17/01/2026
And this is why I love my Hoka shoes - enhanced with custom foot orthoses to help my hypermobility, flat feet and functional limb length discrepancy 😍
What Features Make Maximalist Running Shoes Unique?
The Hoka One One brand of running shoes was the first brand of "maximalist running shoe" which introduced ultra-thick, lightweight midsole technology to the running shoe industry. Illustrated below is the Hoka One One Clifton 2 (from 2016) which, like other maximalist running shoes, has a number of features which allow it so have increased cushioning in both the rearfoot and forefoot, without being unstable within the frontal plane and without the shoe being overly heavy.
What features make maximalist shoes unique?
1. The shoe sole is made with a rocker construction in the forefoot which allows the runner to toe-off normally even with the increased forefoot shoe sole stiffness that arises due to the increased forefoot sole thickness.
2. The lower portion of the shoe upper is surrounded by a dorsal extension of the shoe midsole material which increases the frontal plane stability of the upper relative to the shoe sole.
3. The shoe midsole is made of a lower density cushioned material that allows for more more midsole volume, and more rearfoot and forefoot cushioning, without significantly increasing the mass of the shoe over traditional training flats.
4. The heel drop (i.e. difference in heel midsole thickness and forefoot midsole thickness) is 5 mm in the Hoka Clifton 2 which keeps the heel relatively lower to the ground to increase frontal plane stability than traditional training flats that, in the past, averaged at a 10-12 mm heel drop.
Of course, over the past 16 years since the Hoka One One maximalist running shoes have been available in running shoe stores, many other shoe manufacturers have jumped on the "thick, cushioned, rocker-sole" running shoe bandwagon. However, Hoka One One must be given credit for changing the paradigm for running shoe design, especially given that these shoes were first introduced during the height of the Barefoot Running Fad, in 2010.
Kirby KA: Maximalist Running Shoes: Design and Function. Precision Intricast Newsletter, Precision Intricast, Inc, Payson Arizona, June 2016.
