I'd been running 40 years by the time I got my first Hoka Mach shoe. I run a different routine each day, whatever I feel like. So, at the time I bought my first Hoka Mach shoe, I wanted to work on my sprints at the end of my runs, ran mostly dirt/gravel roads, and wasn't so worried about comfort on concrete. I had been told the other varities, like Bondi, Clifton aren't as good at sprints. The Hoka was comfortable, was lighter than prior shoes, and was designed to give push off, but still support at the toes for things like turns.
I decided to run 3 miles my first time out. At the end of my run, it felt like I hadn't even run at all. That's how great these shoes felt. From then on, I would work on my sprints at the end of my runs, and these Hoka Mach 5's have been perfect, and a great value. They are also breathable. They are also amazing on gravel roads, and my feet didn't feel all the rocks like they would with other running shoes. At the same time, they had enough grip to do a decent job on dusty roads, or wet roads. Not only is the shoe extremely durable, the shoe and tread held up for an extremely long time. Hoka built the Mach 5 like a "runner," not just a shoe designer, and I couldn't be happier. In fact, I bought 2 at the same time!
The one thing I'd change about them is for Hoka to put in breathable Gore-tex like they do some of their other running shoes. Lot of rain, snow & ice where I live--so temps can drop in the middle of your run, making wet feet close to getting frostbite.
Otherwise, I'm glad I found the Hoka Mach series. Thanks, HOKA!
I may try to Hoka Mach X next.