Saucony Endorphin Elite Review: Five runners test the carbon plate race shoe

The Endorphin Elite is a shoe designed for race day, featuring Saucony’s PWRRUN HG foam to deliver a soft and springy experience when going all out. The brand claims that it is its most efficient foam to date, working in conjunction with a new slotted plate design that promotes stiffness between the heel and toe, but with flexibility across the medial and lateral sides of the shoe.

The SPEEDROLL technology has been angled for greater momentum, and the carbon plate has been engineered with an aggressive toe-spring for quicker turnover, as well as a more adaptive ride due to the slotted forefoot.

It also features a lean, lightweight upper to remove unnecessary weight and a high level of outsole rubber for grip and to protect the midsole foam. In addition, there’s a PWRRUN+ sockliner for comfort when running at speed.

In this review, five of the Run Testers put the Elite through its paces. Click play to see what we all thought.

JUMP STRAIGHT IN:
00:00​​​​ - Intro
00:41 - Stats
00:54 - Design
01:42 - How’s The Fit?
03:24 - The Run Test
23:52 - Should You Buy It?

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[chandlerrodriguez]

I’m not done watching the video. I just want to say I love getting to hear so many perspectives from your team. Keep it up guys!

[NeillyVille]

Thanks as always for the honest and unbiased reviews Runtesters. Guess I'll be sticking to my beloved Endorphin Pro 3!

[michaelhaney]

Really appreciate the perspectives the crew gave. Very detailed and you came out it from different angles. Great job!

[nkeet]

I bought Pro 3's and got the email today about this shoe. I was originally disappointed but after watching your review I am happy I got the 3's instead.

[AntTN]

Great video all. When you can pick up a pair of Endorphin Pro 3’s for £125 in the UK right now, £280 for this shoe seems utterly extortionate. That won’t stop it selling though.

[kit]

Thanks so much to everyone from Run Testers for their honest review!

[pensiveape]

Love Adidas Pro 3, would take it over any Saucony shoe i had so far any day of the week. For me much better than Endorphin Pro 3, and apparently the Endorphin Elite is awkward shoe. So yes, different people, different tastes, different experiences. Thanks for the review, good emphasis on some properties of Endorphin Elite I'm sure I would dislike.

[MrBotag]

Seems Saucony forgot to specify the time zone for the embargo. Great video.

[ErikaPfeiffer-rmfk]

That‘s a bit funny when Saucony is saying they made it more soft and more bouncier vs the Pro3

[gillbla]

I'm an idiot. I didn't mean I'd run 11 miles in total. I meant that was the furthest in ONE GO I'd done at that point. Then I did near on 16 later. Obviously I've run a lot more miles than that in testing!

[blueskydays]

I got the Saucony Elite in my usual US size 9.5. $255 in Australia on sale a couple weeks back, which is around the same price as I could get a Metaspeed Sky with a discount code. Fits true to size. Nice and roomy in the toe box and midfoot so I think wide footed runners will enjoy it more than those with thin feet. No issues getting a lockdown. Upper might look unusual but it works. I actually found the midsole to be very similar to ZoomX. Very stable ride because of its wider base. I didn't feel any harshness in my toe areas from the plate. Only ran 13km for my first run in them and they felt very good. Definitely a slightly firmer ride than the Endorphin Pro 3. I rate the shoe. I'd recommend giving it a try if you can get it at a good discount.

[telebiopic]

There are hardly any discounts on any saucony premium running shoes in Canada. The value quotient at full price is simply indefensible.

[MarkSmith_Best-Athletics]

Great video and views from all, thank you 👍 I have a pair on order for £252 so fingers crossed 🤞
My PB's at Half and Marathon distance came last Spring in the first version of the Metaspeed Sky.
Had two pairs of the Pro 3 (running my past Marathon in one pair in September) and the Metaspeed Sky+
My shorter distance PB's are all in the Alphafly v1 (but hated them due to arch issues and only ran 39 miles in them). The Metaspeed Sky (v1) is possibly the most aggressive of those shoes and I am hoping that the Endorphin Elite will fit somewhere between the Sky's and Pro 3 in terms of comfort and performance.
Will be my Marathon race day shoe for Copenhagen, if not then I will be giving the Sky+ a go as I probably should have done last autumn (Pro 3 is too soft especially in later miles when the going gets tough for me).

Very honest review, save me lots of money. As I am not "elite" enough, so give this one a pass

[supwell]

Y'all got to lift the embargo early from that UK time zone, huh? 😂

[robnott]

Love your reviews. I also like the Pro 3. I'll being doing Berlin and Chicago this year (2 weeks apart). Would you recommend the Pro 3 in both? Chicago will just be a relaxed run. Thanks

[TheHutchRuns]

Doesn't sound like it's worth £280, think I'll stick to me Pro 3, Vaporfly or Alphafly for marathons this year

[hexfire]

Great review, fellows!
It all sounds as if the Elite is a tweaked/max-stack Endorphin Pro 1 & 2: more stack, similar foam density and similar punchy propulsion due to that density/firmness. That would be kind of ironic. Do you think they are similar in performance?

[i.p]

Endorphin Elite on sale in Europe.. I find the midsole is Adidas adios and the best for me. How does the Endorphin Elite HG midsole compare to the Adidas Pro 3 midsole? HG vs Lighstrike Pro ❓

[robin]

Thanks for the detailed thoughts. Sounds like this is not the Messiah Shoe that has come to finally beat the Nike's. I' ll pass on this one.