Hoka Torrent 4 Review

The Hoka Torrent 4. All pictures: iRunFar/Bryon Powell

I just lately obtained my ft into the latest Hoka Torrent 4 ($130) and put greater than 140 miles on them over a couple of weeks. I used to be first launched to the Hoka Torrent a few years in the past at my native working retailer after 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 advisable the Torrent as the subsequent closest mannequin, so I gave it a whirl and instantly grew to become 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 comfortable, 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 (girls’s) on the heel and toe, respectively.

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

Learn on for all the small print on the Torrent 4.

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Hoka Torrent 4 Higher

A lateral view of the Hoka Torrent 4.

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 frivolously 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 contains what Hoka calls a “sizzling soften help cage,” which seems just 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, comfy match by means of 140-plus working miles, and the higher reveals solely minimal put on to this point.

I’ve an extended, low-volume foot, with a medium arch and slender heel, and I want a roomy toebox. Hoka’s sneakers usually match my ft nicely, and the Torrent 4 follows swimsuit. The toebox offers 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 sizzling spots or discomfort in these sneakers. Notably, one in all iRunFar’s testers stated that this model of the Torrent felt wider and roomier than earlier iterations.

Hoka Torrent 4 Midsole

A medial view of the Hoka Torrent 4.

The Hoka Torrent 4 comes with an all-new midsole foam. Earlier fashions used dual-density EVA foam with Hoka’s proprietary ProFly development, 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 steadiness of cushion and responsiveness, whereas shifting to a single-layer EVA midsole and two further millimeters of stack peak 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 offers a pleasant steadiness of cushion and responsiveness. Whereas there are actually extra cushioned sneakers available on the market, in addition to extra responsive sneakers, I’ve discovered this mannequin to be comfy for 100 milers and in a position to carry out nicely sufficient in a coaching exercise or 50k race. This latest model additionally feels extra secure.

A couple 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 sometimes felt packed out after about 100 miles of damage, 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 means of them so quick. My different problem was that I used to be rolling my ankles too continuously in these sneakers. I hadn’t had points with rolling my ankles earlier than, and the issue went away after 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 contemporary strive. After 140+ miles, the midsole doesn’t have the packed-out mushy really feel that I got here to count on from earlier variations of the Torrent. Furthermore, I’ve not skilled a single ankle roll, even on steep, unfastened, and rocky trails.

This latest Torrent midsole design certainly feels extra secure — and to this point, 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 embrace a rockplate. However, the shoe affords enough safety on very rocky terrain, resembling scrambling up a mountain ridge, or working on trails with sections of lava rock.

Hoka Torrent 4 Outsole

The outsole of the Hoka Torrent 4.

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 intention to enhance sturdiness and stability.

I’ve been testing this shoe throughout 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 stated, I’ve worn them on all kinds of path surfaces, together with unfastened rock, a mixture of technical and non-technical trails, chunky gravel, and splashing by means of creeks or hopping from rock to rock at a water crossing.

By all of those situations, 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

A prime view of the Hoka Torrent 4.

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

In different phrases, specialty sneakers will outperform the Torrent 4 within the specific situations for which they’re designed, however they’ll additionally doubtless include the next 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 handle each these points. The Torrent 4 is noticeably superior to its predecessors in stability efficiency, and to this point, it’s holding up a lot better than I anticipated from this shoe.

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