Hoka launches off-road racing shoes with two parallel carbon fiber plate

August 15, 2024

Running shoes use carbon fiber sheet due to their propulsion and energy providing characteristics. But the carbon plates that enable runners to move forward quickly are difficult to cope with the constantly changing terrain beneath their feet. Hoka has adopted a parallel carbon fiber board solution in the Tecton X off-road racing shoes of the brand, aiming to provide the propulsion advantage of carbon fiber, but has been updated to improve the agility of runners on uneven tracks.

Gretchen Weimer, Vice President of Product at Hoka, said, "When you add carbon fiber boards to your shoes, you get a lot of push effects that help improve speed, but the rigidity of typical boards can also pose potential challenges. Hoka developed a dual plate design in Tecton X, which maintains the propulsion advantage of carbon plates while not affecting the dynamic lateral movement required for effective and safe testing

Hoka said that the industry's first parallel carbon fiber board design provided two carbon fiber plates that run parallel up and down the length of the shoe, working independently of each other. Weimer said, "This allows runners to dynamically interact with the uneven terrain on the track, move laterally, and easily adapt to changes.