Cielo X1 3.0 - Unisex

Hoka was founded in 2009 in Annecy, in the French Alps, by two former Salomon product men — Nicolas Mermoud and Jean-Luc Diard — who wanted a trail shoe with enough foam and enough rocker to run downhill faster than you should. Deckers acquired the brand in 2012; by 2024 Hoka was a $1.8B line run out of Goleta, California. The Meta-Rocker geometry and oversized foam midsole remain the through-line across every model.

Cielo X1 is the top of the Hoka line — dual-density PEBA, a forked carbon plate (two stacked plates on the original), the most aggressive Meta-Rocker the brand builds. 2.0 runs 46/39 mm at 208 g; 3.0 drops to 38/31 mm and 213 g with a sharper, more conventional racer profile. Elite is warranted here — this is where Hoka pitches a marathon PR. Cielo X1 3.0 — 38/31 mm, 213 g, lower-stack, sharper race profile. Marathon PR weapon.