Hoka - Challenger ATR 3
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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)"
531
104
"I sleep all night and no body aches."
"it was hands down the best night of sleep I’ve had in a tent."
"I just put up with the pinholes and patching them on trail because I can't sleep better on any other pad. ... There's a huge difference in comfort depending on your body between the dimpled baffling of the Etherlight/Tensor and the horizontal baffling of the Xlite. ... I can't sleep on horizontal baffling despite all the good features of the Xlite. ... I'm a side sleeper and my arms and shoulders ache and/or fall asleep or go numb on the Xlite. For whatver reason I can only sleep on dimpled baffles (tensor, etherlight)"
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"
10
2
"They’re super grippy and have gotten me up 4k+ft of tough trail"
"Hoka challenger is designed specifically for this. ... they are fantastic for road and any non technical trail"
"on dry surface, shoe is fantastic."
Disliked most:
398
443
"About a year and the right bud would last about 15 minutes on a full charge."
"I've had them for a few years and now the battery doesn't last for more than 40 mins, so looking for a different model."
"And then during a race in September the mid sole of one pulled right off with less than 200 km on them."
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?"
17
27
"I wouldn't rate them for mountain trails. ... I did my first lakes 50k in them, my feet were just trashed at the end and I fell a lot."
"The tread was meh for steep/tech trails. ... The lugs are pointed like skinny arrows, rather than the massive mud-tire tread of the Mafate Speed. ... And super rocky technical trails might eat this shoe alive."
"The outsole is unbelievably slippery on wet rocks on both models"
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."
casie_r 1.0I stopped wearing the speedboats after the 4s bc I kept turning my ankle in the 5s so I can't comment on that but I do love the Hoka challenger (I ran R3 in those and they were just fine). Altra recently released a 4mm drop trail shoe too that I'm really liking: the experience wild. Good luck on your 50k!
mrericvillalobos 1.0I’m glad to see this post. I want to get on the trails again and was thinking SG but being slightly out of shape, a tennis player, and older, ankle rolls cannot happen at this stage in my life. While cushioning is up on the list, all the talk about high stack height is scary. My previous trail shoes were Hoka Challenger 3 and now they’re 7 so it’s been a bit. Still looking at Hoka but low(er) stack height strengthen the ankles to avoid ankle rolls, Got it. Thanks lol
endeesr3alm 0.2Agree, it really depends on how fast, how far, the ratio of road to trail etc. my Saucony Tempus are pretty good on park run trails and “fire track” style roads. Puma shoes with their Puma Grip are great in the rain or on slightly uneven terrain. Then you have what some call Commuter shoes - road to trail shoes with lower lug depth and softer midsole. Hoka’s Challenger ATR isn’t bad, and the Tecton X and X2 had proper gravel lugs that worked well, along with shows like the Saucony Xodus Ultra, Nike Terra Kiger or Pegasus Trail. Personally I’ve just run in road shoes if it’s dry, and I trust my trail shoes (currently Salomon Genesis and Hoka Mafate 5) in the wet or more technical terrain.
Hello - I would say that the Prodigio Pro will feel a bit too squishy for general walking around. I walk the dogs in a pair of Salomon GTX Thundercross. They’re stable enough, comfy, and waterproof. The Ultraglide are also a good option. I’ve also had numerous Inov8 Roclite, Trailfly which are also good for hiking if you like zero drop. Hoka are also comfy if you stay clear of the racing shoes - Challenger ATR or Speedgoat. I also like the ASICS Fujilite for walking. I’d suggest avoiding the S/Lab Genesis, Tecton X3, Mafate 5, Prodigio Pro, Nike Trail Ultra, or anything with a PEBA Foam or really pronounced rocker. They will be too squishy, unstable and wobbly underfoot.
Lessimon 0.2Hoka Speedgoat for trail + Hoka Challenger ATR for light trails and asphalt. Both are available in Goretex version.
michaelhoney 0.2Hoka ATR Challengers work pretty well for this. Suitable for running on different terrain types, and feel fine for walking the streets. I will happily do a trip with just them.
this is my answer too. They are also a good “just what I’m wearing” shoe for short trips, if your style constraints allow it
pak_sajat 0.2I use the HOKA Challenger ATRs for my combo runs, and I go up 1/2 size for the extra room.
Surging 0.2The sole on that shoe is quite narrow in the middle. I tend to overpronate too and am much happier on hoka challenger atr. You can get them in wide even if the regulars are too narrow for your feet. But even the regulars version is designed better for people who overpronate due to better support.
Pristine_Bug_8248 0.2Hoka ATR's are pretty great for this.
5lipn5lide 0.1Hoka 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.
Aaron4_6 0.1The Hoka Challenger is a really good door-to-trail shoe.
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