Hokas Rapa Nui 2 Tarmac Review

I AM INVISIBLE

I am hooked on Hokas. I have been running in Hoka trail shoes for a couple of years now. It used to be that my work schedule allowed me to run trails in the afternoons. Work-life is different, now. Getting those weekday miles is a challenge as I try to balance my running with family time. In order to make my running invisible, I need to run during my one hour lunch break. When I saw that Hoka put out a paired down performance road shoe, I got super excited! These Hokas are stowed away in my filing cabinet – filed under “Awesome!”

INITIAL THOUGHTS

The word “minimal” and “Hoka” seems like such a paradox, one would think it impossible to combine the two in the same sentence, but that is what Hoka did with Rapa Nui Tarmac. Being so conditioned to beefiness of Hokas I was really surprised how narrow and light the shoes are.

Hoka Stinson Evo (left) & Hoka Rapa Nui Tarmac (right) — Hoka Stinson Evo (left) & Hoka Rapa Nui Road Tarmac (right)

FIT

These might be too narrow for some, so go try on a pair if you possibly can. You can definitely tell these shoes are meant for high performance (racing) – from a 5k to an ultra distance. Personally, a 50k is the longest distance I would want to go.

In my first couple of runs I was anticipating the “running on clouds” feeling I normally get from Hokas. I can’t say that this was the case for me. The “boing!” just wasn’t there. But this is a racing shoe, it isn’t going to have the same feeling.

It wasn’t until I changed my stride did I really feel the cushioning. I opened up my stride, extending my leg and landing close to a heel strike – I had a softer landing and was able to get some momentum going. My running gait became more efficient and easier. I had switched from a mid foot strike to a near heel strike and noticed a big difference.

The back of my heel feels a tad loose, but nothing severe. The toe box feels roomy with enough space for my feet to swell. Again, these Hokas a really light – much appreciated when putting in a lot of miles. They are more stiff than I would like and took some getting use to.

BUILD

The sole is IMEVA – good cushioning with a meta-rocker and gives you that nice foot roll through your gait. 5mm drop. Uppers are lightweight breathable mesh with super thin tongue.

After a few weeks of running, no injuries to report, no hot-spots or “where the heck abrasion come from?!”

VERDICT

I like having Hoka cushioning, heel-to-toe rocking gait and light weight upper. All of these components make for a fast, fun shoe. I have a tendency to get injuries when wearing a shoe with an extremely lightweight upper and minimal cushioning. Having the extra cushioning reduces leg fatigue, aches and injuries. I am curious to try out the trail version. I would avoid running in mud – the soles are wide and flat, getting traction will be difficult. Taking these out on the trail would be okay, but again, be careful with the lack of traction. Rapa Nui comes in at $130 – less than some of it’s bigger brothers.

~Scotty

7 Responses to "Hokas Rapa Nui 2 Tarmac Review"

Mic says:

February 20, 2014 at 7:16 am

I was pretty disappointed in these. They just didn’t fit a “category” for me. They’re heavy (lighter than most Hokas but heavier than most trainers), so at that weight I expected them to be pretty “cloud-like”. As you noted, they weren’t. So then they should be pretty “fast” then right? Well, no, cause they’re heavy and bulky. So I didn’t want to use them as a trainer because they weren’t soft enough (for a Hoka) but they weren’t light enough to do workouts or races in. I just couldn’t figure out where to use them. I am looking forward to some of the newer, much lighter options on the way though.

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Bill B says:

February 20, 2014 at 2:14 pm

I have only run in these 4 times so withholding final opinion. Thought I would say I was very surprised by the firmness/rigidity of the cushioning. It would be a turn off for some I think. I knew there would be less cushioning than prior Hokas, but its not just less, its a very different kind of material. The shoe seems well made just hoping that firm material will in fact give me some benefit pounding pavement over a traditional shoe. They actually weigh pretty much the same as a Bondi B but have nothing like the soft feel of that shoe. Presumably they are a little quicker due to the smaller footprint and firm foam. I don’t think most people would put them on and feel like they are a great road race shoe. But then the first time I saw Hoka’s in person years ago they were on a sponsored runner who then won a local street 5k wearing a pair of Mafate’s. You never know. Have used Bondi’s, Stinson Evo trail, and Mafate’s and enjoyed them all. Not sure where Hoka is going with more less Hoka like shoes in the future, Huaka and Clifton.

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Roger Hanney says:

March 2, 2014 at 4:43 pm

Hi, it’s Roger from Hoka OneOne in Australia. Just a couple of interesting bits of info about the Rapa Nui/Kailua that I thought you might appreciate.
1. The injection molded EVA in these models is firmer and higher rebound than the Stinson/Bondi EVA which is compression molded. Compression molding is the only way to really achieve the softness of the other midsoles. IMEVA also softens up over time, rather than offering the immediately pleasing box fresh squish of CMEVA.
2. Still working out a little bit where these sit ourselves but noticing that a number of runners who have been using more traditional running shoes are finding these to be their Hokas of choice whereas, like a couple of commenters are saying here, for the established Hoka user they do feel firm.
3. The Rapa Nui & Kailua Trail aren’t getting the same sitting on the fence response and I think it’s simply because most trail running is softer surface. For me, I love my Rapa Trails on almost all terrain, and apart from the aggressive grip I think it’s because firm midsole on soft surface still feels very juicy.
4. And this is the kicker, like the reviewer I prefer more boing in my hard surface running. I’m probably using the Rapa T up to about half marathon right now and going Bondi from there if my legs are starting out tired or Stinson Tarmac up to 50km before gong to Bondi. BUT a friend from Victoria amazed me in her use of the Kailua Tarmacs (same midsole, different upper) doing 215km in a 24-hour in New Zealand late last year. I would not have picked them for that kind of running, but it seems their best usage for each runner is very individual, and I think for the well conditioned runner who’s not carrying much weight, they’re really worth looking at.

By putting a soft EVA cradle along the foot inside the outer R-MAT midsole, I think the Conquest is looking to provide high rebound but maintain that same feel of cush underfoot that Hoka is known for but which some longer term Hoka users really felt was missing in the Rapa T.

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Andy Hewat says:

March 3, 2014 at 5:55 am

I haven’t tried the Rapa Tarmac but I have the Trail version. I love the scaled down features on technical trail and the enhanced grip. I am disappointed that they run so narrow meaning I switch back to my Stinson Evo Trails for longer stuff. A slightly wider version would make an awesome trail ultra shoe for really technical trails with capacity to still soak up firetrails. Looking forward to seeing what comes out this year.

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Peter Ney says:

April 20, 2014 at 4:57 pm

Hey Guys,
Well, kudos to Roger for mentioning some upsides and downsides and the things you’re working on..You guys have great customer service. Well, had the Stintson Trail shoe and raced in Arizona on the Xterra series and the lugs peeled off. The kind reps at Hoka said to give the Rapa Nui 2 trail a try and sent them ASAP. Well, they have officially been shelved unless I do a night run on a real rugged trail. Blisters galore, it’s got more of a low stack feel, but everything seems to feel very plastic-like, not sure that’s a word. But, the Stintsons gave me the feeling like I was lacing up high tops and my foot always moved around in the forefoot and mid foot. Blisters. The Rapa Nui 2s are a bit more form fitting, but still don’t have that responsive trail feel I like. I’m still floating around the shoe and I can never get them tight enough, even with the extra laces. I’m back with Pearle Izumi and train on the N2 and race on the N1. Just responsive shoes that I’m not sliding around in. I will pull out the Hokas for the those night runs when I just don’t know what the heck is around the corner, but that’s about it. I love the feel of the Soloman Ultras on the heel cup and never slide around in those either. I love ya Hoka, but we got to lower that stack and get more of a sock like feel inside. I’m done trying new socks and band aides to accommodate the slippage. Once again, I commend you guys for adapting, but, let’s lower that stack and make it awesome! Also, why did the reviewer state that he adapted to more of a heel strike for the shoe? When I wear my Hokas, I give it the one second rule. When my foot hits the turf, it’s off the ground on a one count with no heel strike.
Keep going Hoka…my friends love your shoes, but some are done with the blister slippage problem as am I. (I’m pulling for ya, great concept!)
Peter Ney

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bill says:

November 10, 2014 at 1:19 pm

i have stinsons, mafates and rapa nui’s.
stinson’s and rapa’s are tarmac.
i race in zoots.
i train in hokas.
my favorite training run is a rapa nui on a composite track or a treadmill.
stinsons are OK on concrete but too soft on composite track or treadmill , and do not fit me as well as rapa nuis. stinsons are great going downhill.
mafates are too wide for me.
i have some conquests coming. got my fingers crossed, cause the rapa nuis are less money
and work just fine.
i love trying new stuff.

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John says:

December 26, 2014 at 5:19 pm

I just got a pair for Christmas after a lot of research. I was a little apprehensive to try these but after I left the store I knew these were right for me. They are the squishes shoe I’ve ever tried and I love them (previously wore brooks pure flow). I ran a 5 miler this morning and wished I could have kept going as they felt great. There was very little affects of fatigue.
I use inserts and they felt like a glove with plenty of room for my toes. Im glad I got these instead of the cliftons as they seemed a little too squishy for me. You can’t beat the price either. Great model to entice non-hoka runners over to the hoka life. Maybe when Im training for a 50k I’ll get more cushion offered in other models. They are not fast/responsive like my brooks but I’m not running to be seeded either.

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