Saucony just dropped some exiting fresh off-road kicks in their Endorphin line. With the aggressive and distinct “Slime” colorway, Saucony wants to assign the success they have with their road supershoe Endorphin Elite from one surface to another. The Waltham, Massachusetts based company has left quite some positive impression with their latest trail models, the Endorphin Trail and the Endorphin Edge. These models have been an amazing addition to the traditional Peregrine and the Xodus Ultra (one of my all-time favorite trail shoes). The newest unit to the Endorphin trail line – the Saucony Endorphin Rift. This shoe could be placed in a line with the Endorphin Edge. The big difference amongst these high-end trail running shoes is the shortage of the carbon plate in the Rift. The foundation in both shoes is the reactive PWRRUN PB midsole foam that Saucony is using these days. And for a very good reason – it is really good. But there still is some plate build in this shoe. Customarily trail shoes use a shielding rock plate that guards the foot against rocks and everything dangerous that an off-road run might hold. And the Rift is no difference here. The upper of the Rift is notably robust and notwithstanding me using it extensively across sharp volcano stone trails on La Palma in the recent weeks, it didn’t take too much beating. Its shielding and utmost breathable which I liked during the last hot summer runs. The sock-like inner of the shoe is a great treat and I found it to be very protective and stable during technical downhills. This picture shows the inside of the Endorphin Rift and the wrap system that is build in to further give shield and steadiness to the shoes performance. It is a nice feeling of the foot locked in and it ensures a secure fit. Nothing that should be underrated in a good trail shoe. I’m somewhat of a sucker for handy details – and some really nice ones can be found throughout the Rift. Some simple string hangers are attached at the heel and one on top of the tongue. They aid the access of the foot into the sock-like inner. Also, the golden lace cover is quite an eye candy to me. The outsole of a trail shoe is quite significant and certainly a decision maker when buying such a shoe. The Rift’s lugs come in at 4.5mm plus and that is quite a lot for such a shoe. While I was a bit amazed at first it all made sense while running this shoe in its natural habitation. The lugs work fine and seem to add to the great cushioning of the shoe. Technical trail are no problem but I wouldn’t use it in deep mud or snow. A closer look at the PWRTRAC Rubber used on the outsole. The 4.5mm Lugs are placed efficiently and I could fully rely on them. They surely work best when it’s a bit dryer. The PWRRUN PB foam can be seen across the midsole of the Rift. Inside, as mentioned before, is a front woven flexible rock plate. This is the same plate that Saucony uses in the other trail models. I have become a fan of the foam not only in the road running shoes. It works well on the trails as well. It’s a dynamic and light material that overs a lot of ease. The stack height comes in at 32mm to 27mm and with 244 grams this shoe is certainly not a heavy one. This weight with so much cushion – you gotta love the latest foam technology. Comparting the toebox to other latest Saucony trail shoes, it feels a little bit tighter. The Endorphin Edge would be a bit more spacious in the front part. The material in the front looks a bit like the Xodus Ultra and offers some protection for the toes by using non-stretch material. This is particularly a feature that I really treasure. The Saucony Endorphin Rift caught me by surprise. I was super pleased with the Edge and I’m still a big fan of Sauconys Xodus, but the newest model gave me so much joy, more then I thought it will. Yes, it doesn’t feature a carbon plate like the Edge but that doesn’t hold back the overall performance. Frankly speaking, I didn’t really feel a huge deviation while on the trails. The Endorphin Rift works fine and stable during uphill, with its inner-sock it is a lot of fun to push up grades. The feeling that your energy is shifted into speed is there and that is very satisfying. Whilst cruising on technical trails, the sense for the ground is noteworthy, despite the cushion, the ground feeling is continually there. Regardless of the stack height the shoe doesn’t feel “elevated”. It’s fun to run it fast and it’s a great choice for downhills due to the effective and well build midfoot wrap.
The year kicks off with the public unveiling of the long awaited and profoundly teased Saucony Supershoe. Throughout the last few weeks this shoe could be spotted on the fast feet of US Elite Runners Jared Ward and just a couple of days ago as Parker Stinson amazed with a 4th place finish at a stacked Houston Marathon, his fastest ever. Perchance the all-new Endorphin Elite helped a little. Let’s get into the specifics and see what magic Saucony is distributing with their chief model. During the end of last year, early prototype images have been flocking the internet and the prominent hype sites. The unremitting contest for the next super shoe is real, and Saucony has lifted the high stacked top range marketplace with the vastly applauded Endorphin Pro 3 in the 2022 spell. Although Elite Athletes hackle brands to drive the development further and further in this top range hustle, Saucony devoted time and resources to surpass the needs of their elite athletes with this shoe. As stated above, Stinson and Ward have been quite crucial in the course of the making and development of this shoe. Saucony continues with its strong dedication to raw performance products. Right on time for their 125th birthday, Saucony reveals the shoe, that at this point of time, is the lightest, fastest and most energy efficient product they ever put on the market. The companies latest and peak rebound foam, PWRRUN is the base of the Endorphin Elite. Carbon is a significant share of every so-called super shoe. An innovative fork-shaped carbon plate is constructed to push runners forward and that is obvious and well placed in the Endorphin Elite. Precisely engineered with thoughtful toe-spring for a faster turnover and a positioned forefoot for a more adaptive ride. The sensation of snappiness and the feeling of forward drive is up to a new extreme, something I have never experienced in any other model in this category. It is a typical road racing outsole. Kept to a minimum and features a thin layer of tactically placed rubber that provides confidence inspiring-traction deprived of adding needless weight. To me, the upper has always been one of the strong points in Saucony shoes. And there is no difference in this one. Saucony calls it “Performance Knit Mesh”. It is a next-to-skin upper that snugs around the foot super nicely and is highly breathable. The inner feels like a sock and offers great shelter for the feet during the run. Whereas high stacked shoes sometimes can feel a bit insecure, I had the feeling that the inner construction helps to evade just this. I even tested some light trails and that wasn’t a big issue but assuredly not the footing that this shoe should be used for. Your foots POV – A shot that highlights the thin upper of this shoe. Very elastic but jet stable as the sites is protected by an added guard that keeps the foot in place. Particularly during high paced intervals a real game changer. The Endorphin Elite essentially features a combination of the energy efficient PWRRUN HG foam together with a newly designed carbon plate. Saucony calls this the Speedroll technology. It can be found in all the Endorphin models, but the Elite Version features the most aggressive available. The ‘Original Running Brand’, as Saucony calls itself, is making waves with this shoe. The vast sole with a 40 mm heel and a 32 mm forefoot (Heel-to-toe Offset: 8mm) is the base and combines the springy feeling with great padding. The Endorphin Elite is a first-class racing shoe and made for the marathon distance. After four years of development Saucony accomplished the aim for a top-class running shoe. Often marketing quotes sound self-assured and harsh but when Parker Stinson stated that this shoe is “a real game changer” some truth can be heard in his words. While I struggled a bit with the sizing in the Endorphin Pros, the Elite is true to size. I tested the shoe in a US13 and they were fitting flawlessly. The toe box gives plenty of room which I used to had problems with in other super carbon plates shoes in the past. Notwithstanding the generous fit, the lockdown of the foot is super good also down to a special padding in the heel section of this shoe. Generally speaking, this is a well composed shoe in regards to fitting. I never felt any compromises. The up-to-date performance model from Saucony comes with a fully new design approach and clearly sticks out in the Endorphin assortment. In addition this shoe the companies top line up features the Endorphin Pro, the kindly cushioned tempo trainer in the Endorphin Speed, the day to day workhorse that is the popular Endorphin Shift and the carbon-plated trail racing shoe that I have already been writing about, the Endorphin Edge. It is pretty apparent that this shoe is made for competing in its purest form. The Endorphin Elite is a performance shoe and should shine when race day is here. The farfetched spring-back paired with the direct notion, the negligeable design and geometry are a seamless blend to run fast on race day. And with the initial flashy green colorway (there is another one launching soon) on the lightweight knitted, mesh blend upper, all is set to run fast and aggressive.
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