Customer Reviews Hoka Stinson Tarmac

I have not had a chance to run in my shoes yet, due to a recent accident. But i have been waling in my shoes and have noticed that the support in the soles is in all the right places and feels great on my feet.

The shoes are great. As other comments have said the only issue with these shoes is the paint falling off the sole of the shoe. It is not a big issue for me so I can live with it.

Great shoe. My second pair. I went from minimals to only Hoka -- both road and trail. Just a unsolicited plug for Zappos -- I think they are the best service oriented company on the planet.

These shoes are so comfortable I wear them working in a hospital so there is lots of cushy heel comfort and they are very light weight. I did try five pairs before I got the right one but Zappos was great to do business with next day service with different shoes to try. I love working with them!

Be warned, you try these you will never go back to regular running or walking shoes, let alone minimalist or hard ride shoes. Some knee issues coupled with arthritis in hips and substantial degeneration in back meant back pain on a constant basis, shots in knee and hip. I have worn Asics for years and felt that they were the most comfortable going. In looking to see if there was anything new out there with increased comfort there was a lot of talk about Hoka One One. I thought that I would take a chance and wear some around the house thanks to Zappos' great service. I already bought a second pair. The comfort is second to none, goodbye back pain.

Great shoe! We used to think that the New Balance 929 was the best shoe out there. Not anymore. Podiatrist loves them too.

Don't let their appearance fool you. With all the hype about minimalist shoes and barefoot running, these shoes will extend my running life by several years. They look odd, but feel great. They are not as soft or pillowy as the look. If you are a heel striker or midfoot striker, these shoes do the trick. The cartilidge in my knees is wearing out and running had become uncomfortable until I tried Hoke One One shoes. Models vary, bit I did go up 1/2 size from my usual Asics Kayano. Try them, you will like them if you have had knee or IT band issues,

Very lightweight and comfortable shoes for power walking. Feels like walking on clouds. They run true to size.

I have to say I thought I would never find a shoe that worked. I am 60, a bit heavy and have had knee surgery and a failed joint replacement of my big toe joint. I was an avid walker (5 miles a day) and have a job that I stand at all day as a massage therapist. I have been wearing a turf plate to get me through until they could do a total fusion on my forefoot. All my shoes hurt. I had to change shoes 3-4 times a day. I couldn't even walk around the block. Not any more! A friend turned me on to these shoes and I tried several styles in women's no luck. I went to my local running store and they put me in a men's shoe. Voila! I don't have a wide foot and I have a narrow heel so these must run small and narrow in men's. I just bought my 3rd pair and I must say I am a happy camper. I am back to walking 2 miles a day now, no turf plate and no pain of any kind. These shoes are a miracle. No more tired legs. I used to wear cushioned stability and although these say neutral they have a ton of stability support without being hard and uncomfortable. These shoes are a dream and so is the service at Zappos!

Very comfortable shoe. Fits well. Easy to wear. I would recommend to anyone who has a foot problem.

These shoes are replacing a pair of Hoka Bondi 2's which I've had for about 8 months and are in pretty poor shape even though I've used them only 3 days a week. But they're so comfortable what else could I order? I'm hoping these new ones last a little longer. Initial impressions are that while the sole is the same width as the Bondi's the top shoe area is considerably narrower. which makes it not quite as comfortable. The tongue isn't padded, possibly due to the no-tie laces, so I can't wear ankle socks as they dig into the front of my foot where the tongue meets the foot. They are also much firmer in the foot-bed (even though they use the same insert), than the Bondi's losing some of that much sought after cushioning, honestly if they get much firmer they won't be worth purchasing. I would really prefer the Bondi's for comfort if they were still available. I don't know if the other shoes in the Hoka line have more/less cushioning, which would be good to know. I'm tempted to order all the models in size 13D (and return the ones I don't like), but I don't think Zappos would appreciate that. :)

This shoe provided the cushioning and stability I needed to return to training after a chronic ankle sprain. What a blessed change from the minimalist shoes I had been using.

I've honestly never enjoyed running, it was something I had to do to get into shape to play soccer. But after developing footballer's ankle in both ankles, running had become harder and harder, and quite frankly I got rather heavy. After seeing minimalist running shoes, I was excited to see Hoka's and gave them a try. I will never run in another shoe again, they're amazing! Do they make you faster? No. Of course they don't. But they will help you to recover quicker so you can get back onto the road easier. Now, I normally wear a 4E or 3E, so I had to order a full size larger, but they are great! Now, I will say it took a bit of adjustment to run in these, about a week, my calves were definitely working more but they're worth it. If you need orthotics, you can throw them in there. Your knees and ankles will thank you!

Seriously life-changing. I have hallux limimtus - the kind of arthritis that deteriorates the big toe joint making the range of motion decrease to zero eventually. I'm nearly at zero after 15 years of stupidly toughing it out. These shoes are amazingly comfortable. The combination of thin, firm outer sole layer, slightly cushy inner layer and taper of the entire bottom makes it so the toe doesn't have to bend much at all and results in no pain. I got so I could only run on the elliptical at the gym and that hurt and I started to pronate to compensate. Now I'm hauling on the elliptical at the gym with a good gait; haven't tried road running again. I also wear these at work at the warehouse where it's 8 hours a day on the concrete. I used to leave sobbing and needing to lie down. Now I run circles around my co-workers. The Hokas are getting a little worn around the toe cap from the non-running use, but they're not just comfortable, they're pain preventers, so I'll pay and keep wearing them out until fusion or cheilectomy surgery. The upper of the Hoka isn't perfect. It could be a little more form-fitting - shaped like a foot not like a generic shoe, but it's good enough. I love the flash colors. The yellow has a green tinge in reality. I compared these to the Skecher Work Shape Up Brawny and the Hokas give me zero pain and the Skechers give me 15% pain. The Skechers are too soft in the sole and have fussy contours on the inside.

Hoka's manufacturing seems lower quality every year, even though prices go up. This show is no exception. The green paint on the side literally peeled off after my second run, and after 10 the rubber grip on both speed laces started slipping. Their lasts between models are completely incongruous, so while the good old Mafate fit me perfectly in the same size, this one starts cramping the side of my toes halfway through a run. It's almost unfortunate that they're still more comfortable than the competition, because the cheap quality and astronomical price will make buying this brand hard to swallow ever again.

Awesome running shoe! Of course, everyone's foot is unique and opinions may differ. I'm now a recreational runner only but did a six year tour in the Marine Corp and wish a shoe like this was available then for the thousands of miles logged during my tour. Found the shoe a little narrow and ordered 1/2 size larger. The zero gravity system is amazing, like your foot is floating in protective cushioning without it being sloppy or too soft causing foot fatigue. If you're looking for a super comfy shoe to run in, give them a try. Many models to fit different needs but the zero gravity system is outstanding. I find myself looking forward to running in them and am amazed every time. I push them to the limit without any performance deficiency.

I have been wearing Asics which provide quite a lot of cushion for autocross, which involves a lot of walking on hard surfaces. The Asics were pretty good, but I could still feel it the next day or two, sore feet, soles, etc. I decided to give these a try. They do feel a touch tight in the toe box, I am solidly 10.5 in almost any shoe and I had to go up to an 11 in these, but they are instantly very comfortable, they are like walking on marshmallows. My feet felt fresh all day and weren't sore at all. I would not recommend you do any race driving in them as they are sloppy for pedals, so bring some different shoes to drive in if that is your thing but driving to and from the event, working course for 2 hours at a time, and walking miles and miles in them I am convinced these are the best hard surface shoes you can wear right now.

I hurt my leg muscles (jumping up and down at a concert no less) and bought these sneakers because when I tried them out at home, the pain in my leg went away. They are comfortable, light - I wear them walking, dancing, exercise class...just about everywhere. The color attracts attention (the good kind) and I feel a bit taller wearing them (that's a good thing)! I did need a few centimeters more room than the woman's size 11, and found the men's size 9 1/2 was perfect for me.

I'm an avid runner who averages 25 miles a week and have been having nagging issues with my Achilles tendons and plantar fasciitis for over a year. I wear custom orthotics and have very high arches. I've been running religiously in Asics Gel Nimbus shoes for several years and decided to try something new to see if I can get rid of my nagging foot pain. A friend recommended the Hoka One One's and I must say on my first viewing of them I thought, "no way can I wear those ridiculous looking things, they look like clown shoes and my running group will ridicule me to no end." Then I started reading reviews, lots of reviews. Many people with similar aliments to me who claimed that the Hoka One One's saved them from having to quit running. I figured I'd give them a try, what did I have to loose? I ordered a pair of the Stinson Tarmacs and a pair of the conquests. I wore them both around the house and found the conquest to be noticeably stiffer so I sent those back. Too bad though I like the look of the conquest better, less clown shoe like. I've now run 3 times in the Stinson Tarmacs and I really like them so far. I've got about 22 miles on them. I was afraid they might be too soft, like running in wet grass but they're not. The best way I can describe them is that they feel like running on a nice modern track surface or freshly poured soft asphalt even when you're pounding along on concrete. My Achilles issue seems to be getting a bit better but time will tell on that one but fingers crossed. Now after 3 runs and less than 25 miles I have two major problems that is prompting me to exchange the shoes. the gray stripes painted on the side of the sole has almost entirely flaked off and they squeak with nearly every foot strike. It's bad enough that my running group started calling me squeaky. I'm hoping this is an isolated issue because I like them otherwise. But for the price I'm not expecting the paint on them to start flaking off on the 3rd wearing and the squeaking has got to stop. Here's hoping the next pair work out better, I'll update my review then.

After reading the reviews on this one, I was fully expecting to receive a very "spongy" type shoe with plenty of cushioning. They are certainly well cushioned but I was surprised they did not feel as spongy as some reviewers mentioned of Hoka shoes in general. I bought them because of lower back pain developing from increasing my mileage. These shoes solved that problem. I've struggled in the past with running. Every time I tried to run more than a few miles consistently, I developed knee or back pain. Happy to say that once I started wearing these, I'm hooked and running pain free. My goal is the half Marathon in 5 months and, if I make it, I think i can credit these shoes for the accomplishment. I have a narrow shoe size and these felt made to order.

I really like these shoes quite a bit...they are my third pair of Hoka's. My first two pairs were Bondi 2s and now I have a pair of the Stinson Tarmacs. My only complaint with these shoes is that one of the upper eyelets on the right shoe was defective (not a complete circle and it had a chip in the metal eyelet) so the shoelaces frayed considerably over the period of a month...Zappos is standing behind the shoe and is shipping me a new pair today. Overall these shoes are fantastic and can't say enough positive things about the Stinson Tarmacs. If you liked the Bondi 2s, I think that you will really like the Stinson Tarmacs...the fit, form, and function are truly remarkable. I used to be an "angry runner" (never liked running but did it anyway because of the benefits from running) but these shoes have actually made running enjoyable for me I'm a 20-25 mile a week runner.

I'm one if those people that never writes reviews (good or bad). Had to say something about these shoes. In one word, "unbelievable!" So much support with additional cushioning. I'm in the Army and have to run on hard surfaces daily. Needless to say, my lower extremity joints and bones are stressed to the max (35 years old). After running in these for one week, all the pain I used to feel in my ankles, shins, and knees has vanished. Only thing I would change is adding wider versions to the Hoka arsenal. If you have bunions or just plain ole wide feet, the fit may not feel custom.

I was a little frustrated with the description of the Hoka shoes. It is a little difficult to figure out if it is a trail or road shoe, neutral or stability. Maybe it doesn't matter? This is my second Hoka. I had the Bondi first and at 900 miles started to get terrible shin splints. I replaced it with this shoe and alternated a Saucony in my rotation and the shin splint has resolved. Overall I think this shoe will work out as a training shoe while I rebuild my miles.