Having never worn the Arahi 1 this will not be a review between the differences but more from the perspective of someone who probably like many other runners abandoned the Stability shoe model a couple years ago and now is interested in coming back. A few years ago, when neutral shoes were all the rage and they were lightweight and could support my longer quicker runs I abandoned the stability, heavier shoe model and moved to neutral shoes. I eventually fell in love with the Hoka One One shoes especially the Clifton for their ability to make me feel like it supported me through my natural gait, but they were not stability shoes. So when Hoka came out with the Arahi I knew I wanted to try them. So here I go with my review of the Arahi 2’s.
I immediately was in love with the weight of this stability shoe and how light (about 10 ounces) it generally felt for me on first wearing. I really loved the support I got from first stride to last and I could really feel the shoe absorbing a lot of the shock on every impact which is something I have lacked in some of the neutral shoes I have worn. Having not worn a pure stability shoe in a few years I was immediately reminded of that support in every step along with Hoka’s ability to make me feel that my foot moves naturally through each step so I was in love. The Arahi employs the J-Frame technology (you can see in photo below) that when you land provides support to heel and actually employs the load to the entire foot. This in turn helps give you that support needed with every stride. Through my 20+ miles on these shoes I was amazed at how often my foot was able to stabilize itself through each step, also quite well on uneven surfaces. If you ever notice your foot buckle (turn inwards) a bit in your stride you might love the stability this shoe provides while staying a tab bit lighter in weight and providing you all the benefits you may already love from other Hoka One One shoes.
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On my right foot only, it felt like either the tongue was too short, or that the lacing system was digging into the top of my foot. Whenever I put the shoe on I felt this rubbing sensation between my 4th and 5th toes from the upper/tongue and I felt like maybe I was doing something wrong lacing it, maybe not tight enough. But after searching around the internet and finding several like complaints I felt less crazy. Honestly for me it’s not a deal breaker, I mostly felt it when I put the shoe on and wearing it around walking, I didn’t feel it when I was running or notice any blisters from the shoe post run in that area. But just something to point out that I noticed in my 20+ miles.
The tongue/lacing issue aside I loved this shoe and I finally found a stability that supports my desire for lightweight and not feeling like a brick on my foot but also provides that necessary stabilization with every step. To some it might not matter but I love all the color schemes Hoka has released, and sometimes I think companies don’t value color enough for Men’s shoes/clothing. I don’t need anymore dark/black shoes. This shoe will definitely find a rotation in my weekly shoe run, especially on my longer easy day runs, as I definitely felt recovered post run in these shoes. With the Clifton 4 not being my favorite update, the Arahi 2 can easily fill that void in an easy day trainer in my life. And the price is just right for a shoe you should be able to put a good chunk of miles on.
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So Arahi 2 versus Arahi 3?