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Saucony Endorphin Elite Introduction
Increasingly more manufacturers are popping out with their premium tremendous shoe. Nike has the Alphafly Subsequent%, Puma has the Quick R NITRO Elite, Adidas has the Prime X and now Saucony has the Endorphin Elite. These beasts have radical designs, premium applied sciences and/or premium foams and include a heavy price ticket.
I reviewed the Endorphin Professional 3 earlier this 12 months and whereas I assumed it was an enormous enchancment over its predecessor, I felt that it nonetheless wanted some tweaking to be thought of S-tier. I wanted it was extra propulsive and that it had a extra aggressive toe-spring. It additionally had a really cosy toe field which I wasn’t a fan of.
Now, Saucony has a brand new flagship marathon racer within the Endorphin Elite which sits above the Endorphin Professional 3 when it comes to value. The Endorphin Elite makes use of Saucony’s brand-new PWRRUN HG foam. It additionally has a brand new, stripped-down higher, a brand new kind of outsole rubber, and a brand new midsole geometry.
The Endorphin Elite weighs 7.2 oz (204 g) which is the very same weight because the Endorphin Professional 3. It additionally has an 8 mm drop with 40 mm within the heel and 32 mm within the forefoot. The US value has not been revealed but however my pair price 430 SGD which converts to 317 USD. I estimate that it’s going to are available in at a value vary of 250 – 275 USD as a way to be competitively priced.
Saucony Endorphin Elite First Impressions
The primary time I noticed a picture of the Endorphin Elite it appeared like a hideous monstrosity, half sandal, half clog. In hand nevertheless, it appeared much more “regular”. The slime colourway which mine got here in jogs my memory of the inexperienced Vaporfly Subsequent% 2 launch colourway.
My first run was some brief strides the day earlier than the Singapore marathon. I wore skinny socks on that run and the foot lockdown felt horrible. The heel felt actually free regardless of how tight I tied the laces.
It felt actually quick although with essentially the most notable factor being the actually aggressive toe-spring which felt prefer it was tipping me ahead. I made a decision to take a raffle and put on it for the marathon.
In the course of the race, I had no issues with heel lockdown: match was a lot better with thick socks. It was raining flippantly for the primary 2 hours and the grip was respectable however not spectacular: painted traces on the highway nonetheless felt slippery. I used to be pleasantly stunned how steady it felt for a 40 mm stack top shoe and my foot strikes felt planted all the time.
The trip felt surprisingly firmer and fewer bouncy than the Endorphin Professional 3 however nonetheless very nicely cushioned- sufficient cushioning for a full marathon. What I loved most was the aggressive forefoot which made it really feel actually propulsive.
Saucony Endorphin Elite Higher
The Endorphin Elite’s higher has loads happening and it was designed with the principle goal of being light-weight. It’s a mix of knitted materials within the rearfoot and mesh within the midfoot/forefoot.
I discovered air flow glorious as a result of massive holes within the sides of the midfoot. There are additionally a lot of small holes punched into the tongue, whereas the mesh within the midfoot/forefoot may be very porous so it lets by lots of air. The skinny, flat tongue is gusseted and there isn’t extreme tongue slide throughout runs.
It has a strap that wraps round your midfoot and beneath the carbon plate to safe your midfoot. The heel tab and collar are constructed from a knitted materials and don’t irritate your ankle. The heel tab additionally has some padding on the within to stop blisters.
There’s no heel counter however there’s a horizontal strap which is designed to safe your heel. It really works high quality for me with thick socks however I’m certain there are many runners with low-volume toes who will expertise heel slippage regardless of how tight they tie the laces.
The forefoot and toe field are accommodating and it matches true to dimension in contrast to the Endorphin Professional 3 which I beneficial going up a half dimension as a result of slender toe field. The general match remains to be on the slender aspect so I don’t suggest it for wide-footed runners.
Saucony Endorphin Elite Sole Unit
The Endorphin Elite feels quicker than the Endorphin Professional 3. The principle contributing issue is the toe spring and the way aggressively it curves upwards. This makes transitions from midfoot to forefoot quicker and I discover it simpler to extend my cadence. It’s this geometry that I used to be craving after I ran within the Endorphin Professional 3.
Essentially the most related feeling shoe is Vaporfly Subsequent% 2 which additionally has the forward-tipping sensation nevertheless the Endorphin Elite feels much more aggressive as a result of the midsole foam of the Elite is firmer than that of the Vaporfly.
PWRRUN HG is a really completely different foam to PWRRUN PB and it doesn’t include tiny pellets which have been fused collectively. HG nonetheless seems like PEBA nevertheless it has a barely firmer trip than PB. I don’t thoughts the firmer trip however I desire PB as a result of it feels extra energetic and extra bouncy.
Saucony may attempt to put PWRRUN HG in future variations of the Endorphin Professional however I hope they don’t; it’s a step backwards from PWRRUN PB for my part. HG feels extra just like the older PWRRUN PB model that was within the Endorphin Professional 1 and a pair of: denser and fewer full of life than the up to date model within the Endorphin Professional 3.
By way of cushioning softness, the trip of the Endorphin Elite feels firmer than the SC Elite v3, the Metaspeed Sky+, Prime X Strung, Adios Professional 3 and the Endorphin Professional 3. It’s barely softer than the Alphafly Subsequent% 2.
The midsole of the Endorphin Elite has 2 sections: the uncoloured cream foam on the backside and the inexperienced painted foam above it. It’s misleading as a result of from the surface, it seems to be like a particularly tall midsole however your foot doesn’t sit on prime of the inexperienced part, it sits inside. The inexperienced half comes up round your foot to supply lateral rails to information your toes and enhance stability.
Transitions are actually clean regardless that there’s a massive midfoot cutout on the lateral aspect which makes it appear to be a clog. It’s because the medial aspect is stuffed in so there is no such thing as a sinking-in feeling as you transition by the midfoot.
Transitions usually are not as rockered as in different tremendous footwear such because the Endorphin Professional 3. You actually need to lean in and cargo the forefoot to learn from the Elite’s midsole geometry so the Elite works your calves way more than the Professional 3 and after lengthy runs within the Elite, I can really feel that my calves are loads stiffer.
I discover the Endorphin Elite actually nice at a wide range of paces due to how vast and steady its base is, though at slower paces above 5 minutes per kilometre (8:03 minutes per mile), it feels much less particular since you aren’t loading the forefoot. This can be a tremendous shoe which mid packers in addition to elites/sub-elites can use since you don’t want an ideal foot strike to have the ability to run comfortably in it. It’s agency sufficient for shorter races like 5K’s and 10K’s and it’s additionally cushioned sufficient for marathon distances so I discover it actually versatile.
The carbon plate within the Endorphin Elite is simply as stiff because the one within the Endorphin Professional 3 and I discover them to be 2 of the stiffest carbon plates in any of the tremendous footwear. The inflexible plate within the Elite mixed with its excessive toe-spring offers a major snap which ends up in nice springboard-like propulsion. The Endorphin Elite is without doubt one of the few, uncommon tremendous footwear which have this springboard-like, forward-launching help.
To date, I’ve raced a marathon in it, performed a long term and an interval pace exercise in it and I’ve actually loved how a lot pace help it offers after I wish to decide up the tempo. It’s a racer, so naturally, it excels at quicker paces. Throughout actually quick paces like short-distance intervals, the Endorphin Elite feels surprisingly nimble and agile for such a maximal long-distance racer. It offers you that magical tremendous shoe feeling each time you do an uptempo run in it.
The outsole of the Endorphin Elite seems to be like a mashup of the ASICS Metaspeed collection and the Adidas Adios Professional collection. The rubber is skinny, with a texture just like the Adios Professional rubber whereas the forefoot with round cutouts bears a hanging resemblance to the Metaspeed.
There isn’t any rubber protection on the medial aspect of the rearfoot so my pair has been grated down by the highway. You’ll be able to inform that Saucony designed this shoe for midfoot and forefoot strikers.
PWRRUN HG isn’t very abrasion resistant on the subject of scuffing. I don’t suppose I’ll be capable to get lots of mileage out of the Endorphin Elite due to the dearth of rubber protection and likewise how skinny the rubber is. This shoe is one which you can solely use for racing.
Saucony Endorphin Elite Conclusions
If value and sturdiness weren’t points, I’d decide the Endorphin Elite over the Endorphin Professional 3. It feels extra steady due to its wider base and it feels quicker due to its tremendous aggressive toe-spring. It’s not excellent although: PWWRUN HG lacks bounce/power return and heel lockdown will not be nice.
Should you don’t have both shoe and also you need a tremendous shoe, I’d suggest the Endorphin Professional 3 over the Elite as a result of it’s extra sturdy and higher worth for cash. It additionally has an higher with higher foot lockdown.
The Endorphin Elite’s largest weak point is its low sturdiness. Should you’re a heel striker, the shoe simply gained’t final due to its lack of outsole rubber. It might’t be used for coaching exercises as a result of it’s not sturdy sufficient so it has a really brief lifespan. It’s undoubtedly not worth for cash.
In case you have deep pockets, The Endorphin Elite would work in a rotation alongside the Endorphin Professional 3 with the extra sturdy Professional 3 for coaching tempo runs, intervals and another pace exercise. The Elite might then be reserved for races solely.
I’d undoubtedly race within the Endorphin Elite once more. It gives one of many highest ranges of pace help I’ve felt in a racing shoe and it helps me with assist in direction of the tip of the race when my kind will get sloppy.
There’s a purpose why elite athletes like Parker Stinson are racing and coaching within the Endorphin Elite now reasonably than the Endorphin Professional 3: it’s the actual deal. With the Endorphin Elite, Saucony lastly has an S-tier racing shoe that may compete with the quickest tremendous footwear on the beginning line.
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