“What’s that shoe?!” A passerby requested as we ran on this shoe for the primary time.
This was the identical query that hundreds of followers had whereas watching HOKA athlete Jim Walmsley win the 2023 UTMB in a pair of thriller black footwear.
We get it. The Jim Walmsley 2023 UTMB shoe had a captivating look. And so does the coming-very-soon, and in hyper-limited portions, HOKA Tecton X 2.5.
A gaiter and a large midsole made with a distinct foam than different footwear within the Tecton X lineage give this shoe a a lot totally different appear and feel. Oh, and the way in regards to the easy, two-tone colorway on the X 2.5, which deviates considerably from HOKA’s typical rainbow coloration palette?
Jim Walmsley successful the 2023 UTMB sporting a mysterious pair of black HOKA footwear. Picture: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
Within the X 2.5, Tecton X mannequin followers ought to acknowledge the Matryx higher and Vibram Megagrip Litebase outsole with its important and strategic cutouts as each almost an identical to the X 2.
Whereas we might by no means know the complete particulars of what went into the Jim Walmsley 2023 UTMB shoe, one factor is for certain: The HOKA Tecton X 2.5 is certainly its sibling — perhaps even a fraternal twin.
A detailed-up view of Jim Walmsley’s 2023 UTMB footwear. Picture: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
The HOKA Tecton X Lineage
The unique HOKA Tecton X debuted in the summertime of 2022 as an early adopter of carbon plates in path footwear. It was a wonderful shoe that, together with a few others, helped to spark the carbon revolution in path working, main to each main model popping out with its personal carbon path shoe.
The HOKA Tecton X 2, launched in 2023, is the mannequin’s present model. With the X 2, the model launched the favored Matryx higher materials and added some higher overlays that helped the shoe lock down higher. Thus, the X 2 presents itself as a extra refined model of the Tecton X.
Thus far, iRunFar Editor-in-Chief Meghan Hicks wears the Tecton X 2 for her velocity exercises and every other runs for which she cares about efficiency and tempo. iRunFar Managing Affiliate Editor Nathan Allen says, “General, of the higher-end path racing tremendous footwear I’ve examined, the Tecton X 2 might be high one or two for me. They’re very quick, responsive, and environment friendly.” The iRunFar crew so loves the Tecton X 2 that it seems in two of our category-level guides: finest cushioned path trainers and finest light-weight path trainers.
Introducing the HOKA Tecton X 2.5. Picture: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
Because the iRunFar crew is a fan of the Tecton X, our curiosity, like that of so many others, was piqued throughout the 2023 UTMB by Jim Walmsley’s footwear, which regarded to us like offspring of the HOKA Tecton X 2 and HOKA Rocket X 2 — the model’s carbon plated highway racing shoe. However mum was principally the phrase on the shoe, and nobody, together with iRunFar, was in a position to be taught an excessive amount of extra.
Quick ahead to The Operating Occasion commerce present in late 2023, and runners had been handled to a peek on the latest within the Tecton X line, the HOKA Tecton X 3, on its approach to market within the second half of 2024. Whereas the Tecton X 3 contained a lot of adjustments from the X and X 2, making it look fairly totally different, it additionally regarded instantly acquainted: This was going to be the business model of the Jim Walmsley 2023 UTMB shoe.
The HOKA Tecton X 2.5 within the wild. Picture: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
Introducing the HOKA Tecton X 2.5
Now, quick ahead one other half a yr to the current and the arrival of the particular version HOKA Tecton X 2.5.
Based on HOKA, this mannequin will solely be obtainable for buy in individual and earlier than the 2024 Western States 100 in California. It is a few months earlier than the promised full launch of the HOKA Tecton X 3 later this yr. It’s cheap for us to suspect that this may also be Jim Walmsley’s shoe on the upcoming 2024 Western States 100.
A lateral view of the HOKA Tecton X 2.5 reveals how prominently the dual-layer PEBA foam options within the shoe’s aesthetic. Picture: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
Listed below are the specs we’ve been in a position to collect on this elusive HOKA Tecton X 2.5:
- Precise Weight: 9.3 ounces (264 grams) for a U.S. males’s 9
- Complete Stack Peak: 44 millimeters on the heel, 39 millimeters on the toe
- Higher: Matryx materials with a gaiter and speedlaces
- Midsole: Twin-layer PEBA foam with two parallel carbon fiber plates inserted between the froth layers
- Outsole: Vibram Megagrip Litebase with 5-millimeter lugs
- Value: $300
The gaiter and speedlaces are noticeable in a medial view of the HOKA Tecton X 2.5. Picture: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
Evaluating the HOKA Tecton X 2 and X 2.5
How do the HOKA Tecton X 2 and X 2.5 examine?
- Weight: The X 2.5 is available in at 6 grams heavier than the X 2 within the U.S. males’s 9.
- Higher: The now-popular Matryx higher materials was launched within the X 2, and it carries into the X 2.5, although there’s a dramatic shift in type and orientation of the overlays. The numerous change to the higher, although, is the addition of the gaiter to the X 2.5, which may also characteristic within the X 3. We additionally observe that the speedlaces are current solely on the X 2.5. They aren’t on the X 2, gained’t be on the X 3, and weren’t on the Jim Walmsley 2023 UTMB shoe both.
- Midsole: The X 2.5’s midsole is a two-layer PEBA foam referred to as super-shoe foam with its presence within the high highway racing footwear. PEBA foam has a terrific status for its cushion and responsiveness. This midsole is manner softer than the X 2’s two-layer EVA foam midsole, which has one softer EVA layer on high of a firmer layer. Each the X 2.5 and X 2 midsoles are product of two layers, and two parallel carbon plates are inserted between them. This entire development package deal is what HOKA calls ProFlyX. Giving credence to our earlier hypothesis that the Jim Walmsley 2023 UTMB shoe was a Tecton X 2/Rocket X 2 mashup, the durometer on this midsole feels sneakily like that of the HOKA Rocket X 2, which additionally has dual-layer PEBA foam.
- Outsole: The X 2 and X 2.5’s outsoles are almost an identical. Each use the reliable Vibram Megagrip Litebase materials with strategic protection and uncovered midsole that endeavors to stability traction with weight financial savings. The lugs on the X 2.5 are 5 millimeters tall, which is 1 millimeter greater than these of the X 2.
The HOKA Tecton X 2.5 outsole, which is similar to each of the prior editions of this mannequin, the HOKA Tecton X and X 2. Picture: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
Tips on how to Buy the HOKA Tecton X 2.5
So right here’s the place issues get attention-grabbing: The HOKA Tecton X 2.5 has hyper-limited availability.
Simply 100 pairs are being provided for reservation completely to athletes, associates, and household of the 2024 Western States 100. In just a few days, Western States 100 registered entrants will obtain an invitation by electronic mail to buy these footwear, ought to they need. After this, any remaining pairs will likely be provided first come, first serve.
The iRunFar crew testing the the HOKA Tecton X 2.5. Picture: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
An inevitable results of the particular version HOKA Tecton X 2.5 on the 2024 Western States 100 is that the query, “What’s that shoe?!” just isn’t going away anytime quickly.
[Editor’s Note: This article is sponsored by HOKA. Thank you to HOKA for its sponsorship of iRunFar, which helps to make iRunFar happen and free for all to enjoy. Learn more about our sponsored articles.]
The gaiter and speedlaces are noticeable elements of the HOKA Tecton X 2.5’s higher. Picture: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks