Customer Reviews Hoka Speedgoat

This is a very nice shoe. I own 3 pair of Rapa Nuis, 1 pair of Clifton's, Stinson's, and Huaka's. The fit is similar to the Rapa Nui, but more comfortable. The cushion is softer, the traction better, the heel counter locks my foot in with no achilles aggravation. My favorite improvement is the upper taco wrap construction that eliminates bunching of the upper material that I have experienced with Rapa Nuis and Huakas. The Speedgoat is my new 100 miler go-to shoe. 5 Stars

Have Been Running Full, And Half Marathons In Rapa Nui. All Races On Pavement, And Asphalt. Had To Purchase Half Size Larger, Than The Rapa Nui. Ran 12 Miles Right Out Of The Box. Great Long Run Shoe.

Narrow toe box an issue first couple of runs but the flexible upper seems to be giving over time. Superb built quality and padding in just the right spots. I thought the Speedgoats's precise fit and rugged tread still translated to great ground feel despite the stack height. But if you're looking for the traditional hoka feel of an ultra plush ride with a wide base, look at the Stinson or Mafate.

So I'd tried Hokas in the past and wasn't a big fan. I was sent these shoes from a gear review website (disclaimer), and immediately was hooked. They are much easier to run in than other models, they tear up the trails, and enable me to really run hard downhill. I like that they are breathable and light, although the upper does seem like it may be the first thing to go on the shoe. The tread is made to be used off-road and I've enjoyed the traction they provide on technical trails. I found that they run true to size, and are consistent with other running brands. I could go on about the shoe, and how much I like it, but I believe that trying it on will speak volumes to you. I'd previously ran in low drop shoes (4mm) with little cushion, but am a Hoka believer because of this shoe. I hope to wear it during my first trail 50K coming up this fall.

I walk ten miles a day in them, a, feet are not sore, and I weight approx 300 lbs.

Need to improve sole durability

5th pair.... looking forward to version 2

Everything is good

Smart looking shoe

Too wide in the toe box...for me at least.

Think it will be a good long distance winter trail shoe

The shoe is as soft and cushioned as any I've ever owned. very similar to the road running shoe that is similarly built. the side-to-side support is concerning, probably due to the cushioning and heel height. I'd be extra careful on mixed terrain for Ankle rolls. It's great for trail running and the traction is fantastic.

The speedgoat is an excellent trail shoe. It has great traction, drains water extremely well, and I feel it has the best cushioning texture of all my hoka shoes. However the forefoot in this is much narrower than in all my other hokas. It has yet to give me any problems but you should definitely try them on before purchasing. Also, I would not recommned running in these shoes at all on the road. The lugs feel awkward underfoot, and wear quickly. I however, purchased these as a designated trail shoe so it is not a problem.

For the rougher trails that eat my challenger ATR2's, I now use the SpeedGoats. Such great grip when walking on solid granite during steep uphill / downhill training.

awesome technical traiLs ULTRA MARATHON SHOE

These shoes are Hoka "narrow". However after reading a few other reviews I just ordered a half size bigger than my normal Hokas. They work great, no issues at all. Have over 100 miles in them and don't think with the added half size they are narrow. Will purchase again.

I'm a mountain ultra trail runner living in Oregon. A lot of the trails here, especially in the winter, are very technical. Mud, rocks, roots, streams, logs, skree, steep slopes, you name it. I've been happy with the Salomon Sense Ultra SG shoes for tackling these tough trails. I've been loving Hoka One One for road running. I decided to give these a try when I came across a coupon. I just picked up a second pair (at full retail) for a recent 50-mile race. I love this shoe. It's worthy of a detailed review. I've got 400+ miles each on the Speedgoat and the Sense Ultra SG, with multiple ultra distance trail runs on each. Here is how I find they compare in a few important categories. GRIP: The two are very similar in mud, across rocks and roots, and climbing or descending very technical trails. However, the Vibram rubber seems to stick even on wet, hard surfaces, like logs (if you don't want to get your feet wet on a stream crossing) and smooth rocks. I can run across surfaces in the Speedgoat where I need to carefully walk in the Sense to keep from slipping. DURABILITY: Technical trails eat shoes. Both shoes are tough, but end up with about the same amount of damage to the upper after a couple hundred miles. The heavy lugging, however, lasts far, FAR longer on the Speedgoat. I work near a great network of trails, but have about 1.75 miles of road to run to get there (and another 1.75 to get back). Pavement and very rocky trails quickly wear down the lugs on the Sense. They are great if you never run hard trails, but even soft trails usually have rocks and connecting roads. The rubber on the Speedgoat holds up incredible well even when I'm subjecting it to 10 - 15 miles of pavement per week. The lugs are still almost completely intact on my first pair of Speedgoats after 350+ miles, while my Senses have been retired into hiking shoes. PROTECTION: On technical trails, protecting my toes, heels, and sides of my foot from rocks are extremely important. Both shoes can take a rock to the toe no problem. Back of the heel is the same. Underfoot and on the sides, the Speedgoat is the clear winner. I've had a few sharp rock sneak around the Sense's sole to my arch and it is a terrible impediment. When running down rocky hills, the Speedgoat's big sole protects my arches and heels, allowing me to run faster than I would in the Sense because I don't have to worry about rocks hurting my feet. Given the same steep, technical trails, I tend to run the same routes about 15% faster in the Speedgoat because of this. DRAIN: These both drain about the same. It's really only a few steps before water is evacuated. However, Hoka's signature maximal sole means water often doesn't get in in the first place compared to the Sense. LACES: Shoelace issues can ruin a trail run or race. Loose shoes can lead to ankle tweaks. Stopping to ties laces kills momentum. And in many cases my hands are too cold to tie them well. The speedlaces on the Sense solve all these issues. If they do loosen up, a quick tug sets things right. I've tried so many things to solve the lace issues on the Speedgoat. I had to retighten and tie them every few miles when I first got them. I came up with a technique to keep them in place, but even then, they slip too much after 20+ miles. In my last race, my hands were too cold to re-tie my shoes. I had to do about five miles down steep, technical terrain to get someone at an aide station to tie them for me. FIT: The Sense wins here. It really just feels like your foot suddenly has crazy grip. The lace issue mentioned above can throw off the fit, but the Speedgoat is very comfortable like a good road shoe when properly laced. RESPONSE: The Sense also wins here, but at the the expense of arch and heel protection. The Speedgoat takes a little getting used to after running in the very responsive Sense, but IMO, the comfort and protection is worth the tradeoff. In short, I'm a convert from Salomon, which is a big deal for me. If the Speedgoat had a Huaka-style lace system on it, it would be THE ultimate trail shoe. Highly recommended for any serious mountain ultra trail runner. It loses one star from five for that.

After reading reviews and watching some videos on Youtube I ordered a 1/2 larger than my normal size 12. I'm glad I did. Shoe is narrow, especially the way it tapers in the forefoot. However, since I ordered the 1/2 size larger shoe size, I haven't experienced any real issues with blisters or hot spots. Have run a total of 13 miles so far with no problems. Still don't know if it will be my shoe of choice for Ultra's but time will tell. Great traction in mud and wet conditions. Shoe is light and fast. Hope HOKA widens the forefoot with it's next version of this shoe.

Worked great on 2, 15 mile mountain runs. Compared to Hoka Challenger 1 & 2, these have: less foot volume (so foot slides around less), snugger heel fit, more cushion, better traction, better sole durability. When first putting them on I thought the ankle roll factor was going to be problematic, but when running on trails there was no issue. Definitely worth testing with the 30 day no risk trail. Overall awesome, they fit me great, and worked great.

This is actually a really good shoe. I love the ride, the cushion and that is has some flexibility to it which most high cushioned shoes have non of. My only (and its big) con is that the toe box is narrow and gives me a blister on my big toe. I have now had to get a new pair a full size up (i.e. normally I have 13 and had to get these in 14). This makes the shoe to long and also not sit as tight around the midfoot and heal which gives a bit of a sloppy feel. I also have the Bondi 4 in size 13 which fit well and I have the Stinson ATR 3 which give me blisters on my pinky toe, so here I have also had to go up a full size to solve this. For reference other shoes that fit me well which I where a size 13 in are Salomon Speedcross 3, Merrell All Out Peak, Pearl izumi N2.

200 pound trail runner, multiple trail 1/2 marathons. 20-25 miles per week + 3 days a week gym workouts. Contrary to what I expected, having read several reviews, Speedgoat, size 11 (same as my Stinsons), fit fine, ran 4.5 trail miles out of the box. No problem. Very comfortable. Possibly not as stable as Stinson as Speedgoat is narrower mid-foot. Will see. If it lasts, should be a great trail runner.

I know there have been a lot of mixed reviews on the Speedgoat and when I took them out for a test drive- I felt all the issues people have pointed out. I will say that none of them were deal breakers- the pros of this shoe totally outweigh any cons. From the cushioning to the amazing grip (the wetter and sloppier the terrain, the better the shoe performed) the durable outsole, and utter lightness- my legs felt FRESH at the end of my run. One of the biggest pros are how amazing they feel on climbs. These shoes have the most amazing forefoot cushioning that feels like you're floating uphill when you're up on your toes. Additionally I was surprised how much ground-feel is still possible with that much material underfoot. These shoes WORKED for me!

Used for 1/2 marathon and training Trail and pavement use size 14 seems to run a little big, unable to feel ankle support for trail running

Toe is a little narrow but overall a very nice shoe. Light weight. A little less cushion than the Mafatia Speed but overall would buy again.