HOKA Tecton X 3 – Our First Look at the Race-Winning Trail Running Shoe

After years on the feet of pros and helping Jim Walmsley to win two of ultra running’s biggest events, HOKA’s Tecton X 3 is available for the masses. So what’s it like?

A long standing course record was broken at the Leadville 100 trail race in Colorado this weekend. On a podcast, the men’s winner David Roche said the previous record from 2005 ‘may as well be from 1892’. In the sport of trail running, 19 years is ancient history.

Couple that with the absolute boom in road running ‘supershoes’ over the past decade, where brands have been pairing incredibly lightweight and springy foams with carbon plates for structure, and it seemed that trail running was also due for a shakeup.

Except it hadn’t really happened, until now.

Average trail runner’s car boot

Back in 2021 I reviewed The North Face Flight Vectiv, which was the first trail shoe to feature a carbon fibre plate. It was damn fast, but it was unstable, stiff, and ended up having durability issues. I wondered at the time if the technology could ever translate to the trails.

The HOKA Tecton X 3 is the third iteration of the Tecton range from HOKA and this time I reckon they’ve got it really right. It’s significantly different from the Tecton X2, being the first HOKA trail runner to feature the super light and bouncy PEBA foam that’s common in road racing shoes. They’ve also added winglets to the carbon fibre plates, more stack height (= more foam) and dat gaiter.

How to say ‘I mean business’ without saying it

They’ve also had some BIG wins. Jim Walmsely won two of the biggest ultramarathons in the world wearing a prototype version of this shoe. He took out UTMB, a 174km race around Mont Blanc in the Alps, and Western States, a 161km race in the US. It seems that carbon fibre trail runners are here to stay.

HOKA sent me a pair a few weeks ago and I’ve put 45km on them so far, including a very fast, technical, and well-timed 12km trail race. Here’s what I reckon of its features.

Do I choo choo choose the Tecton X 3s? | @heatoburrito

Quick Specifications:

Weight: 284g (Size 10)
Stack height: 40mm heel / 35mm toe
Heel to toe drop: 5mm
Lug depth:4mm
Recommended retail price: $380

Dual-layer PEBA Midsole

When I first chucked the HOKA Tecton X 3s on and ran down the footpath, I actually started giggling. It’s about 500m to my local trailhead and it’s often a firm, clompy affair in my trail runners. It was a breeze in these, it honestly felt like I was wearing road shoes, if not for the slight perception of the grippy lugs.

Once on the trail, I accidentally ran very fast. The Speed-centric MetaRocker™ pushes your foot forward but it’s not overly intense. You can still comfortably heel strike, which is great for sending it down steep sections and giving all 40mm of foam in the rear a workout.

40mm of foam is the maximum legal height for road running shoes | @heatoburrito

Patent-pending parallel carbon fibre plates with winglets for stability

The Tecton X 1 and 2 had parallel carbon plates, but the X 3 adds ‘winglets’ on the outside of each plate (you can actually see them on the sides of the shoe). Check out this diagram, you can see the plates’ position between the two layers of foam.

So far this has led to a shoe that’s wide and soft, yet doesn’t feel like it’s going to tip over like road racing shoes. If you’re fairly new to trail running though, you’ll probably want to look at something more stable. This shoe is definitely aimed at experienced trail runners and it’s taken a little bit of getting used to.

Vibram® Megagrip Litebase Outsole With Traction Lug

Ok maybe going with the website’s names for things was a mistake but we’re committed now. Vibram Megagrip is the gold standard for trail runners and the Litebase design helps keep the weight to 283g (34g heavier than the Tecton X 2 thanks to more foam, winglets, and the gaiter).

‘Traction Lug’ refers to the little lugs on the side of each lug. Yep, the lugs have lugs. And they actually work. Running fast over wet, mossy sandstone around Bobbin Head I slipped a few times and felt the shoe grind over the rock like sandpaper. Even when there’s not much traction to be had the 4mm lugs do their best to hold on.

4mm lugs are a sweet spot for speed and grip | @heatoburrito

I also found that the flexible midsole of the shoe helped it wrap around trail features, rather than simply sending my ankle to Hades. This took a few runs to really trust, so make sure you have some practice runs before you take them out for a race.

Gaiter-like Extended Knit Collar

Everyone’s just calling this a gaiter so I will too. Hot take: gaiters are awesome. I’ve used them in multiple races and always thought those S/LAB Salomons with built in ones were cool (no not these ones).

When you’re running fast or racing along trails, getting sand, sticks or stones in your shoe will definitely slow you down. This solution is far better than the aftermarket gaiters you can attach to your shoes that always ride up.

I’ve been using thin, crew socks that go up higher than the gaiter, sliding my foot in and using my fingers to flip the heel on. It’s definitely more fussy than a normal shoe, but you’re not about to go for a normal run if you’re wearing these, so I like the theatre of it all.

No sand and dirt in the shoes is a huge win | @heatoburrito

Other Features Explained

Sometimes outdoor brands, HOKA included, list their features with little-to-no explanation of what they mean, but I’ve got you.

‘Dynamic vamp for foot splay’ means that the vamp, which is the part of the shoe that covers the top of your foot, is a bit flexible. I have pretty narrow feet and had to lace the shoes fairly tight, but I wouldn’t call them wide.

‘Ghillie lace construction’. This was a doozy, essentially it refers to a style of lacing down to the toes used for Irish dancing. To which I say, kind of? They lace down further than some other trail runners in the closet, that’s true.

‘Matryx® textile upper’ refers to the super tough and light fabric used in the upper. I’ve never had Matryx fail in a trail runner before another part of the shoe. It’s good stuff.

Is the HOKA Tecton X 3 a game changer?

That’s the goal! I’m intrigued by the HOKA Tecton X 3. It feels like a game changer with its mix of speed, cushion, and stability, but the true proof of that will be in how long it lasts out there. At $380, HOKA have priced it the same as their Rocket X2 road shoe, which is expensive. But so is R&D, and so is helping Jim Walmsley live in France so he can finally win UTMB.

I’m going to try and put a few hundred kilometres on these trail runners, get some long runs under the belt, and come back with my final thoughts. Stay squishy.

Much more of this in the future please and thank you | @heatoburrito