I'll admit that one of the reasons that I got into running was for fashion. I dug the shoes. I wanted to enjoy their supreme bounciness and breathability casually, but I didn't want to wear them on school drop-offs and Costco outings without actually being a runner.
In other words, I wanted to use them as dad shoes, for genuine dad reasons, but didn't want to be seen as the kind of person who would wear dad shoes, even though, guess what: I'm a dad! With two kids! And a membership to Costco! Wear what you want, though. This was just a neurotic way to leverage my insecurity as motivation to run. Naturally, I gravitated toward Hoka, the brand that helped start the trend of outlandishly chunky soles that grandmas, runners, fashion folks, and yes, dads, can all agree on.
Although the very first pair of sneakers I used when I started running in 2021 were the great Nike Pegasus Trails, Hoka became my go-to because they have a plushness that manages to make even miserable runs joyful; on good runs, they can leave you feeling like a superhero. Brooks fascinated me, though. There always seemed to be a prevalence of Brooks on the.
.. Kevin Sintumuang.
