For over a decade, the Clifton has been HOKA’s dependable workhorse. Since first appearing back in 2014, it’s become one of those rare running shoes that manages to please everyone from first-time 5K plodders to marathon obsessives, largely by sticking to a simple formula: plenty of cushioning, not much weight and a ride that keeps your legs feeling fresher for longer. Rather than reinventing the wheel every year, HOKA has quietly refined it, turning the Clifton into one of modern running’s genuine success stories.
Now comes the next chapter. Landing on 9th July, the new Clifton PRO takes that familiar DNA and gives it a noticeable kick up the bum. It’s a leaner, more purposeful take on the Clifton, aimed at more proper runners who don’t just want to clock up miles but actually get faster while they’re at it. HOKA describes it as its most dynamic Clifton yet, and on paper it’s certainly got the credentials to back that up.
The headline addition from a tech point of view is the debut of PROGLIDE+, which we’re told is HOKA’s new performance platform that pairs resilient SCF foam with a more aggressive MetaRocker™ profile. I wish I knew what that meant. Sounds great though doesn’t it?
Apparently, it’s designed to soften the landing while helping roll you forward with as little wasted effort as possible. The updated geometry, streamlined shape and podular outsole all work together to make transitions feel smoother and turnover quicker, giving the shoe a more propulsive feel without sacrificing the comfort that made the Clifton such a hit in the first place. What that means is if you bag yourself a pair of these and just use them to walk to the train station in, you’re wasting all of that engineering expertise that went into them. So don’t do that. Have a bit of a jog or something. That’s what they’re for.
Elsewhere, it’s everything you’d expect from a shoe destined for plenty of punishment. There’s a breathable engineered mesh upper, a plush comfort collar, reflective detailing for those inevitably gloomy early-morning or late-evening sessions, and a Durabrasion rubber outsole that’s built to survive a serious amount of training. It’s hard to know if any of these things offer marginal gains without trying them out, but my word, they sound good don’t they? It’s a package aimed squarely at high-mileage runners who want something reliable and pretty suave at the same time.
The Clifton PRO also arrives alongside HOKA’s new Run It Again campaign, celebrating the gloriously repetitive reality of becoming a better runner. I appreciate if you’re reading this as a non-runner it’s probably irrelevant, however if you’re a non-runner and you’ve read this far, maybe it’s time you looked at yourself and how you spend your time. Maybe you could spend it better. Maybe running? I dunno. Yes, I’m talking about myself, here.
If the original Clifton became the shoe that became synonymous with daily use for runners, the Clifton PRO is about making that daily use count for a bit more. It’s sportswear at the end of the day and as such, it’s about pushing things a bit harder every time you lace them up.
More on the Clifton PRO here
