Saucony - Endorphin Pro 4

Have done my last 3 fulls in EP4s (Boston 24, LA25, and Chicago yesterday where I PRd a 3:44) I love them. I have bunions and these are actually wide enough to accommodate. The only issue I've come across in racing in them was at the water stations yesterday. The street asphalt was more slick than I remember and I felt the need to be extra careful with my footing through the stations.

Saucony Endorphin Speed 4 / Pro 4 work for me. I have a wide forefoot - slight Hallux plus Clavus besides the 5th toe are causing the wideness (I am rather narrow around the ankles and midfoot). Saucony seem to work for me in general, whereas Hoka in 2E don't.

Wide forefoot Endorphin Pro 4 runner here - go for it, they're great shoes!

Extremely stable, but I also find it very hard. It only starts to feel good at or below 4min/km otherwise I’d call it pretty uncomfortable.

Man, almost any of them work even at going for 1:50-2. Just avoid the wild broncos ones you need to be going 6:00 minute a mile an under like Fast-R 3 or Endorphin Elite . If you’ve never done a carbon before I recommend Endo pro 4, Sc Elite v4, or Deviate Nitro Elite 3 as solid choices for race and workout.

The endorphin pro 4s are one of the more friendly, stable carbon plated shoes I’ve owned. Can’t speak for the new v5 but there are still a bunch of 4s available out there and mostly on sale now. They’re super comfortable, albeit maybe not as aggressive as some other shoes out there but I found them to be light, speedy, very approachable

I second this. I don’t wear a wide but I have wider feet and these have been my go to. The endorphin pro are ok but B12 feel more stable

Super blast 2, unless I’m practicing race pace then it’s Saucony endorphin pro 4s

Another vote for Saucony pro 4’s. Just did a 3:37 in them. Comfortable for a carbon plated shoe.

Slightlt heavier heel striking runner here. I'm an Endorphin Pro guy, 3 was fantastic, 4 slightly less but still great.

I am going to run my first marathon in about a month and I'm trying to decide on my race day shoes. I have been running on small stockpile of Novablast 4s for the last year or so. I really like these shoes as they can do everything, fit my feet very well and haven't given me any issues. My **PB for the half marathon is just over 1h 25m** (just over 4:00 / km). My **goal time for the marathon is 3h 30m** (just under 5:00 / km), which is probably not too ambitious. If I feel good after 35km, I might want to speed up. But while the NB4 carried me through these races reliably, I feel like I lose a lot of energy in these shoes. I am tempted to buy plated shoes, but I have a few quirks that make me unsure if that's a good idea: * I am a **heel striker**. (Though my outsoles are only worn in the front. Idk how.) * During a HM, my cadence is a fairly steady \~193 throughout the course. * I tend to prefer shoes that offer some **stability**. I've been told I have very minor pronation; not enough to warrant stability shoes. (So I stockpiled a couple pairs of NB4s as soon as I tried the softer NB5.) * I did a long run in the Nimbus a while back and it gave me really bad achilles/calf pain. I guess running on pillows is not good for me and my calves need strengthening. * I like the Asics fit. So I guess relatively narrow, but **'round' (not tapered) toebox**. Honestly, what I really want is a plated Novablast, but that doesn't exist (yet). I have shortlisted a few existing options: * Superblast 2: the safe choice? Seems like the obvious step up from the NB4. But very big, no plate and an 'illegal' stack height. * ~~Endorphin Pro 4:~~ tried this, returned them. Great shoe, but it just doesn't fit my foot shape. The toebox is too tapered and the rocker is very late. And while suitable for heel strikers, it doesn't offer much heel *guidance* due to the soft foam. * ~~Endorphin Elite 4~~: tried this because someone said it was stable. I found it very unstable below like 03:45 / km. I would do a 5K in them, not a marathon. * Adios Pro 3: seen conflicting reports. Some say it's a relatively stable plated shoe that is comfy enough for a full marathon. Others say the upper is incomfortable. Should I try them? * Asics S4+ Yogiri: Asics shoes have always fit me well. Unfortunately, this appears to be the only remotely stable plated shoe in the Asics line-up. I think it will offer a little more guidance than the EP4, as the foam is (presumably) firmer. * Zoom Fly 6: tried these. I found them relatively stable. They are narrow at the heel, but the foam is just firm enough for my weight. (65kg) They don't feel all that snappy, but the store only had a size too large. I'll wait for the right size to arrive. Since I am pretty unfamiliar with anything outside Asics and Saucony, I am asking here in the hopes someone has another recommendation that might be a good option for an efficient yet relatively stable marathon shoe for my 3:30 goal.

I'm sure the Novablast will do fine, but I ran a 5k in the Endorphin Pro 4s a while back. Once you know what you're missing... I tried the Endo Trainer. I thought the toebox was pretty similar to the EP4, which RunRepeat seems to agree with. I guess I'm also just in between two Saucony sizes, which is possible considering I have a friend who's always between sizes in most brands *except* Saucony. Thanks for suggestion the Nike Zoom Fly 6, I'll look into it! It looks relatively stable, but also very narrow.

Second this. I have wider feet, and love these shoes. Give it a good heel lock and flourish.