Hoka shoes (part three)

The way that initial skepticism turned into adoption happened in late 2010, near Madagascar, on the island of Reunion, during an ultra-trail race called “Diagonale des Fous.” As he was in the 70th kilometer of that race, Ludovic Pommeret a top-ranking French racer was having severe problems with his cheap Decathlon-made shoes that he had to switch to a pair of Hoka’s made Mafate shoes at one of the pit stops, and now with them on, found his second wind and ended up second in the race, a spectacular turnaround that brought the limelight on the strange looking product. 

From that unlikely victory came the Pommeret model that immediately was successful and became the talk in every trail racing circles, ushering a marketing strategy focused on trail running. On the eve of influence marketing, trail fans, promoters and bloggers became the mouthpiece used by Hoka to reach practitioners at all sporting events, especially local races that could hugely leverage the company’s very limited resources. 

This also led Nicolas Mermoud to focus immediately on the American market, a full 40% piece of the world’s business, by working closely with athletes, retailers and the press. Very soon, this international strategy allowed Hoka to reach the kind of critical mass and the image needed to convince the other world markets. 

Introduced in 2011, the Bondi shoe encountered a fast and huge acceptance, further polishing Hoka’s image as the product to race on. Initially embraced by ultra-marathon runners for their enhanced cushioning and inherent stability, the shoes quickly gained popularity among other active runners for that maximum cushion and minimal weight. It’s heart-warming to remember that the founders began that venture on a shoestring budget.

It’s on April 1st 2013 that the Deckers Brands, the parent company for UGG, Teva and other footwear products, took full control of Hoka One One for $1.1 million. For 2024 total Hoka sales reached a record $4.2 billion! Both original founders stayed with the brand, as Diard now oversees international distribution and pursues his innovative product development, while Mermoud continues to run the company’s racing program. 

What made that story even more interesting to me, in my current case of metatarsalgia that’s not quite over. It would appear shoes like Hoka could help address it due to their features like thick, cushioned mid-soles, wide toe boxes, and a rocker sole design that reduces pressure on the forefoot. The cushioning absorbs impact, the wider fit decreases compression, and the rocker geometry helps facilitate a smoother, more efficient stride, all of which can alleviate the pain associated with this condition. A compelling reason to step into a pair of Hoka. I’ll keep you posted ! 

Hoka shoes (part two)

So here we are in 2008 as Jean-Luc Diard gets together with Nicolas Mermoud, himself former marketing manager at Salomon who later worked at Rossignol. Both decided to start a joint venture. They believe that innovation has limitless potential in the outdoor sporting goods industry and they fit this opening. 

Working on running shoes is their goal and this domain is ripe for significant innovations, especially in view of the fact that minimalist shoes in trail footwear is the rage, but is too much performance-oriented and ignore masses chiefly looking for fun and comfort. They also believe that it’s not the runners’ responsibility to adapt to the terrain, but it’s their shoes that should, quite a paradigm shift! 

Still, starting a new shoe brand remains a risky endeavor as the world is just entering one of its worst financial crises. Still both men see a path to spearheading innovation and think that some “over-sized” design evolution as an attention-getter trend. From golf club drivers, to tennis rackets, wide skis or fat bike tires, over-sizing can generate a lot of consumers’ attraction. 

As a practicing trail runner, Mermoud knows full well that just like uphill sections, downhill segments on a race can be fraught with danger and injuries of all kinds and no manufacturer appears to address this. This triggers a search for a trail shoe design that could literally fly on the uphill as well as in the downhill part of a course. 

Another Salomon alumni, Christophe Aubonnet and Sébastien Mazars designed a shoestring and in just a few months a totally new sole that will be the foundation of the Hoka One One, which means “flying on earth” in Maori. This time the sole is the opposite of minimalism as its bulky look goes in the opposite direction. At the start-up company, all the principals are sure the shoe will be seen as revolutionary and be loved at first sight. 

Reality however will be drastically different when the shoe is officially unveiled before the industry and the press. Some quickly say that it looks like podiatrist footwear for older folks, a far cry from the youth and trendy image hoped for the product. Even racers who’re seen on the shoe get mocked, hearing they look like astronauts walking on the moon! In the next blog, we’ll discover how that view will soon be turned around...

What makes Hoka shoes so popular? (part one)

It’s only this year, through and quite randomly, that I became fully aware of Hoka shoes. I had seen them before but without much interest. It’s when I saw a septuagenarian, neighbor of mine wearing a pair and after I talked to him about his experience with that footwear that my interest sparked up. 

After some quick research, I learned that Hoka was founded in 2009 by Nicolas Mermoud and Jean-Luc Diard, both former Salomon employees. This goes a long way in recognizing the reservoir of talent that Salomon truly was. 

Diard began with Salomon in 1981 and was promoted to marketing director in 1989, was put in charge of brand development in 1997, just when the ski company got sold to Adidas and began to lose its soul. In 1998, Diard became the company’s president and successfully developed its trail running division. 

Through 2005 Diard kept going in the complicated marriage with Adidas and finally the German based brand through the towel and sold Salomon to the Finnish group Amer that already owned Atomic skis, Wilson tennis and Suunto among other sport related brands. In 2008, the book “Born to Run” sparked running with "barefoot" or minimalist shoe designs and increasing interest in ultra-running and trail running, though some of its claims about shoes immediately created debate. 

The book popularized the idea that modern, highly cushioned shoes can cause injuries and that a more natural, forefoot-strike running style (as seen in the Tarahumara people) was healthier. This led to a boom in minimalist footwear, ultra-running events, and a broader interest in running naturally and for its own sake, rather than just for competition. 

In spite of athletic success with that kind of product, Jean-Louis Diard wasn’t so sure and at the same time, his relationship with Amer Sports deteriorating, he parted way with Salomon. Tomorrow, we’ll see how this would trigger the birth of Hoka.

On stopping a bully…

Stopping a bully early is everything. It ought to be done and someone should. 

This is the first thing I did when I moved to our new house in 2014 and was confronted by an irascible next door neighbor who had the audacity to “test me”, as all good bullies generally do, I responded forcefully and that was (almost) the end of his aggression (there was another incident that was repressed the same way). 

Had I not responded swiftly, the man would still be after me either because he disliked my face or my country of origin. At about the same time, in 2016, we had the Republican Primary debates, pitting Trump against a group of lackluster candidates. Two of them come to mind (Bush and Rubio) as they were copiously insulted by Trump.

Had either Jebb Bush or Marco Rubio grabbed Donald Trump by his lapels, shook him hard and told him to vacate the debate stage sine die, the US and the world would never have been terrorized by Trump and would be in a much better place than where we all are today. 

Just like Biden for running a second time against Trump, these two men bear an enormous, historical responsibility. Always stand to a bully when you experience one! 

Redefining old age and leadership

The other morning, I was listening on NPR, James Clyburn, a South Carolina US congressman promoting his new book, "The First Eight: A Personal History of Pioneering Black Congressman Who Shaped a Nation". The work highlights the stories of the first eight Black congressmen from the state, who served during, and after the Reconstruction era. 

At some point, Clyburn who is 85, is asked if he plans to run for office and his response was something like, “Well, I’m going to meet with my family late December to discuss just that”, but definitely didn’t say that he would not run again. 

This in view of congresswoman Pelosi deciding not to run again or of Biden second mandate fiasco, highlight the unconsciousness of some leaders when it comes to self-assessing their old age, still believing they are irreplaceable and thinking their experience is everything. 

Let me share my rebuke to that way of thinking. At almost 78 and still showing some serious signs of physical and intellectual energy, I can say that, all things being equal, I still do a lot of things, but in much shorter spurs. 

For instance, I’m currently learning Spanish and can get totally wiped out when I take too many lessons in one sitting. In other words, I do well but can’t hold the long distance anymore, or better said, my effective time is now greatly reduced, just like a person my age sees a drastic decline in their VO2Max. This means that at a leadership and executive level, the experience of an individual – as impressive as it may be - can’t quite compensate for that loss in productivity. 

Therefore, a president or any governmental executive functions including those of senators and representatives can no longer be executed at an expected performance level of 100%, than by say by someone in their 40s or 60s. That’s where the fallacy of thinking that any old person can do any job breaks down. 

Any job, perhaps but not for very long and a safe guardrail would be to limit politicians to an age of 70 to 75 maximum for the year of expiration of any of their mandate.

The brightest and the dumbest?

My wife often reminds me that 77 millions Americans cast their vote for Trump — a choice that reflects how vulnerable our society has become to misinformation and shallow appeals. 

That huge number of ill-advised Trump supporters should not eclipse the existence of bright Americans, that predictably stand in much smallest numbers, but are still leading the way in the world. If the American K to 12 educational system is not the best globally, up until now, American universities have been leading the way throughout the world, thanks to their extensive investment in research provided by the governments we had until now. 

This divide between weak K‑12 and strong universities mirrors the divide in our electorate . Why Trump and his allies are vehemently attacking and trying to dismantle the only bright part of the American education system is obviously beyond me. It’s true that a mediocre secondary education system is fertile ground for forming gullible and acquiescing individuals who in turn fall prey to conspiracy theories that all have a destructive effect on an advanced society. 

This is why a large number of people act as if they were really dumber. A good, serious education is therefore key to a strong nation and particularly for those who only have a limited number of years in school. It would seem that the elitist approach favored by the billionaires now in charge of the Republican party is pushing against public schools, trying to weaken that institution, making it far less effective and with that, threatening the quality of education among the poorest among us. 

This shows, if we needed to see proof of it, how our political figures and a large portion of the US society have become deeply hypocritical and are cutting their nose to spite their face!

Local mayoral elections

On November 4, the Park City population elected two City Council members and a new Mayor. The newly elected Council members were known the same night, but it took until late November 24 to know who our new mayor would be as the two candidates, Ryan Dickey and Jack Rubin were literally head to head. 

Following a recount, the Park City leaders certified Ryan Dickey’s razor-thin win in the mayoral contest, finalizing the results nearly three weeks after Election Day. The results were that Dickey, a member of the City Council, won the mayor’s office by just seven votes. Dickey received 1,706 votes, or 50.1%, and Jack Rubin received 1,699 votes, or 49.9%. 

Rubin requested the recount last week after making a massive effort to get the job in spite of having no experience in the City’s affairs. 

The guy thought he could be elected by flooding the City with yard signs, being a smooth talker and just criticizing the current administration (Dickey was on the City Council) with the cover of having never done anything. 

From my standpoint I could see his maneuver and remembered that he tried to get elected as a Republican on the Utah State Senate, but failed. 

Being a Republican and a Trumpist was enough to disqualify him in my eyes as having poor judgment. In the end, it was very close and showed that the many people who voted for him were, before anything, highly impressionable!