Type a shoe name, like Pegasus, Clifton or Kayano.

HOKA Tracer

Racing · Neutral · Road · 7 oz · 4mm drop

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock.

How it ranks

The HOKA Tracer trails most racing shoes in our data. Cushioning and comfort are its strongest sub-ratings. The rating rests on 6 runner reviews and 1 other rated shoe in the Tracer product line. Another 6 reviews would set the confidence on this shoe's own reviews.

HOKA Tracer

of 5

Below average

64/100
Overall
64
Cushioning
84
Comfort
68
Appearance
65
Value
65
Durability
61
Confidence

Confidence

How settled the rating is against every other rated shoe. A shoe can rate high on confidence with relatively few reviews of its own when its product line has a long record and external ratings from retailer sites agree. Confidence will score low when we have few ratings or when runners disagree.

See the product line's history

Confidence

71/100

71

What runners say

“Feels like running on marshmallows—except they are responsive marshmallows”
4/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 16
“After 300 miles, the upper looks great with very slight signs of wear”
4/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Kinvara 7
“Disappointed by how quickly the tread wore out”
4/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a half marathon came from the HOKA Clifton 3
“After broken in, they become very responsive”
4/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Kinvara 7
“Would prefer a softer midsole for longer runs”
4/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Kinvara 7
“The upper is quite stretchy”
4/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 16
“The fit is slightly narrow”
4/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 16
“Good value for what you can find at the same price”
4/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Kinvara 7

Prefer this shoe over another

50% 3/6

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Sep 14.


Pros

  • Three reviewers call it responsive and use it for workouts and road races.
  • At 7.0 oz with a 4mm drop.
  • One reviewer raced marathons in it for about a year without blisters.

Cons

  • Two reviewers see the outsole tread wear out early, one of them with a hole worn into the forefoot foam by 300 miles.
  • One reviewer finds it stiff until broken in, and another finds the fit slightly narrow.
  • The Tracer 2 after it scores 68 on six reviews.

Rating & Confidence vs. other shoes for sale

Each dot is one rated shoe for sale, placed by its rating and by how much evidence sits behind it. Shoes toward the top right are both well rated and well established.

Confidence
50 60 70 80 90 100 25 50 75 100

Better Shoes Rating

Tracer rates 64. This shoe has moderate certainty. See how we rate shoes.

Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the HOKA Tracer

Each dot is one version of the Tracer, placed by its rating and release year. The gold dot is this shoe.

Rating

Release year

We use the reviews of past versions to inform this shoe’s rating. See why.
  • Tracer 2

    2017 · 6 reviews

    69 Below average

    59 Confidence

  • Tracer This shoe

    2017 · 6 reviews

    64 Below average

    71 Confidence

Reader Ratings

6 ratings
5/5 2
4/5 4
3/5 0
2/5 0
1/5 0

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight
7 oz
Release
2017 Q3
MSRP
$130
Drop Height
4mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

Showing 6–6 of 6 written reviews

Tracer Review

4/5

Overall

Although stiff at first after broken in they become very responsive. I'd also like a softer mid sole for longer runs but overall it is very effective and gets you moving. So far, durability wise, after 300 miles the upper looks great with very slight signs of wear. The rubber on the sole has been wearing to a point where the foam near the front of the shoe has become a hole. I also think they look great and are a good value for what you can find for the same price.

Anonymous runner · Jan 2, 2018

35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Kinvara 7

Comfort
4/5
Durability
4/5
Appearance
5/5
Value
4/5

Alternatives

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Compared to other shoes

See how this shoe compares to others like it.

Current shoe
Choose a model
Lightest
Newest / Best overall / Best comfort
Shoe properties
Type
Racing
Racing
Racing
Pronation
Neutral
Neutral
Neutral
Weight
7 oz M Lightest
7.6 oz M
7.7 oz M
Stack
Drop
4mm
4mm
8mm
Release
2017 Q3
2017 Q3
2024 Q1 Newest
MSRP
$130
$130
$295
Best price
$142.82
Ratings
Overall
Below average (64)
Below average (69)
Exceptional (99) Best overall
Comfort
Below average (68)
Decent (77)
Excellent (95) Best comfort
Cushioning
Good (84)
Good (86)
Exceptional (97) Best cushioning
Durability
Below average (61)
Bottom-tier (56)
Below average (64) Best durability
Appearance
Below average (65)
Bottom-tier (57)
Excellent (96) Best appearance
Value
Below average (65)
Bottom-tier (55)
Good (84) Best value
Specific shoe

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