To second this - I buy end of life performance shoes to see if I would like them in their prime. I.e. Metaspeed Sky for $50 and 200 miles, Vaporfly 2s that have done two marathons for $40, and Alphafly 2s for $30 that are pretty beat up, but I’m willing to make a bet they have some life left for $30.
Then occasionally you get people that just don’t know what they have. This week I should be getting a pair of Endorphin Speed 3s that I paid $10 for that someone had listed as “Stylish Pink Saucony Shoes”
The correct answer is the shoe which you find the most comfortable, over your most recent long runs, OP. I personally prefer the plate in my AF to the rods in my AP’s, due to a metatarsalgia issue.
Ok so you have chosen wisely so far. The Clifton’s are your cruiser and Evo for your tempo. Here’s what I can tell you from the ones I’ve tried.
The vapourfly 4s not enough cushion for marathon.
Adios Pro 4 are very squishy/unstable. Weird rocker
Alphafly expensive and lockdown quite difficult but super once that issue is sorted.
Advice Sauconny endorphin pro 4 would be my suggestion. Stable propulsive and durable.
I had a pair of Nike Alphafly NEXT% that lasted 880 miles. That version of ZoomX was fantastic. I actually wore through the outsole and the air pod in one of them burst (right in the middle of a 14 miler), but the foam still felt great.
For shoes that are actually available now, I’ve had a good experience with several iterations of the Saucony Endorphin Speed. The foam feels good through 500+ miles and the upper and outsole hold up well. They are also good for any distance or pace.
I rotate between 6-8 pairs, so I suggest getting at least two pairs. As far as what to suggest; running shoes are extremely personal. Everyone is different. I’ve been loving Adidas Adizero EVO SLs, ASICs Superblast 2s, Hoka Skyward X for those middle distance easy runs, Adidas Boston 13s for threshold work, Saucony Endorphin Speeds for threshold, and I also have a stable of race shoes (Nike Vaporflys, Alphaflys) for intervals and racing.
Don't blast them until you try them. I love my big stack shoes. My favorite long runs shoes are the ASICs Megablasts and Hoka Skyward X. I also love Adidas EVO SLs. Race shoes are Nike Vapor Flys, Alpha FLys, and Adidas Pro 4s.
Federal-Marsupial-12
