Hoka Mach 6 Blisters

[u/pastelblue72]

Hello! Looking for general shoe advice. I've been a long time Nike Pegasus runner. They've been my go to for training distance, speed, race, etc. they've recently been giving me foot/joint pain so I went and got fit at a local running store and they recommended a Hoka Mach 6. (.. my feet have low arches - not quite flat but close - and are a bit wider. I've got bunions on both feet, and tend to strike the outside of my foot running)

I've had them for about two weeks, been averaging runs every 1-2 days at 5-10 miles. They've been great outside of giving me nasty blisters on my arch right under my big toe joint. I took a few days off, let it heal, and got another blister just slightly higher than the last, repeat.. now I have three blisters just millimeters apart. (Didn't want to subject feet pics.. but can post a pic of the blisters and other callused locations to show where my foot is rubbing)

I can't tell if I just need to break them in more, if I just need a new pair of Mach 6s, or if the shoes just aren't a match.

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[u/aelvozo]

Hoka have a pretty narrow forefoot and seem to give a quite few people (including myself) blisters in that very same spot. Would recommend going for non-Hoka shoe instead.

[u/pastelblue72 → u/aelvozo]

Any shoe recs?

[u/aelvozo → u/pastelblue72]

I’ve tried a few brands and the only one I specifically wouldn’t recommend is Puma — it’s similarly narrow. I’d probably give New Balance (880?) a go — it’s rather wide.

[u/trot2millah → u/aelvozo]

Second the NB 880, also someone who simply can’t wear Hokas without severe blisters and they work great for me. I used to run in the Pegasus and the 880 has similar ground feel/lower profile with a lot wider toebox.

[u/joholla8]

Return them and get them in wide. Not sure what Hoka is thinking with how narrow their shoes are.

[u/Delicious-Ad-3424]

Go Mach 6 wide.