In 2017, Kilian Jornet summited Mount Everest twice inside per week, Courtney Dauwalter gained the Moab 240 Mile outright, and Hoka launched the second iteration of its common Speedgoat path working shoe.
Whereas there have been many different newsworthy tales that yr, the Hoka Speedgoat 2 made its personal affect on this planet of path working. The shoe shortly turned a cult traditional and helped solidify the Speedgoat’s place among the many hottest trainers to today. Lately, Hoka re-released this iconic mannequin.
The Speedgoat shoe is known as for Karl “Speedgoat” Meltzer, a legendary determine inside the path working and ultrarunning world, who has racked up 38 100-mile wins and 89 100-mile finishes. Meltzer additionally co-founded the Wasatch, Utah-based Speedgoat 50k path race in 2007, and continues as its race director at the moment, although the group behind the UTMB World Sequence purchased the occasion in 2021.
In 2015, half a decade into the rise of maximalist trainers, Hoka launched the primary Speedgoat shoe — 17 years after Meltzer earned his nickname, and eight years after the inaugural Speedgoat 50k race. You’ll be able to learn extra about this in our Speedgoat legacy article.
The Hoka Speedgoat 2 in Hoka citrus and Hoka blue. All pictures courtesy of Hoka.
Why was the Speedgoat 2 such successful? After all, we requested Karl. “The [Speedgoat 2] had gentle higher, and it wrapped round my foot properly. It was wider than the [original version] too, which was an enormous enchancment on the time,” stated Meltzer. “I don’t actually dig into the ‘why’ of something. If it really works, it really works.”
Seems, the Speedgoat 2 labored for lots of parents. Whereas opinions of the unique Speedgoat deemed its toebox a bit too slender, the broader final within the second model accommodated a broader vary of runners. The shoe’s engineered mesh higher supplied a lock-in match, and the high-stack midsole balanced comfortable consolation and vitality return, making this shoe versatile for each brief and lengthy distances. Lastly, the shoe supplied a secure journey and wonderful traction, due to its Vibram Megagrip outsole, which continues to be current within the present Speedgoat 6 design. Make a journey down reminiscence lane with our authentic Speedgoat 2 overview revealed again in 2017.
Nevertheless, Hoka didn’t deliver again the Speedgoat 2 as a result of it’s a greater shoe than the present mannequin. The road has been refined through the years, and the Speedgoat 6 is just a few grams lighter, has much more outsole traction, a firmer midsole with barely extra vitality return, and the identical locked-in match that Speedgoat followers know and love. You’ll be able to learn our in-depth Speedgoat 6 overview for extra on the present model of the Speedgoat mannequin. Total, it stays a wildly common path working shoe and some of the frequent kinds on the beginning line of any path race.
The Hoka Speedgoat 2 in wild flower and electrical tangerine.
So then, why did Hoka re-release the Speedgoat 2? For nostalgia, primarily. Aside from some extra colorways, this re-released mannequin is unchanged from the 2017 model. Hoka even included the shoe’s authentic emblem styling. If you end up eager for previous Speedgoat fashions, right here is your probability to accumulate a chunk of historical past — or make a style assertion.
And let’s admit it, there are particular trainers that make a long-lasting sentimental affect on every of us. For me, it’s the Pearl Izumi Path N2, which can eternally rank amongst my most favourite footwear ever, as a result of it was just about the one shoe I wore between 2013 and 2018. For others, it’s the Speedgoat 2.
Name for Feedback
- Do you will have any nice recollections carrying the Hoka Speedgoat 2?
- Are you excited to select up a pair of the Speedgoat 2s?
The Hoka Speedgoat 2 in tomato and electrical inexperienced.