Hoka - Challenger 7
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Reddit Reviews:
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Based on 1 year's data from Jan 28, 2026 How it works
Liked most:
1898
551
"I even washed them accidentally and still worked perfectly fine afterwards."
"Been using them for about four years working out in my gym, and cycling daily (45+ minutes on a bicycle outdoors)."
"They last absolutely forever (I know 1980s models still in daily use)"
332
67
"I didn’t slip once. The new soles on these shoes had an awesome grip on the mountain. I felt very secure."
"the shoes felt great, had no slippage whatsoever, were cushioned, responsive, and comfortable. I ran up and down the mountain without much concern about where my feet were placed... the shoes handled it wonderfully."
"Got me through a week with everything Utah can throw at you - snow, mud, dirt, gravel, sand, slickrock, slot-canyon scooting, and the occasional stream crossing - and I never felt unsure of my footing."
142
60
"the splay in the toes is naturally better with that wide toe box"
"My foot (as measured by Fleet Feet's scanners) is D width (women's wide) at the forefoot and my heels are really narrow so Topo's shape works well for me."
"I think I have a similar foot to you - front is wide due to bunions but the rest of my foot is regular width. I absolutely love my Topos"
480
156
"Ran a 50k and never once bothered my feet."
"They have a normal heel and midfoot, but the forefoot is very roomy. ... My feet haven't felt so good in years."
"They have a normal heel and midfoot, but the forefoot is very roomy. ... My feet haven't felt so good in years."
12
3
"But for California-style hardpack, light technical sections, and long climbs and descents, it’s an ideal shoe."
"the rubber is so tacky and the lugs are so grippy ... They eat up any off-road surface no problem."
"They’re super grippy and have gotten me up 4k+ft of tough trail"
Disliked most:
91
88
"the toebox is too narrow for me and gives blisters on the outside of my big toes. ... the toe box is just too tight for me."
"They fit more rigid with more pressure points and have less room in the tow box. ... They were never as comfortable out of the box or hiking as a topo athletic shoe and I’ve had several pairs. ... I’m always very ready to take these shoes off at the end of the day.. ... after a long day, my feet feel like they were in a rock crusher since the cushion 0%."
"They fit more rigid with more pressure points and have less room in the tow box. ... They were never as comfortable out of the box or hiking as a topo athletic shoe and I’ve had several pairs. ... I’m always very ready to take these shoes off at the end of the day.. ... after a long day, my feet feel like they were in a rock crusher since the cushion 0%."
7
46
"except on sandy ground and worst of all on wet rocks and moss ... seriously my confidence level drops to 0 every time i encounter wet rocks wearing any Saucony models"
"2 pairs of the Superior 5, terrible traction when wet on limestone."
"outsole-sponsored athletes and professional reviewers claim the lug pattern and compound are great for dry stuff but not intended for wet or sloppy conditions. ... why use a more expensive compound with LESS durability if there is no meaningful gain in traction/grip on all conditions? ... so...$325 for a trail supershoe that only performs on bone dry conditions?"
20
24
"And then during a race in September the mid sole of one pulled right off with less than 200 km on them."
"Mine did the same thing after like 50 miles"
"Anyone else find the foam in Hokas goes dead way too quickly? ... I literally got < 300km out of my Challenger 7’s before my knees started hurting"
12
34
"had some real, uhm, "challenges" with my knee (very swollen) after my last 100 ... feel like I might need a bit more "cushion" for a 100 ... I've had horrible knee swelling after a 100 in Challengers and obviously that could be from a lot of different things BUT I wondered if a bit more cushion might help mitigate the issue."
"Anyone else find the foam in Hokas goes dead way too quickly? ... I literally got < 300km out of my Challenger 7’s before my knees started hurting"
"honestly it was pretty painful for the last 5 or 10 miles ... it's not the lack of cushioning for me but the way they're stiff and clunky."
2
3
"I did find that when I was using Hokas that I had an increased tendency to roll my ankle after about ten miles. ... The thing with trail runners is when you are tired, it is easier to roll your ankle. I have only found this to be a concern when I was using Hoka."
"I did find that when I was using Hokas that I had an increased tendency to roll my ankle after about ten miles. ... The thing with trail runners is when you are tired, it is easier to roll your ankle. I have only found this to be a concern when I was using Hoka."
"I found the foam to be unstable"
5lipn5lide 1.0I’ve run my last two pairs of Challengers into the ground. Probably a bit too much with my last pair at almost 1,400k! I have had bad “luck” with my previous Speedgoats where the inside of the back of one felt really odd and rubbed against my Achilles loads. No issues with a newer pair. My latest Challengers feel a bit less tight on my feet but maybe I need to change my lacing. That happening twice to you doesn’t just feel like bad luck though.
Hoka Challengers are my go to shoe for mixed terrain with light trails. They feel like slippers when they’re on and I’ll choose them over my Speedgoats whenever I can.
Hoka Challengers are my go-to for most runs. Must be 1,000km into this pair at least. And Speedgoat 6s for the heavier stuff. Went into the shop to go for something else after a bad experience with the 5s but they were still the best fit of everything I tried.
Love my Challengers. I use them for over 80% of my runs and the tread doesn’t wear too quickly on the tarmac; I’m about 1200k into this pair and probably looking to replace them soon. They’re like wearing slippers compared to my Speedgoats.
I’m on my third pair of Hoka Challengers as they’re great for the majority of what I do, with a pair of Speedgoats for harder terrain. They last pretty well too with my most recent ones going for 1,200k before I retired them and I still use them for walking. (I’m not a Hoka fanboy but whenever I’ve been into a shop to try new shoes, I’ve still always preferred these ones).
I have a love/hate relationship with Hoka. I've had two amazing pairs of Challengers and a pair of Speedgoats but I've also had a pair of each I've had to ditch because of severe rubbing on my Achilles. Same size and fit as what I've had before so can't find any reason for it. But I've yet to find shoes I like better than those models.
aoifee_ 1.0I had to return my ATR Challenger 7s the other day after 2 months (250ish km) because the glue holding the grippy bits on was failing. I got another pair to see if I was just unlucky, but we’ll see… they’re so comfy but I’m not sold on the longevity/quality.
DH_p1L0tZ 1.0Wow. Surprised to hear that they made the SG6 feel even more "slippy" in the heel and tongue area. I have the 5's myself that I use for high technical trail runs and cross-country races. I feel like I could snap the laces clean off before i could get a good comfy fit for both my heel and top of the foot. I've relaced them twice and still can't seem to find a good solid fit. Ugh. I loved the idea of the Speedgoat series, but man, looking back, I should have asked my aunt for another pair of HOKA Challenger 7 ATR for last Christmas.
Have the Challenger 7 and love them. Fits like a glove once you give it a week to untighten and contour to your feet. I've had them for an XC season and a half, and they're only now starting to show signs of actual wear that isn't cosmetic. Definitely a hybrid shoe, though. It can hold its own on mid to high technical terrain, but it's more at home in gravel and hard-packed trails.
Homelessjay5 1.0Hoka Challenger ATR 7, only pair I’ve ran my ultras in. Two 50k races and one 50 miler and my feet have fared better than the rest of my body lol. Got quite a bit of rain in the back half of the 50 miler and had no blisters.
Icy_Eggplant_8461 1.0My old challenger 6 ATR lasted 600 miles! I miss them! I have a 7 now but haven’t used much. Hope they hold well 🤞
Interesting_Shoe_177 1.0i was using the hoka challenger ATR 7s previously. i would say the traction is fairly similar.
Speedyboi186 1.0easily hoka challenger 7 ATR's. I jog on gravel trails and grass every once and a while, and go through patches of pavement, and theyre great.
This_Song_984 1.0Mine did the same thing after like 50 miles same for my road runners, I don't buy hoka anymore
beady38 0.6I went back to hoka, using the challenger 7 atm. To be honest all my issues went away when I really pulled the laces apart and wore them super loose
BlueBirdDolphin 0.6I would recommend you to use the shoes you ran with it the most. You have a lot of mileage in the speedgoat? Use the speedgoat, even on road. If you really want a road shoe and you have a lot of mileage in speedgoat, go try some Hoka. But if it's a loop, don't forget to bring the speedgoat/favorite shoes. The speedgoat 6 have a 5mm drop, don't start to play with drop atm, use a 4 to 6mm drop if your body is used to that. The Hoka Challenger 7 is a road/trail shoes with a 5mm drop like the speedgoat.
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