There's certainly no shortage of alternative running shoes to the Nike Vaporfly, but that's not a bad thing at all. Take the Saucony Endorphin Pro as an example – it's a very decent long-distance running shoe with a very good heel construction and a lot of underfoot cushioning. Does Saucony Endorphin Pro comply with the Vaporfly concept? Not really, but these shoes are still among the best running shoes today.
Unlike the aforementioned Nike ZoomX Vaporfly NEXT%, the Saucony Endorphin Pro could be recommended for less experienced runners, as the sole construction is more forgiving, even if you have a slight pronation. I've seen too many people using Vaporfly in races, and their feet giving way with every step. Thanks to the wider midfoot platform, this may not be the case with Endorphin Pro.
Are the new Saucony Endorphin Pro really worth the price of € 220?
High-end technology
The Saucony Endorphin Pro is packed with technology as you'd expect from a high-end running shoe. Naturally, the main showtopper here is the 5-curve carbon fiber plate that functions as a shock absorbing drive plate. The plate also provides some stiffness to the PWRRUN PB foam that would otherwise be smooth.
You can definitely feel the presence of the carbon plate in the midsole – you can't roll the Saucony Endorphin Pro in a ball like ground-contact running shoes. In fact, the sole is relatively stiff and falls back when you are about to get up off the ground. Interestingly, they have such an efficient roll that it could lessen some of the spring effect the carbon plate was supposed to provide.
By oversimplifying the process, carbon plates work by returning to shape once they have been bent, and this in turn pushes your feet off the ground a little at each step. Now if you run efficiently and take off without bending the board too much, you may lose some of the prop generated by the board.
The PWRRUN PB , a PEBA-based 'super foam', as Saucony says, is super soft, especially just below the heels, so if you're a heel kicker, you'll appreciate the extra padding there. The foam thins down towards the front of the shoes, so the carbon plate can do magic and help you with takeoffs (again, there are no trampolines here).
For comparison, the Vaporfly NEXT% foam is softer than the Endorphin Pro, but the Endorphin Pro is softer than some Hoka One One models like the Mach 3.
Tailor-made ergonomics
The Saucony Endorphin Pro is a high-cushioning road shoe, so you'll get a pretty nice rebound, but you'll lose the ground-contact feel, which is to be expected, really. The heel area is particularly well constructed: the heel counter has a tight contour so that the sneakers hug the back of the foot very well. There is a lot of padding behind the heel that narrows as the neck curves around the ankles. The parts of the neck on the ankle side have very little padding, but there is usually no friction or discomfort.
Around the midfoot area, the upper of Formfit becomes less stiff, and unfortunately this means you lose that charming lockdown feeling you want from a racing shoe. The reinforced part at the front of the toe box keeps the upper part away from the toes, creating a bit of empty space between them.
On the plus side, Speedroll technology works great and the heel-to-toe transition is smooth AF. There are no discernible hard or soft spots of what you would expect from a composite sole, and the foam and carbon plate work harmoniously together.
Has a futuristic aesthetic
I like the look of the Saucony Endorphin Pro and they definitely look much better than the Saucony Ride ISO 2, for example. The word that comes to mind when looking at the Saucony Endorphin Pro is "fluid": the wave pattern seems to be present in many ways throughout the shoe's design, from the way the soles flow, the Saucony logo .
Here are some random colors mixed in: It has teal soles, bright orange highlights, and a neon green collar, all of which nicely counteracts the main color (white). We're not reaching Nike React Infinity Run or Adidas Ultraboost style levels, but it's also great to see the effort from other manufacturers.
You can find the shoes in July, available on their official website for € 220 .
