Hoka Mach 5

“PSA, I'm a novice runner who has been athletic in sports all my life but only have seriously started training this year on my way towards a marathon this July. One thing that has been disappointing is the lack of support for real feedback and reviews for heavier and slower runners. I got caught up in all things carbon shoes, minimally cushioned tempo shoes, and platforms that just don't have the real support needed for the duration us slower runners have to endure. I end up confused as to why certain shoes are rated great when I realized most of these suggestions are coming marathoners who run 3 hour and under races while I'm shooting for a 4:30-4:45. With that being said, it's been a journey trying to decide on what the "race day" shoe should be. I realized I'm very likely not going to enjoy racers and need to prepare more for the time on feet with something cushioned. Luckily, I found and fell in love with the New Balance SC Trainer v2 and became obsessed with the super trainer movement. I realized that while these faster marathoners were saying these shoes are great for everyday training, recovery and speedwork--it was always overshadowed with being a trainer to get you ready for race day. There needs to be more PSA for us slower/heavier runners that THESE should be our "race day" shoes. So I'm putting the Superblasts, SC Trainer, Skyward X, and all other supertrainers alike in the list of recommended shoes to try for slower runners. Now on to the actual review: For my weight \~170lb and pace, these are perfectly cushioned, while also incredibly light to keep my legs turning. They aren't too soft and mushy like the Nimbus line, not too plush like the SC Trainer v2s, but really just tick the boxes of responsive, cushioned, and lightweight in perfect harmony. I have slightly wide forefoots (right is much wider than the left) and these fit just right at TTS 10. I strike with my forefoot and sometimes toes and the platform feels wide with each step, supporting the full striking zone. It almost seems like I can literally feel this big oversized rectangular cushion when I land on the foot. The cushioning is slightly on the firmer side while also allowing just enough compression to let my feet sink in and bounce back up. I know other runners have mentioned the firmness to be a bit of a con but I'm almost certain that they are lighter runners who don't compress it enough as heavier runners do. I'm on board with where it's at right now and I've never felt a better cushion that's both supportive and responsive. I hope they don't make it softer for the Superblast 2's. The fit is conforming. I had the Novablast 2, and Nimbus 25 and one thing that I like about Asics is that the foot shape is more natural with a slightly wide forefoot so there's room for most foots. I would say if you are a true wide/2E and above, these will probably be tight in the midfoot/forefoot area however. For the run: I took these for my usual 10:30-11:00/mi eas”