Hoka Clifton 11 Review
The Hoka Clifton 11 is a neutral road running shoe designed for everyday miles. It offers a soft, cushioned ride and a rocker-shaped midsole that helps create a smooth transition through the stride, giving the runner a little assistance with forward momentum.
Now in its 11th year, the Hoka Clifton is one of the shoes that helped change the way running shoes are designed. After the barefoot running movement, when many runners moved into shoes with little or no midsole foam and a lot of ground feel, the Clifton offered something very different. Barefoot-style shoes require the feet, legs and body to absorb more shock and generate more propulsion. For some runners, the quick transition into this type of footwear led to aches, pains and, in some cases, injuries.
Hoka came along with shoes that used a soft midsole foam to reduce ground feel and a curved, rocker-shaped sole to help roll the foot through the stride. This gave runners a very different experience: more cushioning, more assistance and less demand on the foot and lower leg. The trade-off is that, over time, relying heavily on this type of shoe may do less to challenge and develop the strength of the foot and lower-leg muscles than running in a lower-profile, more flexible shoe. Many runners who had struggled with aches and pains found they could run more comfortably in Hokas, and this type of design has now become very popular. Most running shoe brands now offer shoes with soft midsole foams and a curved or rocker-shaped sole.
The Hoka Clifton has changed a lot during its 11-year life. This is partly to keep up with the competition and partly because Hoka now has a much larger range of running shoes, so the Clifton no longer has to be the do-it-all road shoe. The Clifton 11 is the shoe to pull out of the cupboard for easy running: the runs where pace is not the priority and the focus is simply time on your feet.
The soft midsole foam provides a comfortable underfoot feel, while the rocker shape helps the runner maintain posture and cadence. This can help stop the runner from becoming too heavy on their feet during easy or recovery runs. There is a balance here. In a shoe of this type, the cushioning and rocker help do some of the work for the runner. The feet are not being asked to spread, feel the ground and absorb impact in the same way they would in a lower-profile or more flexible shoe. However, we know from the barefoot running era that runners do not instantly develop stronger, more responsive feet or better running posture simply by removing soft cushioning from their shoes.
The rocker can also help encourage better posture by guiding the foot backwards through the stride and encouraging the hamstrings and glutes to contribute more during running. These are muscles that can become underused when people spend a lot of time sitting down. Before this type of running shoe became widely adopted, it was common to see runners relying heavily on their quads, leaning forwards from the waist and almost sitting down as they ran. This often made running feel harder and increased impact.
The Clifton 11 keeps many of the attributes of the original Clifton, but they are put together slightly differently to provide a more comfortable, cushioned ride for easy runs. That is now the main purpose of the shoe.
The biggest change in version 11 is the upper. The engineered mesh is now softer and more pliable, allowing it to pull in around the runner’s foot for a more personalised fit. There is also more width and volume in the upper. This does not make the Hoka Clifton 11 a wide-fitting running shoe. Hokas are still generally narrow fitting, so if you currently use a wide width in Hoka or another running brand, you will still need the wide fit in the Clifton 11.
What the extra volume does give the Clifton 11 is a more comfortable feel, which suits the purpose of the shoe: a soft, cushioned ride for easy and recovery runs. These are often the runs you do when your legs are recovering from a longer or faster session, so a soft underfoot feel and comfortable upper can help you get through the miles more easily.
The heel tab curves away from the Achilles to reduce the chance of rubbing. The inside of the heel cup is nicely padded, and this padding continues around the cuff of the shoe. The tongue is also well padded, with two tongue stays to help hold it in place and stop it slipping to one side while running. Once laced, the upper pulls in around the foot to give a snug fit at the heel and midfoot. The forefoot is noticeably roomier than the previous model. There is also an extra lace hole at the top, which can be used to make the heel fit more secure or to butterfly lace the shoe.
The stack height is the same as the previous version: 42mm in the heel and 34mm in the forefoot in the men’s shoe, and 38mm in the heel and 30mm in the forefoot in the women’s shoe. Earlier versions of the Clifton used to have a 4mm or 5mm heel-to-forefoot drop, but as the midsole foams became softer, Hoka increased the drop to 8mm. The idea is that the foam will compress during the life of the shoe, and the higher drop helps maintain a smooth-running gait.
The curved rocker shape makes you less aware of the heel-to-forefoot drop than you might be in other running shoes without a rocker. The curve also helps reduce the feeling of heel striking, so the extra height at the heel does not turn the Clifton into a shoe that encourages heavy heel contact. The only time I was aware of the heel-to-forefoot height was when running down very steep hills. In that situation, I found it hard to land midfoot. On more gradual descents and on the flat, the increased drop was not noticeable.
The midsole foam and density are supposed to be the same as the Hoka Clifton 10, but my experience was different. The Clifton 11 felt noticeably softer when standing in the shoe. Some of this may be due to the new, softer insole, but even after swapping the insoles between models, the Clifton 11 still felt softer and had more compression on impact than the previous version.
The midsole also feels more flexible at toe-off. I preferred this, as my feet felt slightly more involved in the stride and I could push off more easily. I also found it easier to run up steep hills because of the more flexible forefoot. The weight has remained almost the same, with a women’s UK5 weighing 236g and a men’s UK8 weighing 283g. Hoka shoes are similar in length to New Balance, Karhu, Inov-8 and La Sportiva. If you usually run in Brooks, Topo, Altra, 361 or Saucony, we would suggest trying half a UK size larger in Hoka. For example, a UK 11.5 in Hoka is similar in length to a UK 11 in Brooks.
In summary, the Hoka Clifton 11 is a softly cushioned neutral road running shoe designed for everyday miles. Version 11 offers a softer, more pliable upper and a little more width and volume in the forefoot. In our experience, the ride is slightly softer and more flexible than the previous version, while still providing the smooth, comfortable feel that the Clifton is known for.
Alternatives to Hoka Clifton 11
New Balance 880v15: The New Balance 880v15 has a similar high stack height but with a much firmer ride. This makes the 880 a more versatile shoe suitable for some faster running not just plodding through the recovery runs. The firmer midsole doesn’t have quite the same forgiving feel when the foot touches the floor, but it does feel a little smoother and livelier. The bit toe line is straighter, so you get a more positive push off. Which shoe is best depends on whether you prefer to run on pillows a feeling the Clifton 11 suppliers or you prefer more of an authentic feel. The New Balance 880v15 is available in three width men’s and two width women’s. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/new-balance-fresh-foam-x-880v15-review/
Mount to Coast C1: The Mount to Coast C1 has a dual layer midsole that gives the best of both worlds in that you get a soft initial feel to the cushioning but, the firmer under layer gives the shoes a more noticeable rocker and a positive feeling at push off. A broader more rounded toe box gives the feet more room to spread and function in the shoes. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/mount-to-coast-c1-review/
361 Meraki 7: A similar narrow fit and soft cushioning. The stack height is lower which gives the runner a bit more feel for the ground and takes away the running on cloud feel that the Clifton 11 provides. The straight big toe line allows for a positive push off. Available in two width men’s and women’s. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/361-meraki-7-review/
Saucony Ride 19: A similar narrow fitting shoe with more feel for the ground and a less noticeable rocker. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/saucony-ride-19-review/
Altra Experience Flow 3: A broad rounded toe box allows the feet the space to spread and function inside the shoes. A 4mm heel to forefoot drop and slight rocker don’t take away from the natural feel of the ride. The midsole is similarly soft but, not as deep so there is more feel for the ground. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/altra-experience-flow-3-review/
Inov-8 RoadFly Max: A broad rounded toe box gives the feet the space to spread and function inside the shoes. The midsole is initially firm but, does get softer to a point. More of a nimble running feel than a riding the shoe feel which is very different to a softly cushioned shoe with a rocker like the Hoka Clifton 11. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/inov-8-roadfly-max-review/
Topo Phantom 4: A broad rounded toe box with a bouncy midsole. The space in the toe box allows the feet to spread and function inside the shoes. There is no rocker so there is more of a natural feel to the ride. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/topo-athletic-phantom-4-review/
Brooks Ghost Max 4: A very similar design to the Hoka Clifton 11. The difference is in the midsole. The Brooks Ghost Max 4 has a nitrogen infused midsole that has a high level of rebound. This gives the cushioning a firmer initial feel but more bounce that feels very plush and smooth once your moving. Available in two width men’s and women’s. Coming soon. Subscribe at bottom of page.
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