sea Striders. It was flat, loose, dry trail for the most part, a small amount of road, and the show felt like it adapted to all terrains. I wouldn’t choose it for a road shoe, but it didn’t feel alien away from the trail.

It took me a minute to get to grips with the feel, initially the Mafate felt unresponsive, but that appeared to be pace related. The carbon sole responded well at a slightly faster pace; the shoe almost pushed itself from stride to stride. I run with a higher cadence and this shoe worked well for me. I would compare it to a Mach X2 for responsiveness, it lends itself to racing, but I would also choose as my go to on a dry trail. I can’t comment on how the Mafate would respond in the wet, but it has a Vibram sole, and I can only assume it would work in that setting just as well.

Towards the end of the run, one of my club mates decided we should pick up the pace and sprint out the final few hundred meters, this is when the shoe truly became alive, I don’t think I’ve ever felt that good in trail shoes at a high pace.

The Hoka Mafate was a shoe I’d overlooked, purely because it doesn’t come in a wide fit, but that isn’t an issue, and I will be keeping my eye out for any new colours that get released and will be using these as my summer trail shoe of choice. Get down to MyRacekit and try a pair out, I don’t think you will regret it, if you need to hide your purchase from a partner or loved one, I’m happy to take the blame.