Hoka Torrent 4 Overview – iRunFar

I just lately bought my toes into the most recent Hoka Torrent 4 ($130) and put greater than 140 miles on them over a number of weeks. I used to be first launched to the Hoka Torrent a few years in the past at my native operating retailer once I was looking for a alternative for the discontinued Pearl Izumi Path N2, which had been my best choice for a number of years whereas I used to be getting began in ultrarunning. The shop worker beneficial the Torrent as the following closest mannequin, so I gave it a whirl and instantly turned a loyal fan. Over 4 years, I wore the Torrent virtually solely on trails, together with two 100-mile finishes and numerous ultras and journey runs.

Finally, I craved a extra sturdy and secure path shoe, so I switched to the Hoka Speedgoat. Nonetheless, returning to the Torrent felt like placing on a pair of cozy, well-worn denims — solely, this newest mannequin comes with some good upgrades.

The Hoka Torrent 4 has an precise weight of 9 ounces (254 grams) in a U.S. males’s 9, and a 5-millimeter heel-to-toe drop, with claimed stack heights of 33- and 28-millimeters (males’s) and 32- and 27-millimeters (ladies’s) on the heel and toe, respectively.

Key updates to this mannequin embody a brand new midsole foam and 2-millimeter bump in stack top, redesigned lug sample and elevated outsole protection, and a webbing loop on the heel.

Learn on for all the main points on the Torrent 4.

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Hoka Torrent 4 Higher

The Hoka Torrent 4’s higher carries ahead the single-layer mesh design of its predecessor, and it additionally incorporates 35% recycled polyester. Likewise, the flippantly padded gusseted tongue reveals little change from earlier variations of this shoe. Hoka added a webbing loop on the again to assist drained runners tug their sneakers on and off.

This shoe’s higher additionally consists of what Hoka calls a “scorching soften help cage,” which seems much like the TPU overlays utilized in earlier Torrent designs. This help cage provides some construction to the higher, and helps give the shoe a safe, locked-in match.

Whereas testing the Torrent 4, I ran on a mixture of non-technical singletrack trails, gravel roads, and steep, rocky, technical mountain terrain. These sneakers offered a safe, snug match by 140-plus operating miles, and the higher reveals solely minimal put on thus far.

I’ve an extended, low-volume foot, with a medium arch and slim heel, and I favor a roomy toebox. Hoka’s sneakers usually match my toes properly, and the Torrent 4 follows swimsuit. The toebox supplies sufficient room for my toes to splay, whereas my midfoot and heel stay locked within the shoe.

The higher felt sufficiently breathable, its laces and tongue stayed put, and I skilled no scorching spots or discomfort in these sneakers. Notably, considered one of iRunFar’s testers mentioned that this model of the Torrent felt wider and roomier than earlier iterations.

Hoka Torrent 4 Midsole

The Hoka Torrent 4 comes with an all-new midsole foam. Earlier fashions used dual-density EVA foam with Hoka’s proprietary ProFly building, and the shoe was designed for each a cushioned touchdown and a responsive toe-off. With the Torrent 4, Hoka strives to keep up this stability of cushion and responsiveness, whereas shifting to a single-layer EVA midsole and two additional millimeters of stack top underfoot.

Hoka additionally reshaped the midsole to incorporate a wider base across the heel for added stability.

My expertise within the Torrent is that it supplies a pleasant stability of cushion and responsiveness. Whereas there are actually extra cushioned sneakers in the marketplace, in addition to extra responsive sneakers, I’ve discovered this mannequin to be snug for 100 milers and in a position to carry out properly sufficient in a coaching exercise or 50k race. This latest model additionally feels extra secure.

A number of years in the past, I had two key causes for shifting away from the Torrent and choosing the Hoka Speedgoat as a substitute. One was that the Torrent usually felt packed out after about 100 miles of wear and tear, and I used to be creating a behavior of shopping for a brand new pair of sneakers for each race — and generally shopping for two at a time as a result of I used to be sporting by them so quick. My different problem was that I used to be rolling my ankles too ceaselessly in these sneakers. I hadn’t had points with rolling my ankles earlier than, and the issue went away once I switched to the Speedgoat.

Regardless of these gripes, I nonetheless had sufficient fondness and nostalgia for the Torrent mannequin that I used to be excited to present the fourth iteration a recent strive. After 140+ miles, the midsole doesn’t have the packed-out mushy really feel that I got here to anticipate from earlier variations of the Torrent. Furthermore, I’ve not skilled a single ankle roll, even on steep, free, and rocky trails.

This latest Torrent midsole design certainly feels extra secure — and thus far, extra sturdy — than these prior. I’m curious to see simply what number of miles I’ll get from these sneakers.

Like earlier variations of this shoe, the Torrent 4 doesn’t embody a rockplate. Nonetheless, the shoe affords ample safety on very rocky terrain, reminiscent of scrambling up a mountain ridge, or operating on trails with sections of lava rock.

Hoka Torrent 4 Outsole

With the Hoka Torrent 4, Hoka made some key updates to the shoe’s outsole. Among the many adjustments is a brand new, multi-directional lug sample for improved grip on uphills and descents — a design that considerably resembles that of the Hoka Speedgoat 6. The lugs additionally acquired a 1-millimeter improve, going from a 4-millimeter to 5-millimeter depth. Lastly, Hoka elevated the floor space lined by its rubber outsole, with an purpose to enhance sturdiness and stability.

I’ve been testing this shoe in the course of the hottest, driest a part of the yr within the Pacific Northwest, so I haven’t put in a ton of muddy miles within the Torrent 4. That mentioned, I’ve worn them on all kinds of path surfaces, together with free rock, a mixture of technical and non-technical trails, chunky gravel, and splashing by creeks or hopping from rock to rock at a water crossing.

By means of all of those circumstances, the Torrent 4 offered dependable grip and stability, and I used to be in a position to confidently belief my footing.

Hoka Torrent 4 General Impressions

General, the Hoka Torrent 4 is a high-performing on a regular basis path operating shoe, and nice worth. It performs properly over a wide range of terrain and operating distances. With its approachable price ticket, this shoe is an efficient alternative for newbie path runners, but it’s featured sufficient to please seasoned runners who aren’t in search of a particular design, reminiscent of a carbon-plated race shoe or maximal cushioning for extremely distances.

In different phrases, specialty sneakers will outperform the Torrent 4 within the explicit circumstances for which they’re designed, however they’ll additionally possible include a better worth.

Lastly, whereas earlier Torrent fashions left one thing to be desired when it got here to sturdiness and help, Hoka made key updates to model 4 that deal with each these points. The Torrent 4 is noticeably superior to its predecessors in stability efficiency, and thus far, it’s holding up significantly better than I anticipated from this shoe.

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