The Hoka Torrent was always the odd one out.
For years it was the shoe Hoka made for people who didn't really want a Hoka. Low to the ground, light, close enough to the trail that you could feel it. In a catalogue built on slabs of foam, the Torrent was the one model that didn't subscribe to the more-is-more idea the brand spent fifteen years selling.
This month Hoka released the Torrent 5. The midsole grew 5mm across the board. The heel now sits at 38mm, up from 33. It's the thickest Torrent ever made, and the reviews are calling that the biggest update in the shoe's history. They mean it as praise.
So the last holdout fell.
I'll be fair, because the shoe deserves it. The Torrent 5 is lighter than the model it replaces, 8.1 ounces against 9.8, which is a real achievement when you've just added foam. It's still $130 while half the trail market has drifted north of $180. By the standards of the modern shoe wall it's a sensible, well-priced trainer, and plenty of runners will love it.
But watch what's actually happening. The lowest-slung option in a major brand's range has quietly fattened up, and there's no longer a Hoka you can buy that keeps you close to the ground. If you want to feel the trail under a big name, your shortlist shrinks again. The Torrent used to be a way into trail running that didn't ask you to perch on a platform the height of a kerb. Now it asks.
The barefoot brands will tell you this is the whole reason they exist, and this time the sales pitch happens to be right. When the mainstream keeps drifting one way, someone has to hold the other end.
Mourn the old Torrent if you logged miles in it. Then go find your size in something that still makes your feet do the work.
What was your gateway trail shoe?
Run light,
Lachlan