I got the Saucony Endorphine Trainer for the purpose of review directly from Saucony. However, they have no control over this review and I will try to give my honest opinion on the shoe.
Before I will write about the shoe a few facts about me, that are important for the review. I’m mostly a half marathon and marathon runner. My latest marathon time is 3.28 and my latest half marathon time 1.35. I’m a heel to mid foot striker, 186 cm high and 72 kilograms.
What does Saucony says about the shoe
“The Endorphin franchise expands with a high-tech training powerhouse. Built for runners who demand both speed and durability, the Endorphin Trainer running shoe brings race-day innovation to everyday training. At its core, a top layer of IncrediRUN superfoam—our lightest, most responsive midsole—pairs with a durable bottom PWRRUN layer to create an ultra-stable, energy-efficient platform. A ¾-length carbon fiber plate, tuned specifically for training, works with Speedroll Technology to propel you forward, ensuring smooth transitions and effortless toe-offs. The result? A shoe that harnesses cutting-edge innovation to make high-mileage weeks and everyday training feel smoother, faster, and more efficient.”
Let’s find out more about the Saucony Endorphine Trainer
Till today I ran a bit more than 100 kilometers in the shoe. Before I write a shoe review, I normally do quite some runs in the shoes I test and review. From easy recovery runs up to tempo runs, intervals and a long run. This shoe is considered to be with a lot of technology, that helps us runners to run more efficient. Therefore I took the shoe out to all runs I had on my training plan for the last two weeks.
To recap my runs in the shoe: 3 recovery runs, 1 interval session with 12x 500m repeats, 2 longruns (both 20k), 2 easy runs and 1 run with marathon effort.
Fit of the shoe
The shoe for me fits true to size. The upper hugs the foot nicely and there is no problem with the lockdown. I have normal wide feet but I think that even runners with wider feet will have no problem with the shoe.
The toe box is quite roomy and has enough volume that the feel is comfortable. The heal cup has quite a lot of structure to it and holds the foot. I could not feel any heel slippage and had no blisters or hot spots during y runs.
The tongue is gusseted and plush. There is no sliding of the tongue. However, there is quite a lot of upper material. It’s not super thin. On one side it hugs the foot nicely, on the other hand I would prefer an upper with less material. During faster runs my feet got warm. So a thiner upper would prevent feet from heating up. It’s not a dealbreaker but something to consider, especially if you live in a warmer climate.
Performance of the shoe
First a bit about the midsole. For a lot of runner the most important part of a running shoe. The Midsole of the Saucony Endorphine Trainer is dual layer. The upper part of the midsole is Saucony’s superfoam: IncrediRUN and the bottom part PWRRUN. But enough of technical midsole material names. The upper part is soft and very responsive, while the bottom part is very firm. From my personal point of view I think, that the concept is good. However, I would prefer a slightly softer foam on the bottom part.
But that’s my opinion. I’m sure that the developers from Saucony know, why they did, what they did. To some degree it makes sense. But I will get to that part. On the first run the ride was a bit strange. After a few runs the foam opened up a bit and the ride became different.
There is quite a prominent rocker and you can feel it running at almost any pace. Saucony calls it Speedroll. At slower paces the rocker effect is not as noticeable as at faster paces. In combination with the 3/4 carbon plate, the shoe comes to life.
The shoe felt best at marathon / half marathon pace. I think that the midsole foams in combination with the carbon fiber plate work best at these paces. The midsole gave back just enough. At slower paces for me the midsole was a little to stiff. It even felt better during my interval session.
As for durability: well, let me tell you, that after 100 kilometers there is no visible wear, not even on the outsole of the shoe. If you ask me, the Saucony Endorphine Trainer is a shoe that you will be able to use for many miles.
There is not much rubber on the outsole. The exposed midsole has quite some structure and the grip of the outsole is decent. You don’t need to worry about durability or grip issues, since the midsole material is quite dense.
How will I use the shoe
I think that to some degree I already answered this question. But I also think I need to go a bit deeper into this topic. In my opinion this shoe has a special purpose and as such it should be used. It’s not the most versatile shoe. It performs best at marathon / half marathon pace and as such it should be used. Even at some shorter reps at slightly faster paces.
The Saucony Endorphine Trainer will not be my recovery or easy run shoe. Since I will start with marathon training in June, I will mostly lace up this shoe for marathon pace runs, longruns with marathon pace efforts and even some longer and faster intervals.
Would I recommend the Saucony Endorphine Trainer
For sure this shoe is as the name of the shoe suggests a trainer, not a racer or an everyday shoe. If you are training for a marathon or a half marathon and you need a durable, stable and comfortable running shoe for your runs at goal race pace, this is the shoe you are looking for. It will work even on those 1, 2 or 3 kilometer intervals around 10k race pace.
If you are able to run the intended paces in this shoe and you change to a marathon race day shoe for your races, running at goal pace will feel easier. Somehow I think that this is the purpose behind this particular running shoe.
If you are looking for a daily trainer for Saucony, the Ride 18 would be my suggestion. You can find my review of the Ride 18 by clicking this link
I am an ambassador with Top4Running, the number one online store for runners in Europe. If you want to buy a pair of Saucony Ride 18 running shoes (or any other Saucony running shoes), please use this link to support the Run and Smile community.
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