11 in Trail Running Shoes
Hoka - EVO Speedgoat
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Reddit Reviews:
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Based on 1 year's data from Feb 24, 2026 How it works
Liked most:
39
17
"super comfy (my knees ache so much less on descents with them) ... I can’t stress enough how much they’ve helped my bad left knee on descents."
"super comfy (my knees ache so much less on descents with them) ... I can’t stress enough how much they’ve helped my bad left knee on descents."
"super comfy (my knees ache so much less on descents with them) ... I can’t stress enough how much they’ve helped my bad left knee on descents."
46
10
"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’ve done owls head, Zealand, the tris, carters, kinsman’s, twins + galehead, Madison and Adams, and Washington all in the same pair and they’re holding up well."
15
14
"most durable shoe I've ever had. ... I have over 800 miles on them, foam is dead, but still a bit of traction left. ... Never got even half of that in other speedgoats outsole."
"most durable shoe I've ever had. ... I have over 800 miles on them, foam is dead, but still a bit of traction left. ... Never got even half of that in other speedgoats outsole."
"most durable shoe I've ever had. ... I have over 800 miles on them, foam is dead, but still a bit of traction left. ... Never got even half of that in other speedgoats outsole."
32
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."
"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."
31
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"
"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"
20
10
"super comfy (my knees ache so much less on descents with them) ... I can’t stress enough how much they’ve helped my bad left knee on descents."
"The Hoka SG is far better at protecting the bottoms of your feet."
"I had no blisters nor other foot problens with my hoka speedgoats."
18
13
"The Hoka SG is far better at protecting the bottoms of your feet."
"I had no blisters nor other foot problens with my hoka speedgoats."
"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."
Disliked most:
11
23
"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."
"The vibram kept separating from the midsole on mine after 50 or 100 miles."
4
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"
2
8
"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"
"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"
1
8
"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."
"I’ve never rolled my ankles as much as I do in speedgoats"
"if you start impacting closer to the heel they start getting clunky and cumbersome because there’s almost no rocker to help roll you forward"
1
5
"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%."
"if you start impacting closer to the heel they start getting clunky and cumbersome because there’s almost no rocker to help roll you forward"
"if you start impacting closer to the heel they start getting clunky and cumbersome because there’s almost no rocker to help roll you forward"
3
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."
2
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%."
"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)"
"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)"
0
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%."
"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)"
"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)"
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%."
AuxonPNW 1.0Yes! 100% yes! I retired mine after 500 miles years ago not knowing it would be impossible to find the right balance again.
Speedgoat EVO was even better
Enbytrailrunner 1.0Speedgoat EVO or GTFO.
As a fan of the Speedgoat 2 and the EVO, I shifted to other brands until the Mafate 5 came around (which I love for longer/slower runs). I tried the Speedgoat 7 in the same size as my Mafate 5... And I'm going to go up a half size. The toe box is much lower volume than the Mafate 5 (and tapers like older Speedgoat models).
endeesr3alm 1.0This is a good suggestion, although I think the latest Speedgoats are now a clear step below the Mafate Speed 4, which are better in every way. They also both come in a wide option. For a more technical shoe with better lugs, look at Inov8 - the TrailFly is good for longer, faster paths, and the TrailTalon for deeper, muddier or more difficult terrain. They come in Max, Speed and Zero Drop options, and they have an anatomical toe box shape like Topo.
Hello. I come from the same issue. I had major issues with Plantar Fasciitis after running in the Speedcross and S/Lab Speed for many years. My first shoe was the Hoka Speedgoat Evo. That was an epic shoe, but sold out everywhere so quickly I only ever ran in one pair. Since then I’ve tried many similar shoes, looking for great grip, soft and bouncy ride, but good stability as I over-pronate, plus I recently developed osteoarthritisin my big toes. So, I really rate the following: - Hoka Mafate Speed 4. Good all rounder - Salomon S/lab genesis. A little narrow and unstable but speedy and shed mud quickly - La Sportiva Prodigeo Pro - great foam and good grip, lightweight. - Saucony Xodus Ultra - 1 and 3 are pretty good, ignore the 2. - Hoka Tecton X 3 - my go-to race shoe for hard packed trails and gravel I like the Speedgoat, Catamount, Fuji Lite, Ultra Glide too but they all have compromises that the shoes above don’t have in the same way.
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.
mattnotsosmall 1.0I think I've had 6 pairs from 3,4, evo, 5 and the 6 is by far the worst. 5 wore out fast, the 6 is likely the same but it's not in my rotation enough to die. I was the biggest sg fan but the dream is over, they suck now.
Revolutionary-Coast9 1.0I started with the Salomon Speedcross line, but they're kinda overkill for the Bay Area trails I run. I loved my Hoka EVO Speedgoats, but they didn’t last long. I’ve tried every Nike trail shoe and not a fan of the feel, though they look hella good. I’ll probably keep rotating between my Speedcross and Hokas.
StoppingPowerOfWater 1.0They need to just re-release the evo's...it's not that hard.
They were the best version of the speedgoat. Good foam(not really a supercritical bounce but still good). Good traction. And a perfect upper. They weren't overbuilt. Exactly what you needed to run nothing more.
Thelittleshepherd 1.0Hoka EVO speed goat
tyrannosaurarms 1.0The EVO Speedgoat was an amazing shoe for its time. I’d take that upper with the Tecton X3 midsole all day everyday (love the X3 but the upper doesn’t work well with my narrow heels).
uppermiddlepack 1.0Evo Speedgoat. Light, perfect blend of protection and bounce from the foam, excellent lockdown, and most durable shoe I've ever had. I have over 800 miles on them, foam is dead, but still a bit of traction left. Never got even half of that in other speedgoats outsole. It's like everything about the shoe was superior to the normal speedgoat. My hope is for the Evo Speedgoat 2, matrix upper and midsole foam from the Tecton.
I feel more agile in tech than any other shoe in recent memory. It reminds me a lot of the EVO Speedgoat (RIP)
sandiegolatte 0.2Speedgoat for The Rut worked well for me.
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