Review: UA HOVR Sonic Shoes

Disclaimer: I received a pair of Under Armour HOVR Sonic shoes to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review, find, and write race reviews!

First Impressions & Specifications

Getting new shoes, especially running shoes, is so exciting! I could not wait to receive and try out my new Under Armour HOVR Sonic shoes! The color on the box said “orange”, but when I opened them up, they seemed to be more a coral color. What do you think?

Color aside, I laced up my shoes and tested them out on the treadmill. My first thoughts were they are light, responsive, and comfortable. Normally, I run in shoes with a lot of cushion. Since the HOVR Sonic shoes do not have as much cushion as my normal shoes, I noticed a big difference in the weight of the shoe.

One of the things that sets UA’s HOVR Sonic shoes apart from its competitors is the ability for the shoe to track your run (including your stride length and cadence) and then sync to the Map My Run app. You can choose to run with the Map My Run app open or not. You can run with your phone or not. Leave your phone at home, return to your phone after your run, and watch your run sync to your phone from your shoes!

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Connecting the Shoe

Recently, I tried syncing the shoe and was having difficulty with the shoe connecting. I clicked on the gear icon within the Map My Run app, clicked on FAQ (frequently asked questions), then on “Troubleshooting UA Connected Footwear”, and found the section that read, “Make sure your shoe is awake by shaking the shoe or inverting it upside down and then rightside up.” I did just that and it worked! It’s pretty awesome to have to “wake up” my shoe! (Link HERE.)

Racing With the Shoe

While testing out the shoe, I had the privilege of pacing the Hot Chocolate 15k in San Francisco. (Read my race recap HERE.) I’m not sure if it was due to my walking pace, my thinner than usual socks, or my brand new shoes, but I ended up with a significant blister on the back of both heels after pacing the 9.3 mile course in my new UA HOVR Sonic shoes. (I still continued wearing the shoes after this event and haven’t had any further blistering issues. ) As you can see from the picture below, blisters or not, I still had a big smile on my face after crossing the finish line!

Different Terrains

I like to refer to my running as Dr. Seuss style… I run here, I run there, I run everywhere! Everywhere I ran, my UA HOVR Sonic shoes came with me!

The shoes ran in the sand.

They ran on the pavement.

They ran in the gravel.

They ran on dirt trails.

They ran on wooden trails.

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Finally, they ran on the treadmill.

Everywhere my UA HOVR Sonic shoes ran, they provided my feet great support, my feet were able to breathe, they had great cushioning, and they tracked my distance, stride length, and cadence!

Final Thoughts

Throughout my time testing the UA HOVR Sonic shoes, I ran a total of 81 miles/150,568 steps. If you’re an athlete who is looking for the perfect combination of dynamic cushioning and a breathable but structural upper, then this is a great shoe for you! If you’re a competitive athlete looking for a shoe to help you improve your times, then this is a great shoe for you! Finally, if you’re a digitally connected tech-minded athlete who tracks, analyzes, and stores every running metric, then this is a great shoe for you!

This was my first time running in an Under Armour shoe. After this experience, I may be turning to Under Armour for future running shoes! I also do not use the Map My Run app very often. After receiving notification from my Map My Run app that I earned $40 off a $100 purchase for logging 5+ workouts in the last month, however, I may begin using the app more often!