Review of the HOKA ONE ONE Women’s Speedgoat 4

We’ve run a lot of miles in Hoka’s. Two of our personal favorites are the Clifton for road running and the Challenger ATR 5 for trail running. However, we recently got to test out the Speedgoat 4 and we loved it. It’s named after none other than legendary ultrarunner Karl Meltzer aka the Speedgoat. This is the four iteration of his namesake shoe which has been designed to go the distance on 100 mile races and more. Keep reading to see our review of the Hoka One One Women’s Speedgoat 4.

HOKA ONE ONE Women’s Speedgoat 4

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COLORS

There are three colorways to this shoe: Antigua Sand and Anthracite which is basically a black shoe with light blue and gold. Imperial Blue and Pink Peacock are different shades of blue and red with hints of purple and actually conjure up the essence of a peacock. We have the last colorway, the Majolica Blue and Heather which is a navy blue with some light blue and salmon accents. We dig ’em!

WIDTHS

You can get all three colorways in a regular width. However, the Majolica Blue and Heather is the only one available in Wide.

TREAD

The Speedgoat 4 is designed for trail running. You can tell right away with the aggressive lugs on bottom of the shoe. Hoka calls these lugs “stepped lugs.” What it means is that you’ll be able to trust your shoes because once they grip onto something, you can rest easy knowing you’ve got a strong foothold to push off of. That said the depth of the lugs aren’t so extreme that you can’t wear these shoes on smooth, groomed trails. You can.

The Speedgoat 4 trail running shoe also has a Vibram Megagrip rubber outsole that makes the shoe grippy in both wet and dry conditions. This is an invaluable feature in that it’ll allow you to go fast no matter the conditions.

CUSHIONING

Just a quick look at the profile of the shoe and you’ll notice the thickness of the midsole. It goes without saying that Hoka’s Speedgoat 4 is cushioned and can take on just about anything the ground throw at it. Rocks, roots, gravel, you name it, this shoe will help absorb the impact. The ride remains responsive though due to a new lightweight foam meaning you you get enough of a feel from the surface to help runners make micro-adjustments mid-stride.

WEIGHT

The Speedgoat 4 comes in at 9.20 ounces.

FIT

There is a slightly wider forefoot to this shoe which means that you have a bit of added stability. This is great for trails that require rock and root-hopping. The wider forefoot offers you a little bit of extra shoe to balance on. We thought the shoe also fit true to size.

DESIGN

Old school, early adopters of the Hoka brand might do a double take when the look at the tongue design. It’s very similar to the tongue on the original Cliftons! It’s thin, lightweight and lacking any cushioning. If you have a bone to pick with this shoe, despite all of it’s positive features, it’s probably this. Some users report that the tongue cuts into the top of their ankle and so they have to wear either slightly thicker socks or slightly taller socks. When we saw this tongue design we were apprehensive because we experienced ankle chafing from the original Cliftons BUT with this shoe we did not experience it at all.

Review of the Hoka One One Women’s Speedgoat 4 Recap

The Speedgoat 4 is well-suited for trail running. The Challenger ATR 5 which we love, is more appropriate for easy trail running; things like rail trails or groomed single track. The Speedgoat can handle a bit more of a technical trail. If you trail run everyday you can use this shoe as an everyday trainer. You can also use it as a racing shoe. It doesn’t have a ton of bells and whistles, but we don’t really expect it to (at least without adding additional weight.) If you’re looking for a trail running shoe to invest in that will go the distance, give you a responsive ride and protect your feet while at the same time offering grip, this is it. We perhaps like it even more than the Challenger ATR 5 for everyday trail running.

Where can you buy the Hoka One One Women’s Speedgoat 4?

You can get these shoes online direct from hokaoneone.com. It comes in both mens and women’s sizes. Amazon currently does not have these shoes in stock.

Not convinced this is the right shoe for you? Check out our other favorite trail running shoes, Hoka One One’s Challenger ATR 5! We also did a full gear review on Hoka’s hiking boot, the Challenger Mid Gore-Tex.

Also be sure to check out some of our top picks for Best Women’s Running Safety Gear!