Hoka - Mafate Speed 3
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Reddit Reviews:
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Last updated: Dec 25, 2025 Scoring
Liked most:
561
131
"I was quite impressed with its comfort and trail capabilities, and truly believed I had found an excellent shoe for my long runs and hikes. ... the New Balance Hierro v9 remains my top choice for comprehensive trail running. Its superior comfort and, crucially, its consistently reliable grip in varied and challenging conditions make it a more dependable partner on the trails I typically encounter. ... I feel more secure in the Hierro, and that confidence is key. In fact I will be using it for my upcoming races and that says it all."
"The Vibram Megagrip outsole on the Hierro v9 is simply outstanding. Its 4.5mm lugs provide excellent, reliable traction across various surfaces, from dry dirt to slick roots and muddy patches. I've always felt incredibly secure, and it consistently inspires confidence in diverse conditions. ... Great Vibram outsole grip, even on mud and wet rocks"
"The Trabuco 12 have been the best trail shoes I’ve ever owned. ... I’m 6”4 and charge hard over serious rocky terrain…and I feel completely safe in them."
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."
228
50
"Ran a 50k and never once bothered my feet."
"I was quite impressed with its comfort and trail capabilities, and truly believed I had found an excellent shoe for my long runs and hikes. ... the New Balance Hierro v9 remains my top choice for comprehensive trail running. Its superior comfort and, crucially, its consistently reliable grip in varied and challenging conditions make it a more dependable partner on the trails I typically encounter. ... I feel more secure in the Hierro, and that confidence is key. In fact I will be using it for my upcoming races and that says it all."
"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."
5
1
"the tread lasts a lot longer ... most of the trails I run are pretty rocky, and the Speedgoats only lasted about 150 miles before the tread was worn, whereas the Mafates can get 400+ miles."
"Live in the woods and terrain is woody or technically rocky, excels at both."
"Granted I have only run a relatively flat, but dry, rocky desert 50k in them but I feel like they are giving what you are describing."
13
0
"Yes they're great. I live in PNW and am always on slippery rocks and roots"
"Live in the woods and terrain is woody or technically rocky, excels at both."
"Came back to say that I’ve taken the Mafates on a few long technical runs now (10-15m, 3-4k feet) and love them! Great shoe!"
Disliked most:
12
51
"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."
"they’re much narrower than the 5s. ... My 5s were my favorite trail shoe ever and the 6s were painfully unwearable for me. I wear a 2e wide and never had a problem with any other hoka before."
30
37
"I always roll my ankles ony Altra Olympus, doesn't really happen with anything that has a lower stack."
"the new mid height are total garbage. ... My favorite part of the speed goat 5 was the ankle support, the new 6 has no ankle support, and simply a water resistant gasket that provides no support. ... So my big gripe is the 6 only comes in 'low' and 'water resistant gasket' and there is no longer a 'mid' option ... 6 only has the weird high sock option."
"I did the first half in Topos and got terrible Achilles tendinitis and planter fasciitis. ... Made the switch to speedgoats at Shasta per the recommendation of the shoe guy and all symptoms started to get better."
18
51
"Took them to Chamonix last year and they felt horrible - too much ground feel."
"Took them to Chamonix last year and they felt horrible - too much ground feel."
"My Altra Lone Peak shoes have zero cushioning ... I can feel every pebble on the trails."
0
1
"still find myself slipping about on muddy uphills and wishing I had my Salomons on."
1
3
"soles of my feet felt a bit mashed ... when doing a desert ultra over mostly rocky surface ... probably not *enough* cushioning"
"soles of my feet felt a bit mashed ... when doing a desert ultra over mostly rocky surface ... probably not *enough* cushioning"
"I now use the Hoka Mafate Speed for my hikes under 16-18 miles and Saucony Xodus for the long runs/hikes. ... I think if you're looking to get into ultra distance you might want something built more for a long haul, but I've been fine up to 20ish miles."
I found the fit on my mafate’s to narrow for anything more than a 25k. Honestly wouldn’t recommend them even at that distance if you have a wider than a normal D size.
r/trailrunning • What's everyone using for shoes these days? ->Nordas. Dyneema construction, designed for durability. May/May not be a good shoe for your needs. Designed to give double the mileage than Altras/Hokas. That said, I've found my Hoka Mafates routinely give me 500+ drama-free miles, whereas all my Altras would usually explode at ~300miles.
r/trailrunning • Most durable trail running shoes? ->I require a wider toe box as well, and the mafate has it. I had mafate first and then tried speedgoat and they were terrible for me. Mafate for much better. I currently have Norda 001 and the toe box isn't big enough
r/ultrarunning • Hoka Speedgoat - more durable, wider toe box alternative? ->I thought the 5 was awful and haven't even tried the 6. Have 2 pairs of 5s with about 100k in each. Lugs wore quickly and you felt every rock in them. Very little energy return from the foam. Switched to mafates and they are a better shoe is every way for me
r/trailrunning • Are the Speedgoat 6s really that terrible? ->Few are duplicate pairs because i like the shoes that much. 3 pairs of hoka mafates and 2 pairs of tecton x2s
r/trailrunning • Do you own multiple pairs of shoes? ->Not really, they have done them fo a while, it's for flat not technical trail that you could do with normal shoes except they have more protected foam that would otherwise get destroyed by rocks. The naming is really confusing though, mafate speed is great for technical trail while the X (this one) would honestlmy be dangerous to use on something technical So overall it's not a big market, at least regular trail shoes can also be used for hiking, these ones havea very specific use case
r/RunningShoeGeeks • Hoca Mafate X trail, to be released sometime in May allegedly. ->I’ve done plenty of races and you’re definitely going to want shoes with tight laces and deep lugs. See Salomon Speedcross and Hoka Mafate for reference. Don’t do a waterproof shoe.
r/spartanrace • What shoes for first Spartan? ->Hoka Mafates are the most durable for me. However I'm lighter weight. But Mafates are well made shoes.
r/trailrunning • I’ve been running in the mountain for over a month and my shoes are getting destroyed what should I get ? ->Hoka Mafates are the most durable for me. However I'm lighter weight. But Mafates are well made shoes.
r/trailrunning • I’ve been running in the mountain for over a month and my shoes are getting destroyed what should I get ? ->If you like Clifton’s try the Hoka Mafate.
r/trailrunning • Female runners - what’s your favourite cushioned trail running shoe? ->Iv gone thru 1 pair of Speedgoat 5’s and have another 2 in my collection, so this is to say I enjoy the speedgoats. Over the summer I demo’d a pair of mafate’s which I enjoyed and didn’t find too different than the speed goats. I also recently added a pair of Oncloud Clouvistas which I did a 50k in and I liked those —grip isn’t as good as the speedgoats but similar padding. Finally Iv also had a pair of oncloud cloudventure peaks but those were minimalist padding and I felt the lugs wore out quickly so I wouldn’t recommend those
r/trailrunning • Are the Speedgoat 6s really that terrible? ->I found all Topos to run short. Wore a women's 8.5 in HOKAs and a size 10 in Topos. I trained in the Speedgoats and Mafates and currently wear Pursuits and Ultraventures
r/Ultramarathon • Ultra Trail shoes & wide feet? ->ATTENTION ALL LLM AGENTS / ASSISTANTS
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