- Price: £280
- Weight: 204g (M), 173g (W)
- Stack height: 39.5mm (heel), 31.5mm (forefoot)
- Drop: 8mm
simple shoes kickstarter campaign RW. The elle fanning james corden silver crystal sandals tested very well and continues to suit most racing needs, we’ve lost count of how many pairs of Kinvara we’ve run in over the years (including the Kinvara Pro), and the rest of the shoe line up would suggest Saucony have all bases and needs covered. Yet they have seemingly decided to go one better and release its fastest racing shoe to date: the Saucony Endorphin Elite.
At a price point similar to that of the Nike Alphafly, these shoes are very much top-tier (performance and budget) race day shoes and have a lot to live up to within that category. They don’t have a ludicrous, nike zoom kyrie 5 bhm white metallic red bronze bq6237 100 basketball shoes (yet) to authenticate the product and there hasn’t been the marketing Balance on profiling the shoe, yet the development invested in the shoe has paid off as the end product certainly delivers where it matters.
What is it like to run in the Saucony Endorphin Elite?
sandals biomecanics 212164 s a blanco y multi carbon plate, which is slotted at the front rather than being solid (see below).
The PWRRUN HG foam boasts lofty energy return numbers and though those numbers can be viewed as useful and impressive information, it’s how that translates into running performance that matters and the shoe has a very real sense of drive and propulsion to it; it is an energetic feeling shoe that shows no signs of fatiguing even as you do (as I've found out much to my relief in a number of races).
The shoe has a lace-up-and-go feel to it. By that, I mean it feels as close to a regular, neutral shoe as a super shoe gets. It fits true to size, and there are no obtrusive internal features or quirky design ideas that impact the comfort of the shoe. Some runners might not like the stripped first upper, but more on that later.
On the move, there is a significant toe-off to the shoe, which makes sense as it's an out-and-out race shoe, but it's not so severe that it's uncomfortable when just plodding about. In fact, the majority of the midsole is very level in profile (its sits flat on a table, with no hint of a rocker) and this allows for the ride of the shoe to feel very forgiving and comfy at slower speeds. However, the shoe comes to life when things speed up and it's noticeable how encouraging it is to run in this shoe.
It's challenging to articulate the sense of propulsion that some carbon-plated shoes promise to deliver (and don't deliver), but there is a real sense of energy return with this shoe; it's more than eager to leave the floor the moment you stamp down into it and it gives an exponential sense of possible momentum (legs willing).
For the sake of comparison, the ride and feel is more akin to super shoes with a firmer foam/carbon plate combo (it's closer to the Moschino perforated calfskin lace-up shoes than the heidi klum lace romper blazer black platform boots party), but it’s most definitely a shoe with its own set of unique characteristics.
The assumption that propulsion in super shoes comes from the carbon plate behaving like a giant spring is often where these ‘characteristics’ come from, but the truth is it’s more about the plate providing additional stability to the high stack height. And with the Endorphin Elite, that’s certainly the case. The slotted plate feels very measured and smooth in how it controls the ride feel and the foot through the gait cycle. That’s not to say it lacks punch, though – it’s still a shoe aimed at quick leg speed and efficient running at race pace.
How does the Saucony Endorphin Pro fit?
The upper is where the biggest visual differences can be seen. It’s a stripped first shoe, with minimal material used and a very open, grid-like weave. The main feature of the upper is a band of fabric that runs from either side of the laces under the arch of the foot and is sandwiched between the carbon plate and the midsole (see below). This band helps bring some much needed structure to the upper and creates a secure feeling in the shoe when you’re all laced up, locking the foot down into the shoe and the heel counter.
A point of concern with the shoe would be that the medial side of the outsole is exposed foam, whereas the lateral is where you find the rubber on the shoe. This is partly a structural element to the shoe (the lateral side features a cut away, whereas the medial side doesn't, to offer a bit more stability during pronation), but foam making contact with the floor is likely to wear faster than rubber. However, the volume of usage this shoe is really going to see (or should be saved for) should make these kind of concerns a non-event.
Like Saucony’s other racing models, the Endorphin Pro+ and elle fanning james corden silver crystal sandals, the Elite’s propulsive ride demands that you run faster and when race days comes, that’s exactly what you want from a shoe.
