Tested and Reviewed: Hoka Skyward X (2024)

Days before the Boston Marathon, I tossed Nike’s Alphafly 3 and Hoka’s Cielo X1 in my duffel bag. The weekend preceding Marathon Monday would be a race in itself, jam-packed with pop-up events, shows, and shakeout runs. Despite all the things I had planned ahead of race day, my shoes would be a last-minute decision.

I tried wearing the aggressive Cielo X1 as I “raced” through the weekend’s events, but not even Hoka’s poppy PEBA foam could silence the quiet screams of my overworked arches as they seesawed in the shoe’s rocker-shaped midsole. Eventually, I slipped my feet into the Cielo’s super trainer counterpart, the Skyward X. I felt the sinews of my feet switch gears and relax into a more leisurely stride, as opposed to the much speedier cadence that the Cielo X1 encouraged.

• Who It’s For: Runners looking for a soft, slightly spongy—yet still responsive—super trainer for marathon base building
  
• Preceded By: Rocket X, Rocket X 2, Bondi X
• For Runners Who Like: New Balance FuelCell SuperComp Trainer, Brooks Ghost Max, Hoka Mach X
• Midsole Foam: PEBA-based cushioning
• Key Tech: Carbon-fiber plate, Meta-rocker sole (supercritical EVA rocker frame)

Battle of the Super Trainers

I feel like I’m the last one hopping on the super trainer, uh, train...but maybe that’s because I hadn’t run in a shoe like the Skyward X. The shoe has a 48mm stack height and 5mm heel-toe drop. The fit feels narrower compared to other Hoka shoes we’ve tested, but its rocker is less aggressive compared to Adidas’s super trainer, the Adizero X 2 Prime Strung. The latter is slightly taller, with a 50mm stack height and 7mm drop. It’s also beefed up with three layers of Adidas’s Lightstrike Pro foam.

Those bouncy layers of foam with two carbon-infused plates made the Adizero X 2 Prime Strung a go-to marathon racing shoe for some runners, such as our deputy social media editor Aly Ellis. Not so for me. I found the shoe’s ride erratic; it was like experiencing the rocker profile of Saucony’s Endorphin Pro for the first time—but to the nth degree. My stride felt unstable, my ankles wobbly with every step.

The super trainer I was looking for ideally had to have the bouncy, plush midsole of Brooks’s Aurora-BL and the fit and feel of Hoka’s Bondi X. Even though the Aurora-BL, released in 2021, doesn’t fit the profile of a super trainer—it tops out at only 37mm and has a plate-free midsole)—I’d argue that shoe was a precursor to the phenomenon.

The Bondi X, also released in 2021, had a carbon-fiber plate and 33.5mm-tall compression molded EVA midsole—a modest construction by the standards of today’s super trainers. For a winning super-trainer formula, Hoka had to improve on those key components. So for the Skyward X, Hoka upgraded to PEBA cushioning and carved away some of the Bondi X’s bulk. It makes this new Hoka super trainer stabler than the Adizero X 2 Prime Strung, more responsive than the Aurora-BL, and more versatile than the Bondi X.

The Cielo X1 and Skyward X Are Two of a Kind

The Cielo X1 and Skyward X were actually developed side-by-side. Earlier this year when I spoke with Colin Ingram, Hoka’s vice president of global product, he described the shoes as “representing the two purest examples of the Hoka experience.” The Skyward X’s floaty ride complements the Cielo X1’s propulsive toe-off. Essentially, these shoes work together to help you fly.

Just like the Cielo X1, the Skyward X’s midsole is composed of PEBA foam with a carbon plate sandwiched in the middle. The convex plate bows in the middle; you can peek at it through the shoe’s outsole cutout and on the lateral side of the heel. According to Hoka, this shape is intended to help with suspension as you run, making the ride feel more effortless. Though not as aggressive as the Cielo X1’s Meta-rocker, the Skyward’s EVA rocker sole still encourages a quick, smooth stride.

Both shoes are tools in Hoka’s box for its competitive racers, and for the runner who desires a more heightened experience than what they’d get from a typical daily trainer. The “X” in Hoka taxonomy refers to the brand’s category of shoes that have a carbon-fiber plate. And the “1” in the Cielo X1 hints that this is just the beginning of the shoe’s lineage. While the Skyward X is not being called “X1,” we predict that it won’t be the only Skyward model.

What Our Testers Say About the Skyward X

Tech and classification aside, the Skyward X achieves its mission of being a new kind of go-to shoe. The beefy, almost spongy cushioning is signature to Hoka. Present in the Skyward X, it absorbs shock on long runs and provides support for those prone to injury.

“I’ve never run in a shoe with such a thick, cushy sole,” said RW digital designer Hunter Young. “The springiness made me feel like I was bouncing on the roads. I was worried that running in such a thick sole would slow my gait, but instead, the shoes made my stride feel efficient and smooth.”

Wear-tester and video producer Laura Chiarella also appreciated how the Skyward X’s midsole cushioned impact on her runs. She found that the PEBA foam’s energy return helped her to go a smidge faster on roads. On the treadmill, it was almost too bouncy.

“I preferred using these shoes on the road or boardwalk rather than on the treadmill,” she said. “I felt like I was going to bounce right off the treadmill belt.”