Customer Reviews Hoka Clayton 2

Great light weight trainer for road training or racing

I run about 40 to 50 miles a week and have a medium to large build at 6 foot/180 lbs. I rotate the Claytons with Tracers about every other day. I ran on the first version of the Claytons and had a rough time breaking them in and overcoming a blister on my right insole arch. The Clayton 2s solved that problem...right out of the box I ran a 10 miler without getting any blisters. The shoe is true to size, responsive, and has a stable plant. Bottom line, Hoka made the exact right improvements without breaking the concept. Well done!

I use it at work after I blacked out the sole

I had to return the Clayton 1 because of the high arch. I literally could not walk for a month after running in those with flat feet. I reluctantly bought the 2s after the customer service guy told me the problem was fixed. He did not lie!! They are awesome lightweight running shoes. For me I use them on shorter runs and for HIT training on the treadmill. I am 190lbs so I still use either Bondi or conquest on my longer runs. And the best part....no pain at all. Highly recommend now.

Love these shoes, I wear them almost everyday. Although I like all of my other hokas.. gaviota, tech, ora.. My Clayton 2's are on my feet almost every day. They support my forefoot only walking and running style so well that I prefer to run in these over barefoot given similar soft running conditions!

Comfort and stability when jogging make these shoes ideal

The C2 is a good improvement for those of us who found the C1 to have a tight forefoot and toebox. The wider platform is welcomed and makes this a prefect lightweight trainer and racer for me.

Loved my Clayton 1's and these are every bit as good and then some. I couldn't be happier with these.

Huge improvement from the Clayton 1. No blisters this time. The shoe is light, responsive and has a generous toe box, although, as with all Hoka`s, I always go a half number higher. Perfect for tempo runs and/or the half marathon. For me, the Clifton 1 was almost perfect, although it had a narrow toe box. The Clayton 2 will be my new favorite Hoka shoe.

Wow. Great fit. Roomy toebox. Responsive. Well cushioned but not too sqwishy. Stable and wears well. Not one complaint.

I've spent several years hating (while still running in) Hoka for what they did to the Clifton. I just bought my first pair of Clayton 2s today from my local TC Running Co. and I'm happy to say this is as "right" as they've gotten it since Clifton 1. It might even be better because this shoe is more responsive and faster than Clifton. It's also LIGHT! Finally! One of the best features of Clifton 1 was how light it was and the amount of cushioning they were able to squeeze into it. Although Clayton 2 is not cushioned *quite* as much it's still pretty plush. I wanted to love Clayton 1 but that arch was just trash. They really got it right here. Well done Hoka. Please don't ruin this shoe by trying to make it better. Keep it light, fast, and plush. Love it.

I've run exclusively in these since making a purchase on the first day of release, so I've put about 50 miles in them, including a half-marathon race where I ran my PR. No blister issues at all for me for Clayton 2, but I never tried the Clayton 1 for that reason. At 6'3" 200 I'm probably at the outer limit of the ideal customer for a shoe with less cushioning than the Conquest and Vanquish, which started me on Hokas. As I got more interested in racing, the Huakas became my favorite shoe before I finally destroyed them after 700 miles. These Clayton 2s feel like the Huakas in that I sense most of the cushioning around the midsole area. As someone who is trying to land on the midfoot as much as possible, this is perfect. The harder forefoot sole produces the best toe-off I've ever experienced, making this a very fast shoe for race day. But the shoe also feels more stable than the Huaka, which occasionally caused my feet to roll a little; I wonder whether the Clayton is wider? The complete lack of a heel counter (it's a very flexible heel cup) threw me off at first, but I seem to be doing fine without it. The ridges in the sole can collect pebbles but it hasn't affected my performance. All good so far.

I love these shoes. I never wore the original Claytons so I don't have that comparison. The shoes are very light and provide a ton of cushion, yet have a good amount of road feel. I'm 4 runs into these shoes 3-5 miles per run. I wore the Clifton 3's last year for about 300 including a marathon, and I prefer the Clayton 2's much more. I did end up going with a 1/2 size smaller than in other running shoes.

A improvement from the Clayton 1, a bit more toe box room and the arch issue is fixed. I am old guy so no speed anymore, but the shoe feels fast and light. Maybe the best Hoka road shoe to date.

These are my favorite shoes ever. I'm 5'5" and130lbs, I run marathons and long course triathlons. Clayton 2's are light and supportive for a mid foot striker. They have a plush ride at a slower pace and seem to firm up at my tempo pace. Version 2 is wider than version 1 in the toe box and mid foot and both the tongue and heel cup are vastly improved. The overall fit of the upper seems more form fitting and supportive compared to version 1. These are my daily trainers and marathon race shoes. I can't give 5 stars since 1 pair out of 3 had loose material inside the toe box that caused blisters, the other two pairs were perfectly smooth even after 200+miles. Hoka exchanged them without question.

Soles already squeaking

Overall great shoe. Perfect transition from speed instincts for trails. Only complaint is these gave my wife and me, both, bad arch blisters on our first 4 mile run. It has seemingly gotten somewhat better now that there are 4-5 runs on them. Perhaps these just need a longer break in period.

Very stable platform for a light weight shoe. Not gooey cushioning like some other Hokas. Uppers seem a bit harsh and not much ventilation. Just right on the heel cup with minimal padding. But, like other buyers have said, you have to trim the insole. Bend the shoe and run your hand down the inner edge of the shoe, the insole folds over and runs up the side of uppers, hence the blisters. Figured this out pretty quick after a tempo 6 with wicked blisters. It you trim, the insole will fit down in the shoe and blisters be gone. Thank god..C'mon Hoka, fix this, the rep said v2 would not give blisters...they will if you don't do a little doctoring. Otherwise, great stable, light responsive shoe.

I use the Clayton for anything from a 5K to marathon. Comfortable, good cushioning. The only downside to the update is added weight. They should be finding ways to reduce weight with the same or improved performance, not add weight.

I started running in Hoka's several years ago and by far my favorite shoe was the first version of the Clifton's. I thoroughly enjoyed them but unfortunately due to design changes I can no longer run in them. I recently purchased the Clayton 2 and was excited to give them a try. On my maiden run at roughly mile 3 I began to experience a severe burning sensation on the inside edge of my right foot almost where my arch ends and the ball of my foot begins. Needless to say I cut my run short and headed back. Once back, I took my shoes and socks off and discovered I had developed a pretty nasty blister. I examined the inside of the shoe and noticed that the insole was wider than the sole itself and actually rolled up the interior wall of the upper. I removed the insole and trimmed some of the material away so the insole would lay flat along the bottom of the shoe. The following day I attempted another run and was thrilled to find that my minor experiment solved the problem and I was blister and pain free. I have since read other reviews where people have commented on having the same blistering problems on the same areas of their feet so I hope my solution can help others.

After 100 miles, these are my tots. Some arch blister problems initially but were solved by changing the hoka sock-liner with my slightly thicker everun. Shoe felt firmer compared to my Clifton 3 but was fast and light. Some ground feel made running in this shoe a more pleasant experience than the Clifton. Trouble was the area which the tongue attaches to the shoe. There was material sticking out and rubbing against the top of my feet causing bad blisters. I tried to trim off the excess material but couldn't totally remove the rough edges. Still get some rubbing but bearable. Maybe it's just my shoe that has this problem but never expected such dubious QC from HOKA. So guys , check your shoe properly before bringing it home.

Love this shoe. Front of arch rubs on insole but it's easily trimmed with some scissors and fits perfectly afterwards. It seems like the insole is just a hair too wide.

I love the looks. I love the fit. I'm just really disappointed in the feel of the cushioning. Its not as soft and forgiving as the original Claytons (which i have had two pair). On the positive, i'm sure these will last longer than the original Claytons. But the feel was better in the originals.