My Hoka One One Speedgoat 5 trail shoes have just passed 600km of use, and so I thought it was time to gather my thoughts on them so far and provide a short review.
Moving from the Speedgoat 4 to the Speedgoat 5
A couple of months ago my second pair of Speedgoat 4 trail shoes were looking rather worse for wear.
I really loved my Speedgoat 4 trail running shoes, and wanted to continue with a third pair. However local and online retailers had other ideas, and I could not find any stock.
The Speedgoat 5 had just been released so I thought I would give them a try.
(Ab)using the Hoka Speedgoat 5
Since purchasing this pair in mid-April, I’ve run two all day events. One ultramarathon in the Brecon Beacons and another ultra along the coastal path in the Vale of Glamorgan.
In addition to those events, I’ve added quite a few hundred additional training kilometers to them in various terrain types from gravel and dirt roads, tarmac, to soft and/or muddy woodland trail.
I’m happy to report that the shoes themselves have held up really well. The uppers on the Speedgoat 5 seem to be a little tougher than the Speedgoat 4 as both of my older pairs had started small holes in the uppers by this point (due to my wide feet).
The tread itself also seems to be quite durable on the Speedgoat 5. Some of my daily trail routes involve two or three kilometers of tarmac and I usually worry that this will abnormally wear down the lugs on my shoes. The lugs and general condition of the sole still seem just fine.
Speedgoat 5 dislikes
The very first (and only) dislike I have of the Speedgoat 5, is the tongue form and fit near the top of my ankle.
It tends to fit a little too snug against the tendon that runs from the bottom of my shin to my foot. I find this to be marginally less comfortable than the Speedgoat 4 tongue design.
However this might be amplified by the fact that I use heel lock lacing. Either way, it is less comfortable than the Speedgoat 4. I find myself leaving a slight bit more slack in the fit when tightening my laces.
Speedgoat 5 likes
There is much to like about the Speedgoat 5. They are a natural progression from the 4, and Hoka have mostly kept to their recipe that just seems to ‘work’.
I like the cushioning that the shoe provides on trails hard or soft. I also like the grip provided by the vibram soles. Durability-wise they seem to be do the trick for me. I do suspect that my wide feet will eventually wear holes in the uppers again though.
They’re stable shoes on the trail and I find they suit a wide variety of surface types. They’re great all-rounder trail running shoes in my opinion.
In terms of the generation leap, they’re slightly lighter than the previous, and have an upgraded vibram sole with improved lugs. I think it is generally safe to say that if you are a fan of the Speedgoat 4, then you’ll love these.
Final thoughts
Overall I am happy with the Speedgoat 5. I don’t honestly feel a lot of difference with the general improvements over the 4. It is nice knowing there are improvements though, including the reduction in weight. Over time this surely makes a difference.
I will be getting a second pair soon, and with fairly wide feet I think I will definitely try the ‘wide (EE)’ edition. I’ll also change colour up if I can – the Duffel Bag / Thyme colour style looks great!
Through mostly dry season the Speedgoat 5 trail shoes have held up well for me. They’ve been comfortable through two ultra marathons (14 and 7 hours respectively) and still seem to be holding together even after quite a bit of mileage in a short period of time.
Update (14/12/2022): I am now on my third pair of Speedgoat 5 trail shoes. I didn’t yet manage to find the wide version, but the normal edition has been working well for me. I’ve tallied up about 1800 km across the previous two pairs of Speedgoat 5 shoes and their uppers are still perfectly intact (900km each). They are getting low on tread, but still work well for training runs.
Isn’t it great when you’ve found “your” shoe? I know quite a few trail runners here in Switzerland who love the Speedgoat.
I tried Hokas a few years ago, I can’t remember which type of shoe. Funnily, I had exactly the same complaint about the tongue, it pressed too hard on the upper front part of the foot.
I wish you many more happy (ultra) miles with the Speedgoats, Sean!
I’m glad its not only me experiencing the uncomfortable tongue! I still wonder if its related to heel lock lacing or not. I will try a few runs without that. I see many runners in the signature orange SG4 shoes at events these days. It’s definitely a ‘classic’ trail shoe now I would say. Thanks Catrina!
I’m still not thrilled with the heel flare. I find it collects debris on scrambles, snowy traverses, and technical trails. That, and it expands a ton when wet, requiring regular lace adjustment. Still my go-to shoe, but the retired Evo version was perfect.
Sounds like your trails are quite different to the ones I’m used to Kevin – thanks for the comment! Currently I am also on the Speedgoat 5 as my go-to shoe, and although I didn’t ever run in the evo, the concept of the stretchable piece on the upper from the toes to the midfoot to keep things snug, yet expandable sounds perfect. It’s too bad that we couldn’t get the perfect in-between hybrid of both models.