Reviews & Ratings for Hoka Speedgoat 5 Wide Trailrunning Shoes - Women's — 2 reviews — Page 1

I was a longtime Bondi shoe devotee until it's last iteration in 2023. The switch to Speedgoat was seamless. There isn't quite as much room in the toe box, but the cushioning is phenomenal.

There's a lot to love with the Speedgoat 5s - if you can wear them. The new traction (lugs on lugs concept) is phenomenal. The cushioning is lively responsive. The shoes are super stable. The colors are fun. But after people spent years of asking Hoka to widen the toe box for the Speedgoat 4s, the company has gone and narrowed it again. I read countless reviews of the 5s before purchasing (I don't have a local running store so I have to buy online) and only one mentioned the slightly "redesigned" shape that allegedly accommodates more foot types. It does not accommodate mine. Hoka took the plastic overlays off the shoe and replaced them with an allegedly stretchy mesh upper, while making the actual toe box narrower. The mesh is supposed to stretch and give more room for your toes. It's more like a girdle that squeezes everything in. My toes went numb after 1.75 miles and the pinky and second toe on each foot were blistered by the end of my 10 mile run. The shoe was so tight it actually pushed my outer toe on top of my second toe by the time I finished. If you have narrow feet, this is probably a great option for you. But I have regular feet - with a narrow heel - and find these utterly unwearable. Hoka should be mentioning it in marketing materials and product descriptions. Since they aren't, I am.