Best For

Time to pick up the trail running paces a little bit! The Hoka Mafate Speed 4 is ready to greet your feet with an enjoyable ground contact feel experience on your favorite local trails. Although the heel stack height is still in the 30s, with a uniquely designed Vibram™ Megagrip outsole, this trail running shoe allows for a versatile footstrike experience, no matter what the trails may throw your way. This trail running shoe is a reimagined Mafate Speed 3, and in a good way Hoka! 

Upper

Despite a little hiccup in the eyelet chain (see full review video), overall Hoka gets it done once again for that collar and heel counter. Reminiscent of the Speedgoat 5 and even the very popular roadside attraction of 2022: the Hoka Mach 5 and it’s “elf heel” or “heel flare” design, which is proving to be a nice addition to the Hoka running shoe ideations over the past 18 months. We are going strong for the heel counter (not stout), which is not as common in the Hoka running shoe line up. A dynamic vamp overlay will get the shoe through some basic puddles and muddy trails, but don’t expect your feet to come home dry after an epic encounter with mother nature and the trails. A semi-gusset for the tongue, thank you Hoka, check! And again, that heel counter is special, the ever enjoyable bear-hug on the achilles tendon always treats the body and soul good on the trails. In addition, Hoka went with updated textiles and overall construction of this upper, including a breathable, single layer jacquard mesh which you notice immediately (in a good way) compared to the Hoka Mafate Speed 3. 

Midsole

One prediction I made last year for running shoe trends in the future is the ramping up of dual-density midsoles beneath the feet of runners around the world. Sure enough, the Mafate Speed 4 brings dual-density to the trails for all of us to enjoy. The ProFly+ midsole foam is all-new with a lighter construction and far more resilient foam. The Hoka Mafate Speed 4 falls into the neutral midsole category, with a lower profile stack height compared to many other Hoka trail running shoes on the marketplace. For the push-off feel through your toe-off, it lands in the responsive category, rather than balanced or plush. I would not call the Hoka Mafate Speed 4 ProFly+ dual-density midsole snappy, but certainly responsive when you may want to pick up the paces on the trails around your home; or maybe you are ready to take them to your favorite local trail races come spring and summer. Yes, these trail shoes will do the trick in races, especially for the 20+ mile distances. 

Outsole

Welcome to the future! Similar to the dual-density prediction of 2022, I expect many running shoe companies to revisit their outsole designs because of the fresh approach that Hoka is taking with their outsoles. First of all, Vibram™ is Vibram™, hard to beat this durable material for an outsole rubber. Second, remember the name LITEBASE design and construction for future trail running shoes in your rotation. What Hoka is doing with Litebase is special. The best way to describe this outsole design is they are gluing on the lug pattern to the bottom of the trail shoe, rather than molding an entire rubber outsole. This gluing approach reduces the weight of the trail running shoe and creates miniature decoupled grooves throughout the outsole, which creates this “megagrip” feel understep. Ground contact feel and confidence comes to mind when negotiating more technical trails. Frankly, this new approach is the highlight of the Hoka Mafate Speed 4, okay, maybe the heel counter wins, but only by a nose. A 5mm lug depth does the trick in muddy conditions too, see full review video for testing conditions.

Would I Buy This Shoe Again?

Despite a challenging final score in the Shoedio, the Hoka Mafate Speed 4 is going to be a winner for many trail runners this year. The exciting approach understep with the ProFly+ dual density design is hard to match at this point in the trail running shoe marketplace. Sure, the Hoka Speedgoat 5 takes the cake at the end of the day for me. Despite the Speedgoat reign, as an uptempo daily trainer on the trails, I foresee many trail runners and ultrarunners opting for this newly updated, lighter, and more responsive midsole experience. Finally, with a propulsive toeoff through the meta-rocker midsole geometry, don’t be surprised when trail racers come flying by in the Hoka Mafate Speed 4.