Hoka Mach 6 – tried, tested and reviewed
Weight: 286g (men’s), 223g (women’s)
Stack height: 40mm/35mm (men’s), 39mm/34mm (women’s)
Heel-to-toe drop: 5mm
Type: Trail
The shoe
Gone are the days of cumbersome trail shoes with sluggish lugs and burdensome bulk. Now, we have high-performance trail shoes, fine-tuned to deliver speed on even the trickiest terrain, with carbon fibre plates and lightweight, responsive midsole foams encouraging faster paces and more nimbleness off-road.
These include the peppy shoes in Hoka’s Tecton range, which balance many of the fast, flashy facets you’d find in a road racing shoe with a friendly trail look. The latest offering in this family is the Tecton X 3 – an upgrade on its predecessor with a revised carbon plate design, altered lug positioning, an improved PEBA midsole compound, an additional gaiter-like knit collar and more.
Worked on and worn by champions
Before we break into the details, here’s a little bit of background on the Tecton X 3.
While the Tecton X 2 is, commercially speaking, the immediate predecessor to this shoe, there is in existence a Tecton X 2.5 – a prototype born out of a partnership between Hoka and one of its athletes, US ultramarathon legend Jim Walmsley, who tested and suggested many of the design features before lacing up in it at the 2022 UTMB World Series Final (UTMB), where he finished fourth. Roll on to the 2024 UTMB, though, and the prototype Tecton X 2.5 was doing even better and winning the race. The wearer? Vincent Bouillard, an amateur ultrarunner and full-time Hoka engineer who even helped to design the very shoe on his feet.
Back to the 2022 UTMB, though, and Hoka had concluded that the Tecton X 2.5 was good but not quite there. So, 3,300 miles, 157 samples and 21 test versions later, Hoka and Walmsley settled upon the final Tecton X 3 – the shoe that Walmsley wore in 2023 to win the UTMB in a course record time, and which is available to us all now.
‘Despite having 10,000m of elevation, the UTMB has got a lot of flat sections – and it takes quite a versatile shoe to be able to tackle it,’ said Walmsley ahead of the 2024 UTMB, reflecting on his ‘very intimate relationship’ with the Tecton X 3. ‘It [the Tecton X 3] shines on the technical sections and it shines on the fast sections. It has the grip. And then, with the gaiter, it’s going to take care of your foot for the whole race.
‘It’s probably the most technical product that I’ve been involved with on the trail scene,’ continued Walmsley, who believes that the Tecton X 3 does exactly what it says on the tin. ‘It’s a true trail running shoe – not so much your go-and-do-something-else shoe. The shoe feels best with a pair of trail-length running shorts and a bit of hiking on the side.’
While I didn’t test the Tecton X 3 in the UTMB itself (that’s quite an ask), I did take it for several spins on the mountain trails and riverside tracks around Chamonix – the alpine hub of the fabled foot race. Here are my views on this shoe.
What’s new about the Tecton X 3?
Let’s start from the ground up. The Tecton X 3 carries a Vibram Megagrip Litebase outsole with 4mm lugs, which have adopted a new shape and position to ensure better traction – and peace of mind – on the trails. When coupled with the low-profile cushion bed, you’ve found yourself a trail shoe that allows you to know and feel the ground beneath you, but not at the expense of some much-needed cushioning.
Talking of cushioning, the Tecton X 3 – like the X 2 – features a dual-layer PEBA midsole, only now the foam is a firmer compound that leads to a noticeably snappier and more responsive push-off. As with its predecessor, the Tecton X 3 also benefits from two parallel carbon fibre plates, the difference this time being the added winglets for greater stability. This is a real plus when you’re trying to move rapidly on uneven terrain.
Move up the shoe and you’ll find the most visibly noticeable change: the new gaiter-like knit collar, which extends up the ankle and replaces the Tecton X 2’s more conventional tongue. While some may not see this as an aesthetic upgrade, I at least see it as a real improvement when it comes to comfort and therefore performance. The gusseted tongue of the Tecton X 2 did a fine job of deterring trail debris, but the Tecton X 3’s quasi-gaiter can’t be beaten in that regard. Tiny twigs? Small stones? Unidentifiable grit that flies into your shoes, causes havoc against your toes and then consumes your thoughts until you eventually relent, stop and shake it out? Be gone! With the Tecton X 3, those annoying little ‘bits’ won’t be an issue for your feet while you run.
What’s more, while the new gaiter-style collar does add material bulk to the shoe and may feel unusual against the ankle at the start (more on that in a moment), the Tecton X 3 is actually a few grams lighter than the Tecton X 2. And, as we know, even a marginal weight reduction could mean a lot over multiple miles – especially in the context of a trail ultramarathon.
How does the Tecton X 3 fit?
The Tecton X 3, like most Hoka shoes, has a slender fit without being a squeeze, which makes it good choice for those with narrow (like myself) or regular-sized feet. If you have a wider foot, you may find it a little restrictive around the midfoot (especially since the shoe isn’t available in a wide option), although it isn’t as slim as some of Hoka’s other offerings, like the roadworthy Mach 6. Plus, the Tecton X 3’s toe box is still roomy enough to allow your toes to breathe, enlarge and reset in line with your movements on the trails.
The lace system is robust and keeps the foot locked in comfortably, without any pulls or distortion to the upper. In fact, the Matryx textile upper is, itself, a light but tough material that has been carried over from the Tecton X 2, and which is nicely pliant. The gaiter-like collar is also soft to the touch – acting much like a crew running sock – and isn’t as stuffy around the ankles as you might imagine it to be. I tested these shoes in the heat of the European summer, with temperatures hovering not far below 30°C, and found the shoe to be surprisingly breathable even on those hot days. The large material loop at the front of the gaiter also helps you to pull it on with ease.
What’s it like to run in the Tecton X 3?
While the Tecton X 3 may not look like a race shoe, you’ll know that it is one once you start running in it. Thanks to Hoka’s MetaRocker technology, the shoe provides plenty of propulsion on toe-off, resulting in some much-appreciated zip and a relatively quick cadence on the trails. While running and hiking in them up high on rocky mountain paths, I still felt refreshingly buoyant and reasonably fast, but stable enough to know that I could maintain a sure footing. Since I was moving at altitude – and therefore automatically impaired in my breathing – I was especially grateful for the lightness and comfort of this shoe, which also does very well to dampen the impact of sharp or rough terrain underfoot.
One thing to note is the gaiter-like collar. Unless you’re used to running with gaiters in sandy, snowy, soggy or other such environments, this feature of the Tecton X 3 may feel unusual at the start. I for one found it strange to run with initially – almost as if my foot was too closed in. However, it took only a handful of kilometres for me to get used to the new sensation and forget that the collar was there. And that’s a good thing, because if you forget that you’re even wearing a pair of running shoes, it means that they’re not causing you any bother. Instead, they’re working with you.
RW verdict
If you want to approach trail running with a bit more oomph and perhaps have an off-road race or trail running holiday on the horizon, Hoka’s Tecton X 3 should be high up on your list of shoe options. The parallel carbon plates and snappy midsole foam help you to stay light and quick on your feet, while the traction lugs and strong rubber outsole offer stability and comfort for many miles on testing terrain. Aesthetically, the shoe may not be the sexiest on the market, but you’ll likely be grateful for the gaiter-like collar and durable upper material when you find that it keeps your feet dry and debris-free, and surprisingly fresh-feeling.
And, if the Tecton X 3 and its prototype, the Tecton X 2.5, have together won two editions of the UTMB, then it’s certainly not a shoe to sniff at.
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