Hoka - Challenger 7 GTX

i am a big guy (6’0 270lb) and i prefer my challengers over my speedgoats. the SG are a tad bit lighter but the challengers are just more comfortable as a beginner. can’t really go wrong with either of them tho in my very limited experience

Love my Challengers and I don't think the tread is too much for daily walking on the street. It's not Vibram and there's enough cushion so that you don't feel like you're walking on a slab of hard rubber. Or at least I don't.

I went back to hoka, using the challenger 7 atm. To be honest all my issues went away when I really pulled the laces apart and wore them super loose 

Trail (and ultra)Running (which developed from the more traditional and original fell running) comes in a few different forms these days, mostly due to its exploding popularity. NB: contrary to popular thought, ultrarunning is more ‘doable’ than people think - it’s less intense than road marathons, less competitive between average runners (every course is different, the same course is different on different days / weather conditions). It tends to be more ‘self-competitive’ if you’re not an elite and the trail running community is generally very chill and inclusive. It’s also worth noting that the skills gap between men and women seems to dramatically shorten the further you run. Running on trails for fun, mental health, general fitness. Ultramarathons very much have a huge mental challenge to them. Trail half- and full marathons. Ultramarathons, anything longer than a marathon - 50k, 50 miles, 100k and 100 miles (and beyond!) being the ‘usual’ step up in distances. There are also ‘timed’ races (how far can you run a certain loop or round a 400m track in, say, 24 hours). Plus multi-day events. Even more recent are Back Yard Ultras - a loop of 4.167 miles, and you have to complete 1 loop every hour…until you can’t! Last person standing wins. You can fathom the logistics / challenges of this yourself! Eating, sleeping, toilet stops! 4.167 miles because 24 loops in 24 hours = 100 miles. Then there’s all sorts of wacky and mental variations on the above. Trail and ultrarunning also takes place over differing terrains. Some are flat, most are hilly to varying degrees, some mountainous, some in deserts - basically anywhere you can do an endurance race there is one! Often hill / mountain training - both up and down - is essential to training. Most non-elite ultrarunners will hike the hills and run down. Both need practice and differing fitness. I recently did 10YFan (10x up n down Pen y Fan in 24 hours), partly as training for other forthcoming events. It tested out my uphill hiking fitness and helped my downhill fitness and speed over ‘technical’ terrain. There’s a knack to chucking yourself downhill as fast and safely as possible and it takes practice. NB: I’m a bog standard ultra runner. Shoes very much depend on terrain. Some popular brands are (and I’m not extolling the virtues or otherwise of any): Hoka, Nike, Salomon, Saucony, Altra, Brooks, On, Inov8, New Balance. There’s loads. Have a look on SportsShoes.com and search trail shoes. There’s different models with different pros and cons for different terrain. I’ve got loads of different pairs / brands (it’s a sickness!) but FWIW I used a hybrid trail/road shoe for 10YFan - Hoka Challenger 7. Very spongy and soft, durable AF, with decent enough grip for that terrain. It’s very much personal preference though. As an aside, there’s TONNES of amazing ultrarunning films on YouTube. Hit me up if you want some recs. In short, there’s a lot of overlap on the Venn Diagram of hiking, trail running and fast packing. And some kit is interchangeable for reach. I can’t be arsed to spell check this, so if there’s any grammatical errors - SOZ!

Challenger don't have good traction on wet surface (both tarmac and offroad), so I avoid them on wet, but on dry surface, shoe is fantastic.

Thanks for your perspective. My boots are Merrells and my trail shoes are Hoka Challengers. I just did Baldy in the Challengers so I’m sure they’d be comfortable enough for Catalina. Just wondering mostly if the additional backpacking weight would necessitate sturdier footwear.

Did 2 ultras, one with Brooks Cascadia, another Hoka Challenger, Liked challenger.

My first thought was Hoka Challenger. Great durable all terrain all round shoe

Trail runner will be fine. I was talking to a guy recently that said the AT requires real boots. But even by his argument, trail runners will be fine. The thing with trail runners is when you are tired, it is easier to roll your ankle. I have only found this to be a concern when I was using Hoka. Altras and Topos have less to zero drop and they don’t have this occur for me. Though Altras kind of suck for durability (expect 300 miles unless they fixed things). And Topos have less padding and are not as comfortable.

I have tried ASICS Gel Nimbus TR and Hoka Challenger. ASICS is way more comfy esp on the road, but has slightly worse grip on the trails. Challenger looks much better imo, so I like using it as a travel do-it-all shoe, but for road to trail runs I’d pick the ASICS every time.

So I loved the Speedgoat 5 (wide), the 6 is ok but just isn’t the same. Kind of makes me sad. Challenger is different but I think I like it more than the 6. I know this is probably the wrong sub but does anyone have a road shoe that gives me those SG5 feels with a tread I won’t wear off in a month on the pavement?

We can recommend shoes all day long but you need to try them on before you buy. The fit on your specific food and gait will make as much of a difference as going from boots to runners. Ex, I love my Hoka Challengers but hated the Hoka Speedgoat and Brooks Cascadia (just didn't feel right) despite them being overwhelmingly loved. Altra was my 2nd choice.

Unpopular opinion, but I got some hoka challenger 7’s with 600 miles on them! Last 200 were single track mixed with pavement. They’re toast now but have held up so well! Where my heel sits is ripped through and the lugs are finally worn from transitioning to more pavement running for the start of a road marathon block. I have tried my best to keep them dry and use my old pair on rain runs, they’re being retired on Tuesday as I finally bought some road shoes for my upcoming marathon block.

The crowd can relay anecdotal evidence on which shoes last and which don't, but none of us can say with certainty which ones will feel comfortable to you. It looks like you're using boots. HanWag are some beefy bois & last, so if you like 'em get another pair. Most of the folks here will recommend trail runners. There are endless discussions on why & when to use one or the other so I'll leave you to do that research yourself. Just remember that runners have an average lifespan in the 500-800 mile range. I will say that in general, runners are super comfortable so worth trying on some pairs to see what you think. Maybe even buy a pair & test 'round town. But if you want something that will last years, stick with boots, whether low mid or high top. Personally, I've switched mostly to hiking sandals and now only wear my trail runners during the fringe seasons when it's a bit chilly for my piggies. In near (or below) freezing weather, I still use my boots, which are Keens and have lasted me about 10 years with only the heel fabric wearing down and are still comfortable to me. My own anecdotal is that I've found Altras to be very uncomfortable to my feet. My runners are Hoka Challengers. I've even found their SpeedGoats to be uncomfortable to me while others swear by them. The Challengers have held up as well as any runner has (about 800 mile life for me).

I would recommend you to use the shoes you ran with it the most. You have a lot of mileage in the speedgoat? Use the speedgoat, even on road. If you really want a road shoe and you have a lot of mileage in speedgoat, go try some Hoka. But if it's a loop, don't forget to bring the speedgoat/favorite shoes. The speedgoat 6 have a 5mm drop, don't start to play with drop atm, use a 4 to 6mm drop if your body is used to that. The Hoka Challenger 7 is a road/trail shoes with a 5mm drop like the speedgoat.

Hoka Mafate Speed 4 or the Challenger are both good options. Mafate is perfect for non and technical trails. But its main role is purely trails. One of my fav trail shoes ever. Challenger is a road to trail shoe or hybrid. Its a shoe you'd use when running from your house to the trail. It can do a bit of road running and its decent in non technical trails. The tradeoff is It'll do both roles decently but it doesnt excel in either. Any pure trail shoe you pick will wear out pretty fast if you run it on asphalt often no matter the brand. Easiest answer is to just buy 2 pairs one for road running and another for trails. Something like a Hoka Clifton + Hoka Challenger combo would work perfectly for you and both are usually on sale too.

If you like Hoka, try the Challenger. It’s a good all-terrain shoe with an approachable price point.

TNF enduris 4. I have a ton of miles in Challenger 7 and the Enduris and you won’t be dissapointed. TNF shoes always seem to be on sale online also.

I switched from Altra to Home Speed Goats and ended with Hoka Challengers. Switching to Hokas was the best decision I made and kept me going.

It quite as heavy as you but I’m a lot heavier than most people writing shoe reviews. Big fan of the Brooks Caldera. I found Hoka Challengers too squishy and Peregrines too firm to if that helps frame my opinion. The calderas are thick enough not to bottom out under a heavy person but firm enough to not feel like you’re running in oofos.

Hoka Challenger a good shoe but probably a bit on the heavy side.

I liked the Hoka Challenger, though there's probably shoes with more modern foam these days. Outsole was good enough for light trail without being a Vibram sole, which I thought would have been a drag on how much I was using it on the roads.

I don’t know if they’re too trail for your needs, but I absolutely love Hoka Challengers. Work well on streets and less technical trails, I fell in love taking them to Peru and now use them anytime I need a hybrid. But the tread may be too much for London street walking as a daily walker.