The original Hoka Zinal was released as a light and fast racing shoe in 2021 and the Zinal 2 followed only a couple of years later. It stays in the same category, angled as a shoe for fast-paced trail running on technical terrain, offering a lightweight, responsive ride with grip and durability.

My test period with this shoe began after a period of running in a pair of bouncy, highly cushioned trail running shoes from Asics. I was surprised how nice it felt to get out of them and into a pair of shoes that felt precise, nimble and close to the ground. Here’s how I got on with them overall.

How I Tested Them

I’ve been using the Hoka Zinal 2 on my local trails over the last few months, progressing from a very wet autumn to a very wet winter (not exactly what this was made for – more on that to come). Most of my runs have involved sections of road progressing to rocky trails and pure muddy slop too. My distances have ranged from short and sharp 5Ks to slower paced 20Ks.

Performance

The stack height is a fairly neutral 30mm at the heel and 25mm at the toe to bring a drop of 5mm. At the heel, it feels quite firm but not in a jarring way. At the toe, it feels very close to the ground, but there’s still enough protection to prevent pokey stuff from poking. There’s a touch of camber; enough to add a subtle bit of propulsion without feeling particularly noticeable.

The stability is excellent. There’s no wobbliness here and, instead, in many instances wearing the Zinal 2 I’ve felt like a mountain goat, able to leap around on the trail with surefooted confidence. That also links in with the precision, with the narrow toe bringing a lot of accuracy to the table.

Expect good grip on rocky, gravelly and hard-packed trails. The outsole performs really well on that kind of stuff. It does, however, come up short on slimy mud. Running with these on an extremely wet day recently, I found myself not getting the kind of traction on muddy sections that I’d want, even on the flat, and I was relieved when the trail got a little bit rocky as that’s where these shoes do perform really nicely. Looking at the outsole after the run, I could also see that the lugs were totally clogged up. You’d probably be better off opting for the Hoka Evo Jawz if you’re looking for a fell-running type of trail shoe.

Fit

The toe is quite narrow. That means anyone with wide forefeet might struggle with these, and also, if your feet tend to swell and splay when you’re covering high mileage, you might feel these get a bit tight around the toes.

Still, I found the Zinal 2 comfortable to wear. While there might not be any padding on the tongue, this hasn’t presented any issues for me and the stretchy, sock-like collar keeps out dirt and debris really well. The laces, which are round, have been reliable and have rarely unravelled while I’m on the go.

I tried the Zinal 2 in a UK 10, my usual size, and given the choice again, I wouldn’t size up or down at all.

Who Will Like The Hoka Zinal 2

The Hoka Zinal 2 is a pretty minimalist shoe. Its mesh upper is very light and pretty simple, while its sole is pretty neutral in its stack height, drop and cushioning. I found it to be very similar to the Arc’teryx Norvan SL, which might be explained by the fact that they both have a Vibram Megagrip Litebase sole and they’re reasonably similar in weight.

The best application for the Zinal 2, from what I’ve seen, is on runs over dry trails over short to moderate-length distances. If, say, you’re doing a 10K trail race in dry summer conditions, the Hoka Zital 2 will be a good choice. I’d be happy to wear it for distances up to 30K but anything longer and I think I’d want something with a bit more cushioning.

I think it still has its uses in winter. If, you want a shoe that you can wear on your daily runs that involve a mixture of road and gravelly or rocky trails, it should be up to the task – it has been for me. I also wore this on an off-road parkrun recently and found that the Zinal 2 felt fast and stable and it gripped just fine on the course, which was entirely on grassy playing fields. Like I said, it’s just on pure mud where this falls short, so if you want something for sloppy stuff, look for something with a bit more bite.

Overall Verdict

Light, stable, fast and with loads of ground feel, this is a shoe that comes into its own on dry trails where the pace is fast. If you want something that’ll protect your joints, particularly over big distances, or if you want something that’s designed for total slop, you’d be better off looking elsewhere.

Aesthetically, it’s a smart-looking shoe that’s well made and that has a decent bit of durability. I’ve put over 60K into my pair and there’s no sign of wear and tear yet.

Price: £160
Weight: 239g
What we liked: light, nimble feel, fast, grippy on gravel and dry trails
Rating: 8/10

Buy the Hoka Zinal 2: £160 at Hoka.com