Kona 2018 Running Shoe Count: Hoka Reigns Again

A look at the running shoes the world’s best triathletes are wearing.

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Running shoe industry expert David Jewell of Runningshoeinsight.com stood out on the Ironman World Championship run course for the eighth year in a row to collect data on which running shoes the world’s best triathletes are wearing. For the first time ever, he counted the shoes during the final, more-spread-out mile of the marathon instead of the first to ensure a higher level of accuracy. After dethroning Asics in 2017, Hoka One One once again prevailed as the most-worn brand—capturing the feet of 17.7% of the athletes. A big mover was Nike in second place, going from 5.7% in 2017 to 14.9% in 2018.

Brand 2018 2017
Hoka One One 17.7% 18.1%
Nike 14.9% 5.7%
Asics 11.9% 12.4%
Saucony 11.2% 12.6%
On Running 7.9% 6.9%
New Balance 7.0% 8.0%
Adidas 7.4% 7.3%
Brooks 6.3% 8.5%
Newton 3.9% 5.4%
Skechers 2.3% 3.7%
Altra 2.0% 2.0%

Other brands that show up: Salming, Zoot, Salomon, Topo, Reebok, Fila, Vibram, Kalinji, 361, Do Win, Puma, and others.

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Immediately after finishing 24th place at his final Ironman World Championships, the Olympic medalist (and three-time IMWC winner) explains what his race in Nice meant to him.

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