9 in Trail Running Shoes
Hoka - Speedgoat 4
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Reddit Reviews:
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Based on 1 year's data from Mar 17, 2026 How it works
Liked most:
47
11
"As far as grip goes, all three are excellent. It's truly amazing how good they are at gripping scree, sand, and unstable terrain."
"Speed goats are the most comfortable on the downhill, especially if technical or steep."
"I hiked the Colorado trail, which is unsurprisingly very mountainous, rocky, and steep, in Hoka Speedgoats and not once thought I’d made a mistake wearing them."
40
19
"Speed goats are the most comfortable on the downhill, especially if technical or steep."
"Speed goats are the most comfortable on the downhill, especially if technical or steep."
"The speedgoats are just so much comfortable even with the 120lb pack across a steep slope."
30
1
"As far as grip goes, all three are excellent. It's truly amazing how good they are at gripping scree, sand, and unstable terrain."
"As far as grip goes, all three are excellent. It's truly amazing how good they are at gripping scree, sand, and unstable terrain."
"myself I have hundreds of miles in the wind rivers including most every peak over 13k all in trail runners."
14
13
"they are extremely durable. ... I’ve got well over 1000 miles out of a pair and they still have grip and the uppers are in great shape"
"they are extremely durable. ... I’ve got well over 1000 miles out of a pair and they still have grip and the uppers are in great shape"
"they are extremely durable. ... I’ve got well over 1000 miles out of a pair and they still have grip and the uppers are in great shape"
29
1
"they are extremely durable. ... I’ve got well over 1000 miles out of a pair and they still have grip and the uppers are in great shape"
"As far as grip goes, all three are excellent. It's truly amazing how good they are at gripping scree, sand, and unstable terrain."
"As far as grip goes, all three are excellent. It's truly amazing how good they are at gripping scree, sand, and unstable terrain."
30
2
"they are extremely durable. ... I’ve got well over 1000 miles out of a pair and they still have grip and the uppers are in great shape"
"they are extremely durable. ... I’ve got well over 1000 miles out of a pair and they still have grip and the uppers are in great shape"
"As far as grip goes, all three are excellent. It's truly amazing how good they are at gripping scree, sand, and unstable terrain."
19
4
"Since wearing Hoka Speedgoats, now for years, I have not rolled my ankles once. ... The reason is that the sole is super wide and tapers aggressively from the fabric, outward into a wedge shape."
"my feet were completely pain, ache, and blister-free. ... Once I switched to HOKAs, all that disappeared immediately. ... My first time ever wearing Speedgoats, I did 26 mile r/t backpacking trip and my feet were completely fine."
"I really like the Speed goats when I'm training because they definitely have a softer landing and less brutal on my body."
6
7
"Since wearing Hoka Speedgoats, now for years, I have not rolled my ankles once. ... The reason is that the sole is super wide and tapers aggressively from the fabric, outward into a wedge shape."
"helped me build up my ankle stability (6 years back)"
"helped me build up my ankle stability (6 years back)"
Disliked most:
10
22
"Personally I can't stand the soft foam right below the heel on those shoes- it wears thin enough after maybe 100 miles that small pointy rocks jab right in there. ... I have repeatedly bruised my heels on rocky downhills in Speedgoats, once so badly that I thought I'd broken my calcaneus. ... Never buying them again."
"The vibram kept separating from the midsole on mine after 50 or 100 miles."
"Out of the box, VERY grippy, but after 100 miles of trails they’re shredded. I had to switch to protect my wallet! ... Wasn’t really the shoe itself, the lugs/tread just get worn down to nothing in my usual hiking area in San Diego county. It’s a shame, I do love the shoe, just wish Hoka would make a change to a more rugged material."
2
16
"Personally I can't stand the soft foam right below the heel on those shoes- it wears thin enough after maybe 100 miles that small pointy rocks jab right in there. ... I have repeatedly bruised my heels on rocky downhills in Speedgoats, once so badly that I thought I'd broken my calcaneus. ... Never buying them again."
"The vibram kept separating from the midsole on mine after 50 or 100 miles."
"Out of the box, VERY grippy, but after 100 miles of trails they’re shredded. I had to switch to protect my wallet! ... Wasn’t really the shoe itself, the lugs/tread just get worn down to nothing in my usual hiking area in San Diego county. It’s a shame, I do love the shoe, just wish Hoka would make a change to a more rugged material."
6
21
"I used to hate speed goats for uphill because they’re so chonky that I felt like I couldn’t get onto my tippy toes on steep climbs."
"Tried half a dozen of the most popular trail runners including Speedgoats, all too stiff."
"It has a narrow toebox ... the toebox was still too narrow ... the rest of the shoe fit too loose for my technical trails"
4
14
"I was running exclusively in SGs, and rolled my ankle badly thrice in three months at the end of last year."
"I might try to stay away then. I’ve been able to avoid rolls for a while but a bad one is such a big set back ... I might give those a try first. ... I’m going to give them both a try but would rather not fall in love if it’s going to get me injured haha"
"the speed goats have a bit of an outward flare from the top to the bottom of the soul. Creates a larger footprint, a bigger platform. Certainly helped. But largely, I twist my ankles regularly. It fucking hurts"
5
13
"I was running exclusively in SGs, and rolled my ankle badly thrice in three months at the end of last year."
"I might try to stay away then. I’ve been able to avoid rolls for a while but a bad one is such a big set back ... I might give those a try first. ... I’m going to give them both a try but would rather not fall in love if it’s going to get me injured haha"
"the speed goats have a bit of an outward flare from the top to the bottom of the soul. Creates a larger footprint, a bigger platform. Certainly helped. But largely, I twist my ankles regularly. It fucking hurts"
5
15
"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%."
"Speedgoats are not wide, they are one of the narrowest trail shoes ive worn ... I regret buying the Speedgoat wide because it squished my pinky toe and midfoot."
2
17
"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%."
"Speedgoats are not wide, they are one of the narrowest trail shoes ive worn ... I regret buying the Speedgoat wide because it squished my pinky toe and midfoot."
"even in the men's wide I have to wrap my bunions in leukotape and still get a lot of irritation due to the toe squeeze of the tapered toe box (and I'm already going up 1/2 size)"
1
3
"If it's snow/slush/excessive mud, I'll move up to Salomon 4D GTX boots and usually gaiters."
"But, for really really muddy nasty situations I have a pair of Inov8 with deep lugs that are amazing."
"When it gets really muddy or incredibly rocky, I transition to TOPO hikers."
0
3
"Personally I can't stand the soft foam right below the heel on those shoes- it wears thin enough after maybe 100 miles that small pointy rocks jab right in there. ... I have repeatedly bruised my heels on rocky downhills in Speedgoats, once so badly that I thought I'd broken my calcaneus. ... Never buying them again."
"Personally I can't stand the soft foam right below the heel on those shoes- it wears thin enough after maybe 100 miles that small pointy rocks jab right in there. ... I have repeatedly bruised my heels on rocky downhills in Speedgoats, once so badly that I thought I'd broken my calcaneus. ... Never buying them again."
"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%."
Admirable_Avocado_45 1.0I have always worn Speedgoats in wide (2e) the past but moved to a NB Hierro 9 this year. It’s a softer, more comfortable ride. Gonna try the Norda 005 when they arrive in a few days.
akamark 1.0I have a pair of the NB Fresh Foam More V3 in 4E and they've been good. I have wide feet in the toe box and mid area with normal heels. I hike in them regularly in UT, and they hold up well on the rocky trails. Had the Hoka Speedgoats in wide - loved them, but they weren't wide enough. They irritated a toe injury and neuroma, so had to get surgery. I'm still building up my running mileage, so haven't done more than 5 miles at a time with the NB. We'll see how they handle higher mileage and a full running season next year!
Alfaj0r 1.0Hoka Speedgoats come in Wide, and those work pretty well for my hobbit feet :]
Allaboutgiraffes 1.0This thread has been so helpful for me. I love my speedgoat 4s, and have been disappointed by the "improvements" made to the newest Speedgoat models. Not sure if this will gain any traction, but I made a petition with the hope of convincing Hoka to bring back the Speedgoat 4. If you feel similarly, please feel free to sign and share. Likely nothing will happen, but might as well try... [https://chng.it/ttq7VG4zsv](https://chng.it/ttq7VG4zsv)
Brilliant-Rough7490 1.0Speedgoats are not wide, they are one of the narrowest trail shoes ive worn
Yes, I regret buying the Speedgoat wide because it squished my pinky toe and midfoot. I have switched to Altra Olympus and it was the perfect fit for me, perfect toe box and my midfoot is no longer squished.
CALL_ME_ISHMAEBY 1.0Wide versions of both Speedgoat and Challenger are good to me.
I’ve bought wide versions of both the Speedgoat and Challenger. Altra’s have been fine as well.
deep-_-thoughts 1.0I had 4s and 5s and loved them. I returned the 6 after one run. The Mafate 4s are great but my pair was done after maybe 300 miles. I just got a pair of la Sportiva Prodigio pro. They feel amazing so far.
duathlete222 1.0I had Speedgoat 3s up until a few weeks ago (I only ran trails occasionally up until recently) and just got some 6s. They feel about the same to me, if not better.
eddiebronze 1.0I would look for a wide width option before sizing up even further. If you like the Speedgoat, it is available in a wide width.
EffectiveGlass2121 1.0Unfortunately, the materials on the SG6 changed quite a lot. From my point of view the shoe deteriorated since SG4. So check out whether you have a good fit: for my wide feet with a high span and the tougher materials it does not work out: too much space in the toe box, too much pressure on the span, a tougher mid sole and still (like the predessors) a limited feel for the underground. It is a pity, as I liked 3 and 4 a lot...
Unfortunately, the materials on the SG6 changed quite a lot. From my point of view the shoe deteriorated since SG4. So check out whether you have a good fit: for my wide feet with a high span and the tougher materials it does not work out: too much space in the toe box, too much pressure on the span, a tougher mid sole and still (like the predessors) a limited feel for the underground. It is a pity, as I liked 3 and 4 a lot...