Hoka - Mafate (1st Generation)

1st gen Mafate is still my favorite. Ugly as fuck, on the heavy side, but like running on a cloud. Just had to watch for ankle twists with that elevated footbed. They also had bomber uppers that would last 500+ miles. I re-soled mine to get even more life.

I’ve switched almost entirely to trail runners including on a lot,of rugged terrain. I did find that when I was using Hokas that I had an increased tendency to roll my ankle after about ten miles. I like the padding, but have found lower drop shoes to be better for this. Altras are good, but I destroy them in about 300 miles. Trying Topos right now. Not as padded, but low drop with a wide toe box and they seem to be holding up better.

Hello :) J'ai 3 paires : Hoka Speed Goat , Hoka Mafate et Salomon Sens Ride 5. Niveau souplesse et confort : les Hoka !

There's no such thing as beginner trail runner shoes. But if you like HOKA shoes, try the Speedgoat, Mafate, or the Challenger if you'll also be running on the road with the same shoes.

Iv gone thru 1 pair of Speedgoat 5’s and have another 2 in my collection, so this is to say I enjoy the speedgoats. Over the summer I demo’d a pair of mafate’s which I enjoyed and didn’t find too different than the speed goats. I also recently added a pair of Oncloud Clouvistas which I did a 50k in and I liked those —grip isn’t as good as the speedgoats but similar padding. Finally Iv also had a pair of oncloud cloudventure peaks but those were minimalist padding and I felt the lugs wore out quickly so I wouldn’t recommend those

Just bought me some Hoka Mafate for my first trail run which was a 1/2 marathon with lots of steep accents and descents. They did great and my feet also felt great.

Yeah - Hoka doesn’t make the rubber. But some vibram soles do seem better than others. Even within hoka, I think the mafate sole is grippier than the speedgoat.

When I started trail running, I went with the Mafates - I thought they were a good middle ground trail shoe and they were great. Then I got the On CloudUltra and hated them - for all the hype they felt like running with cinder blocks for the soles. Now with Speedgoats.

Mafate is a fun shoe but it has a plate and can hurt on pavement. I’d stay with a shoe without the rock plate, personally.

I use black Hoka trail runners. They are miraculous, I can go all day without pain now.

interesting! these are my first Topos and i can actually relate to you about the arch (my feet are flat af) but now my feet are pretty used to them. I used to run in the Hoka Mafate’s which i also loved but the toe box was too narrow and was giving me blisters, hence why I switched to Topos. when these ones bite the dust I definitely want to try out some other Topo shoes, i don’t think I can go back to the standard narrow toe box with other brands!

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'm currently using Hoka Mafates and loving them. They replaced my old speedboats and have been excellent. Fairly light, great grip and incredibly comfy.

The Mafates are good -I use them. That being said, when doing a desert ultra over mostly rocky surface the soles of my feet felt a bit mashed, probably not *enough* cushioning

Yup I’m also Mach on the road, Mafate on trail. I sized up the Mafate and it’s so comfortable

Get shoes wider or something that fits roomy not just a size up - your feet will swell but won’t get longer!! I did it in 2017 in Hoka Mafates and they were great.

Crap, you’re right. I seem to mix this up with the Tecton. Why do I do that, I know this and yet still confound the two. I do love the mafate best out of all Hoka’s trail shoes, but they aren’t my first choice. Clearly!

If that’s any consolation, the sole of my mafate (which is quite similar to start) looks the same around 300-350km, carefully trails only…

Great cussion with strong grip, the recomendation is "HOKA MAFATE"!

I found all Topos to run short. Wore a women's 8.5 in HOKAs and a size 10 in Topos. I trained in the Speedgoats and Mafates and currently wear Pursuits and Ultraventures 

Get a trail runner, such as HOKA Speedgoat 6, or the HOKA Mafate. But as others said, this is a question for r/hiking.

I have the Hoka Mafate, Mafate X and the asics Trabuco max. They’re all very stable, but the high stack can still be a little risky. I haven’t had any problems with the Mafate 5 and Trabuco but have rolled my ankle on technical trail with the Mafate X. Maybe try a normal Trabuco? They’re wide and firm. The Mafate 5 are stable but a little less so than the Trabuco. I also use a Currex insole.

I’m on my 3rd season of switching to trail runners over hiking boots. Everyone may have a different experience but for me, my feet have never been happier (Hooka, Speedgoat 5).

I switched from boots to shoes years ago. I only use boots for winter conditions. The only injury issue I had was when using Hoka Mafates. They are super comfy. But so ‘tall’ that I would sometimes roll my ankle. Not bad. But enough to be wary and I switched shoes. I had been using Altras before and no issues but I would wear them out pretty fast. I have since switched to Topos and been super happy.

Satisfy Hoka mafate and they are good even in the UK weather!

The Hoka Mafate is awesome for this. I almost took them on a recent three week Europe trip, balked at the last minute because the colors are a bit gaudy, and regretted that decision for three weeks! Great support and comfort, lightweight for a trail shoe imo

Dead Horse 50 miler has about 25 miles of slickrock, which is like running on very broken asphalt. I recommend shoes with high stack that could easily conform to uneven and firm surface - you need something that is qualified as shoes for hard rocky surfaces. Something like Hoka Speedgoat or Hoka Mafate would work well - long time ago when I ran this race I wore Speedgoat. Speedcross would probably be a poor choice. Xodus or Ultraglide would be better choices. If your marathon time is 4:30-5:00h, your 9 hour goal for Dead Horse is quite unrealistic, especially if you are going to spend time changing shoes along the way.