All shoes are reviewed by the Fleet Feet tester team, which represents a wide variety of goals, foot shapes, running locations and terrains. Reviewers pound the pavement, climb the hills, tackle the trails, then come together to compare notes. Debates ensue over the feel of the cushioning, the purpose of the shoe, and how it compares to last year’s model. While each reviewer has their own individual preferences, we hope that capturing our debates will help you make an informed decision.
What do trail runners and goats have in common? They’re both good at climbing, can run up to a 4 minute-per-mile pace and are happiest in herds! While the 4 minute-per-mile pace may be an exaggeration for 99% of trail runners, goats can run up to 15 miles per hour. It makes sense that the aptly named HOKA Speedgoat has been a longtime trail favorite thanks to its agile cushioning, grippy lugs and protective upper.
Fleet Feet reviewers were lucky enough to test a special Western States Endurance Run-colorway of the HOKA Speedgoat 6, available June 15. In this review, you’ll get to read what they thought straight from the horse’s–or goat’s–mouth:
- Kate, who lives minutes away from the Pisgah National Forest and whose first love is running on trails
- Max, a Midwestern native who heads to the trails to escape the hustle and bustle of downtown Chicago
- Nate, an avid trail runner who just completed a challenging 50K in the Columbia River Gorge
- Brandon, a trail newbie and recent Seattle transplant who’s just beginning to explore all that the Pacific Northwest has to offer
Kate
I’ve been wearing some iteration of the HOKA Speedgoat since 2018, so I’m always happy to test the latest version of this shoe! As a weartester, I receive a lot of shoes, so I don’t hang onto every pair unless I really love it. All that said, it’s been over 2 years since the Speedgoat updated and I last ran in the 5s a week or two ago.
When I got the 6, I could tell just by looking at it that it’s the Speedgoat. The color scheme is fun, bright and different than the last version, but the shape looks the same, down to the slightly flared out heel collar (a feature I really like since it avoids rubbing on my achilles). The tongue is mostly the same–a short, thin piece of fabric with a suede-like fabric against the top of my foot.
The Speedgoat 6 has a little bit more padding in the center of the tongue, which is new and offers protection from tightly tied laces. I wish the tongue was longer and came up higher on my foot, but it’s not a deal breaker. That was my only complaint with the Speedgoat 5, too. The Speedgoat 6 also sports a new heel tab loop for pulling the shoe on.
The Speedgoat 6 fits true to size, and I would say it fits exactly the same as the 5. The toe box doesn’t have a lot of height to it and it’s not particularly wide, either, but it fits my feet just fine. I don’t want a ton of space for my feet to slosh around in when I’m running up and down hills or darting around on single track.
The Speedgoat has always been a pretty plush trail shoe. It’s got a thickly padded heel collar (not the tongue, though) and the cushion underfoot is thick. But it isn’t squishy underfoot, like I remember my very first pair to be. The Speedgoat offers plenty of padding to muffle the feeling of rocks underfoot, but I don’t feel it compressing with every step, and I think that’s a good thing for a trail shoe.
The upper in the 6 is a textile woven knit upper that doesn’t have much give to it, which helps the fit feel secure on my foot and helps me feel more confident taking turns and on technical and rocky terrain. While the upper feels a bit less breathable than what I remember from the Speedgoat 3, it provides a better lockdown fit and it’s more durable at the cost of breathability. The tongue lays nice and flat atop my foot, thanks to the gusset as well as a loop in the middle of the tongue that the laces weave through to keep it centered.
The rubber protection on the tip of the toe box is great and really protects my toes in case I just so happen to stub my toe on a root or rock. I don’t remember the toe cap being so pronounced on the Speedgoat 3, but that could be some revisionist history and recency bias.
Nate:
The Speedgoat 6 is certainly an iconic shoe in the HOKA lineup. Like Kate, I love the sloped heel collar that not only doesn’t rub my achilles but it makes it super easy to slip in and out of. The tongue is gusseted to stay locked in place, with some reinforced padding on top for those steep trail days when I really need to lock down the fit with tighter lacing. The Speedgoat hugs my midfoot nicely with just enough room to accommodate my wider, higher volume feet. My big toes get pushed inwards a tad, but nothing more serious than any other running shoes out there (besides Altra).
The upper provides a solid sense of security and durability. The material feels lightweight, but I can also tell it will handle scuffs, rocks, roots and anything else just fine. The shoe fits true to size with a straightforward lacing system. Also, this purple, orange, red and yellow colorway is reminiscent of a vibrant sunset after a long day on the trails. insane–literally.
Kate:
My first run in the Speedgoat 6 was a 6.5-mile run in Bent Creek Experimental Forest in North Carolina on a mix of gravel service roads and single track trail. It was the day after a big rain, so the trails were a bit muddy. My first few miles reminded me that the Speedgoat typically feels a bit stiff at first, but seemed to feel better as I kept running.
The brand new lugs on the Speedgoat 6 felt nice and grippy compared to my old pair! I felt secure in places where the ground was a little slippery. I think this shoe really shines for running on gravel. The padding is thick enough to muffle the feel of rocks underfoot, but I still have a good sense of my surroundings which helps me feel confident when the footing is uneven.
The Speedgoat 6 has enough cushion to feel comfortable and protective, but I like that it’s not squishy on the run. I need a stable surface between me and the trail.
Max:
The Vibram® Megagrip outsole with 5-millimeter lugs honestly offers some of the best traction in the game. Not much has changed since the Speedgoat 3 in terms of the outsole, other than what I read from HOKA: they changed the positioning of the lugs to mimic a goat’s hoof, which is a nice, quirky little ode to the name of the shoe itself. Whether it makes a difference, I can’t tell you.
Underfoot, the Speedgoat 6 feels firmer than I remember, but not in a bad way. The responsiveness of the midsole combined with that stiff upper is where this shoe shines. It doesn’t feel clumsy at quicker paces. I bombed some downhills in this shoe and felt a lot more confident doing so than in my HOKA Mafate Speed 4, which has a bit of ProFly+ foam in the midsole, which is a bit softer and bouncier. During my two-mile run along an old rail trail that’s now lined with rocks, the firm and responsive midsole provided really great stability where a softer foam might not. Plus, the lugs performed well when I hit some muddy patches of the trail.
Kate:
I would recommend the Speedgoat 6 to people who are out for a long trail run, an easy trail run, or who like to run on terrain that isn’t super steep. This shoe can handle climbing just fine, but when I’m doing a really tough climb I don’t want too much padding between my feet and the trail. If I’m on super technical terrain, I want to be in more direct contact with the surface under my feet. Otherwise, this trail shoe is great for all kinds of trail running or hiking. I’d also recommend the Speedgoat to people who like cushioned shoes that aren’t super squishy.
Max:
The Speedgoat 6 is a pretty agreeable shoe that will make a good first trail shoe for beginners. While I might pull out the HOKA Mafate Speed 4 for gravel, I’m pulling out the Speedgoat 6 for aggressive, technical trails.
Nate:
If you’re not like me and your calves enjoy a rocker shape, the Speedgoat 6 is a great do-it-all, mountain adventure shoe with enough underfoot protection and amazing grip to handle any distance from a half marathon to an ultra. I’ve personally seen this as many people’s go-to 50K shoe if they haven’t graduated to the carbon-plated HOKA Tecton X 2.
Brandon:
I mainly tested the Speedgoat 6 on hard-packed gravel and mild trail terrain. I’m looking forward to trying the shoes out on some more intense terrain, should I get the opportunity. The Speedgoat is one of those shoes I’ll grab for more than just running. I think it can be great for walking and hiking, too. I live in Seattle, where the weather is often wet and the trails get muddy, meaning having a reliable, grippy trail shoe makes all of the difference.
