Of the Hoka Speedgoat 4, 5 and 6, my favorite was the Speedgoat 5. Each version got lighter, and the 6 added a lot more stack height and a padded tongue, but the 5 just felt best under my foot, and I've run almost 1,000 miles in them. This is my comparison from July 2024, a month before UTMB.
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2026 update: I've since switched to Asics, and I love them. You can see what I'm running in now in my gifts for trail runners guide.
Why I love Speedgoats
Speedgoats were my favorite trail running shoes. I love the cushioning and the traction they give me on the trails, and they're unlike any other shoes I'd used before them.
When I finally completed my first 100 mile race, the year before this comparison, after trying to run 100 miles for 10 years, I did it in a pair of Speedgoat 4s. It poured rain the whole day and the trails were muddy and slippery, but thanks to these shoes I got to that finish line for the first time. Then I upgraded to the 5s, and a week before filming this I bought the 6s, which already had 100 miles on them.
Specs side by side
| Speedgoat 4 | Speedgoat 5 | Speedgoat 6 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weight | 10.8 oz (306 g) | 10.3 oz (292 g) | 9.8 oz (277 g) |
| Drop | 4 mm | 4 mm | 5 mm |
| Heel stack | 32 mm | 33 mm | 40 mm |
| Forefoot stack | 28 mm | 29 mm | 35 mm |
| Breathable | Yes | Yes | Not as much |
| Padded tongue | No | No | A little |
What stands out:
- They keep getting lighter. Each version is lighter than the one before.
- The 6 has a 1 mm higher drop.
- The 6 has way more cushion in the heel, which is great if you're a heel striker.
- The 6 doesn't breathe as well. I think the mesh upper is a little thicker than on the previous versions.
- The 6 finally has a little padding on the tongue. The 4s and 5s have none at all, so we're thankful for that.
What all three have in common
- Balanced cushioning
- 5 mm lugs
- Neutral stability
- EVA foam
- Vibram Megagrip and amazing traction
My favorite thing about each one
Speedgoat 4: it almost felt like a boat on the bottom of my foot, and honestly I kind of liked that. The soles flare out at the bottom, which for me gave more traction and felt more stable than the other models.
Speedgoat 5: it has a more rubbery feel. It's more flexible and easier to bend, almost like running on a slab of rubber. In my opinion that does a better job of absorbing blows to your feet from roots and rocks. It's the same foam as the 4 and the 6, but for some reason this sole just feels better under my foot.
Speedgoat 6: it's lighter and has the padded tongue, which I like more than the other two. I couldn't really feel the difference in weight because it isn't a huge drop, but once you're 100 miles into an ultra and just want a shoe that's easier to get off the ground, you'll start to feel it.
The pros of all Speedgoats
The traction with Vibram Megagrip is amazing, and so is the cushioning. Before Hoka came out with maximal running shoes, no one else was really doing that. Now it seems like every shoe company has a maximal shoe with all the cushioning you could ever want, and in my opinion that's a good thing.
I think the more stack height you have on a shoe, the less likely you are to get injured. In the year since I started wearing Speedgoats, I haven't been injured a single time. I used to have knee problems, and in Speedgoats I haven't had any knee problems at all.
The cons
- They make my ankle bones bleed. The 4s were the worst: they literally tore into my ankles. The 5s show some wear and tear where they rub. The 6s had no wear yet, but I could feel a slight bruising on long runs. That could also be my socks. I might need more padded ones.
- I lose toenails. Before Speedgoats I ran most of my ultras in road shoes, which was not a good idea and I wouldn't recommend it, but I wasn't losing toenails. Since switching to Speedgoats, my toenails haven't been the same.
- Blisters. I get them in Speedgoats too, but they're manageable and not too bad.
The winner: Speedgoat 5
My favorite edition was the Speedgoat 5. The one thing I'd trade from the 5 to the 6 is the winged part at the back for your Achilles tendon. On the 5 it's a lot longer than on the 6, which lets in more dirt and debris, though that's never really been a problem for me.
My first pair of 5s lasted 681 miles. They felt pretty good right up until the end, when they started losing their springiness and weren't absorbing my foot strikes as well. My second pair had 268 miles on them when I filmed this, so I've run almost 1,000 miles in Speedgoat 5s. That could be part of why they're my favorite: I've worn them the most.
Why I picked the 6 for UTMB
Even so, I ran UTMB in the Speedgoat 6s. The lugs on my 6s were still a little more intact, since they only had 100 miles on them, while the lugs on my 5s had worn down, and I wanted all the traction I could get on race day.
I was also hoping the rigidness of the 6 would act almost like a carbon plate and propel me to the finish line, and that the stiffer heel would help me not roll my ankle, which was a problem the last time I was in Chamonix. You can read how that went in my UTMB 2024 race report.
If you want to compare prices, here are the Hoka Speedgoats on Amazon. What's your favorite ultra running shoe? Tell me in the comments on the video.