Hoka’s Speedgoat 6 Will Have You Trail Running in Technicolour

The Hoka Speedgoat 6 is finally available in Australia but Matt got his cloven hooves on a pair a few weeks ago. These are his first impressions on the leading trail shoe.

Everyone and everything is ‘the GOAT’ these days. Lebron and Jordan. Messi and Ronaldo. Kendrick and Drake? Down Boots and Sandals?

Naturally, I wondered whether the Speedgoat 6 was the GOAT (Greatest Of All Trail-running-shoes). It’s in the name after all. Plus, getting to the 6th edition of any running shoe is no small feat and means they must be doing something right. Right?

The Speedgoat 6’s look like someone gave Willy Wonka a box of crayons and took out all the boring colours

The original Speedgoat was released way back in 2015 when trail running wasn’t even cool. 

Since then, the midsoles have stayed thicc and they’ve added new innovations nearly every year to arrive at the tutti frutti version I was given.

Hokaaay let’s go

A Quick Look at the Stats

Numbers don’t lie in the GOAT debate, so where does the Speedgoat 6 stack up?

• Price: $289.99. Definitely not cheap but the pointy end of $200 is where you’d expect to find a premier, non-carbon trail shoe these days. There are actually plenty of shoes pushing $300, not to mention the Salomon S/lab Ultras would set you back $379.99.
• Weight: 281g (US Men’s 10). Compared to the aforementioned 280g Salomon S/lab Ultra, The 318g New Balance Fresh Foam X Hierro v8 or 307g The North Face Vectiv Enduris 3 or 320g New Balance Fresh Foam X Trail Shoes. Therefore, it’s a very light shoe considering the amount of cushion you’re getting.
• Drop: 5mm. A nice middle ground for a do-it-all, technically minded player that could well be a number one pick in the draft.

This side profile shot of the shoes really shows how much stack height and hot pink cushion these things are packing

• Stack Height: 40mm at the heel and 35mm at the toe. Definitely on the stackier end of the market which Hoka is well known for, however I didn’t feel like this compromised the trail feel of the shoes. This is actually the maximum legal stack height for a carbon-plated road shoe uses in races.
• Midsole: A spongy CMEVA foam.
• Outsole: VIBRAM® Megagrip. One of the most common outsoles found on trail and hiking shoes, and for good reason. It performed admirably in our NNormal Kjerag vs Tomir comparison.

Ever seen a Sherbet/Beetroot goat?

The evolution of the GOAT – what’s new?

For those who own a pair of Speedgoat 5’s (released in 2022) you’ll be pleased to hear this updated model only builds on what was a very highly-regarded shoe. 

The Speedgoat 6 has a new woven upper that provides a lower profile, more concise fit. They’ve also pumped up the stack height from what was a 36.5mm heel and 32.5mm forefoot to the new 40mm/35mm heights. 

Impressively, while adding cushion, they’ve been able to shave weight. A US Men’s size 10 Speedgoat 5 weighed in at 292g versus the new 281g Speedgoat 6. This is thanks to the lighter CMEVA foam in the midsole. 

The shoe’s surface area has also been increased, going from 98mm to 102mm in the heel and an extra 3mm in the midfoot. 

This combines with a slight change to the formation of the 5mm lugs in the shoes sole in an attempt to improve what was already some great traction thanks to the Vibram Megagrip outsole.

The lugs are said to resemble goat hooves

First Thoughts After 50km

They’re billed as ‘a grippy, responsive ride for technical terrain’ with a middle of the range cushion profile and a neutral level of support and stability.

As someone who now owns four pairs of trail shoes from four different brands (much to my partner’s chagrin) I was curious to see where the Speedgoat 6 would fit into my weekly rotation.

They’re softer, yet more technical than my Salomon Ultra Glides which are my go-to-shoe for a mellow local fire trail and any mixed trail runs.

They’re similar to my The North Face Vectiv Enduris 3’s in their thicker midsole construction, which I use on more technical trails and for longer distances.

However, the Speedgoats are lighter than both and have much less padding in the tongue and upper part of the shoe. In fact, the tongue and upper isn’t padded at all. It’s as though Hoka have taken any ‘excess’ cushion and pumped it into the midsole, which seems to work, given how well they bounded off the trail.

Or maybe crazy colours make you run faster?

I almost see the Speedgoats fitting neatly in between my previous two options. I’m not ready to call them a unicorn but they’ve performed well on both easy-going sandy, gravel and mixed rocky trails as well as damp, technical, root infested single track where you need a sure foot. Ever seen a mountain goat going downhill? Sheeesh.

The grip is equal to, or better than my existing options with lugs that reach the very edge of the bottom of the shoe. So good in fact, I trudged a sandy trail through my apartment after my first outing in them (much to my partner’s chagrin, again).

I’ve actually been most surprised by how they’ve performed on roads and paths, especially considering their grippy outsoles. I’ve probably run 10km on the road getting to and from local trails and while they’re assuredly a trail shoe, they rolled nicely along the asphalt.

You can take this one between different terrains pretty easily

I’m looking forward to racking up the k’s in these as I start training for UTK50 later in the year.

If you’re looking for one trail shoe to do it all, the Speedgoat 6 is a great pick. As for GOAT status, it deserves to be in the conversation, and time will tell.

And boy does it perform well in low light (the colour)