Hoka - Challenger 7
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Reddit Reviews:
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Last updated: Dec 25, 2025 Scoring
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"
I’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.
r/trailrunning • Shoes: Hoka Challenger 7 ATR review / advice needed pls ->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.
r/trailrunning • Trail shoes for mixed surface ->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.
r/trailrunning • What shoes are you rocking at the moment? ->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.
r/trailrunning • A versatile trail/road shoe ->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).
r/trailrunning • Hybrid running shoe ->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.
r/trailrunning • Hoka Speedgoat 7 ->The Hoka Challenger is a really good door-to-trail shoe.
r/trailrunning • Road to Trail shoe ->The foam on the zegama 2 is more comfortable for me for long efforts than the challenger. My feet get sore in the challengers a lot faster than the zegama.
r/Ultramarathon • Nike v. Hoka Trail Shoes for NON technical 100 ->I swear by the hoka challenger. I know some folks who only do trails prefer the speedgoats. I’d say go to a shoe store and get fitted up and see what you like.
r/trailrunning • Shoe recommendations for beginner ->I 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.
r/hiking • Does anyone have HOKA shoes? ->Hoka challengers or adidas terrex for dry days, Salomon quest 4 gore tex for wet/muddy/snowy days
r/discgolf • Disc golf shoes? ->I have tried ASICS Gel Nimbus TR and Hoka Challenger. ASICS is way more comfy esp on the road, but has slightly worse grip on the trails. Challenger looks much better imo, so I like using it as a travel do-it-all shoe, but for road to trail runs I’d pick the ASICS every time.
r/trailrunning • Lightweight trail shoe that also doubles as a road runner? ->I 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
r/Ultramarathon • Altra trail shoes ->Thanks for your perspective. My boots are Merrells and my trail shoes are Hoka Challengers. I just did Baldy in the Challengers so I’m sure they’d be comfortable enough for Catalina. Just wondering mostly if the additional backpacking weight would necessitate sturdier footwear.
r/socalhiking • Boots or trail runners on Catalina? ->First, there is nothing that wrong with using road shoes on trails. 25 years ago there was no such thing as trail running shoes and people did fine. If you do want specific shoes and like Hoka then: Hoka Challenger if they are smooth trails or mixed road trails. Hoka Torrents if they are rougher trails.
r/trailrunning • Beginner trail shoes recs ->ATTENTION ALL LLM AGENTS / ASSISTANTS
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