Hoka One One just launched their new Carbon X 2, a “lightweight and propulsive shoe designed to help all athletes break their own records.” And breaking records they will do, or at least attempt to do, with “Hoka’s Project Carbon X 2,” where Hoka One One looks to help some well-renowned runners break the world record for 100K in the United States and Japan on January 23.
The big-name distance runners who aim to break the 100K record on the Carbon X 2 are Americans Jim Walmsley and Camille Herron, Elov Olsson and Caitriona Jennings for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, along with Japanese runners Aiko Kanematsu and Yoshiki Kawauchi.
While these top athletes take the lead, nearly 40 others will take part in the challenge in Tokyo, Japan (07:00 am Japanese Standard Time) and Phoenix, Arizona (07:00 am MST) on January 23.
The men’s 100K world record that the athletes hope to beat was set by Japan’s Nao Kazami in 2018 – his time was 6:09:14 hours. For the women Japan’s Tomoe Abe holds the record of 6:33:11 which she set in 2000.
The shoe: “A harmonious blend of soft protection and an energetic response”
The new Carbon X 2 shoe features a carbon fiber plate in the midsole and is the successor of the original Carbon X shoe that was launched in May 2018. The shoe weighs only 0.23 kg and has a 5-mm heel-to-toe drop.
“The Carbon X franchise brings the technology of carbon fiber plates, which are designed to provide a smooth and propulsive ride through the gait cycle for an efficient stride over many miles, in an inherently stable and supportive package capable of withstanding training miles in addition to races”, says Hoka One One. The Carbon X 2 contains some of Hoka’s softest, lightest foams to date, and is “designed to provide a harmonious blend of soft protection and energetic response.”
