Endorphin Pro 5

You have nailed exactly how I feel about the Megablast! It's like every "shoetuber" immediately anointed it as the Chosen shoe, but when I demoed a pair it felt anywhere from fine to awful. The upper honestly feels like a disaster. How do they make their actual raceday uppers comfortable enough, then flub it so badly on the Megablast? I was rubbed raw after just 6 miles. The midsole made me want to run fast, but then once I got to speed I felt like I was bottoming out. Or maybe it just felt very firm at those speeds? But at slower easy paces they felt unstable and flared my posterior tibial tendon issues a bit. And the price tag for what you get is kinda laughable. If I want a bouncy shoe that I can only take into the single-digit miles, I will save $75+ and get the Evo SL. If I want a faster shoe that I can take the marathon distance, I would even go Endorphin Pro 5 over the Megablast at a comparable price.

I have the Sky Paris and will tell you that if you even heel strike a little bit, you should look elsewere. To me, the Puma deviate Nitro Elite 3 is a wonderful choice when you factor in everything - lightness, responsiveness, durability, comfort, fit and price. It's the goldilocks of shoes. Sure, the sky Paris might be a tad quicker (altho, I have all my PB's in the puma to be fair...) but is much less stable and comfortable. I ran a while in the Adios Pro 4, but found the heel to be a bit wobbly and the fit/sizing a mess (as usual with Adidas). The vaporfly is just meh, and not really cushioned enough for a full Marathon in my opinion and the Alphafly has too much of a mechanical feel (not to mention insanely priced). The Saucony Endorphin Pro 5 is a good option which is supposed to be a bit more stable than many other super shoes, but I'd take the Deviate Elite 3 over them any day of the week. If you don´t have too much of a wide foot - I'd highly recommend the Deviate Nitro Elite 3 (which also can be found relatively cheap at around 180$ on various sales). For reference I'm 175 lbs, M38 and ran my last Marathon at 2:56 (in the Pumas).

If you are hell bent on a super shoe, i'd steer you towards either the NB Sc Elite v4 or the Saucony Endorphin pro 4/5. Those are the two most forgiving super shoes that potentially could work for you. With your pace (and experience level?) my take is that the more aggressive super shoes will do you more harm than good.

I have 3 pairs of Pro 4 and did a test run in Pro 5 that I also thought was excellent, it is one of my favorite shoes. I can run an pace in them, but they want me to run faster. I also have Speed 4 and don't get along with it, did also do a test run in Speed 5 which for me was no better than the 4. I can not run very long in the Speed 4, it kills my forefoot. I also did a test run in the Azura and liked it a lot, much better than the Speed for me, so are going to get that when I get it on a good discount.

I run in super shoes or super trainers everyday. No issues. Better running economy and reduced impact from the premium foam. Win win. You should do foot and ankle mobility exercises so you can learn to not run in stability shoes. Stability shoes have extra support, which adds weight to a shoe. Extra ounces on a shoe will impair your running economy. In the meantime, if you want a faster shoe that offers more support for track sessions, check out the ASICS Megablast, Sauciny Endorphin Pro, and New Balance Supercomp Elite 4. These all have premium foams, but added stability compared to shoes like Vaporfly, etc.

The Ride to me is a daily trainer, I wouldn’t want to run long in it, like 10 miles max. Then I would still suggest the SC elite or the Rocket X, Endorphin Pro 5, Puma Elite 4 . . . Race shoes don’t have the same durability, meant for short times on feet, usually and are pretty aggressive. Unless you are an experienced runner, running sub 2:30/3:00,- a racer is not necessary

I am a heel striker and recently got the endorphin pro 5’s. I am able to shave a good 10-15 seconds per mile it seems when I really push it vs my normal shoes which are Brooks glycerin Max’s. My thighs get destroyed during the run and my Achilles are a little sore afterwards. But to answer your question the shoe does seem to improve performance.

At that pace a carbon racer is likely a better choice. Saucony Endorphin pro 4/5, Hoka Cielo x3 or New Balance elite v5 should all work well for you as a heel striker