Saucony - Endorphin Speed 3 (52956M, 52958W)

if you don’t mind older models I can wholehearted recommend the Endorphin Speed 3s

My most recent race shoe purchase is the AP4. Haven’t run a full in them yet, but have done some shorter races. Previously, I’ve raced halfs and fulls in the Clifton 8, Vaporfly 2, Alphafly 1, Endorphin Speed 2, Adios Pro 3, Zegama 1, Topo Specter 1, Endorphin Trail, Endorphin Pro 3, Endorphin Speed 3, and Tyr Valkyrie Speedworks. AP3 has been my favorite of those. Ran 2 halfs and 2 fulls in them plus an ultra and then put a lot of miles in them as a daily trainer. Great shoe. AF1 was great too, but I did a lot more daily miles than races in those.

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.

My most recent race shoe purchase is the AP4. Haven’t run a full in them yet, but have done some shorter races. Previously, I’ve raced halfs and fulls in the Clifton 8, Vaporfly 2, Alphafly 1, Endorphin Speed 2, Adios Pro 3, Zegama 1, Topo Specter 1, Endorphin Trail, Endorphin Pro 3, Endorphin Speed 3, and Tyr Valkyrie Speedworks. AP3 has been my favorite of those. Ran 2 halfs and 2 fulls in them plus an ultra and then put a lot of miles in them as a daily trainer. Great shoe. AF1 was great too, but I did a lot more daily miles than races in those.

Great question. Running my first marathon in March and trying to figure this out for my self. 60, 163 lbs (74 kg), 13:00 min/mile pace - so super slow. I have a love hate relationship with SB2s. At my current paces they are clunky blocks of foam. While I can roll off the toes, activating the foam through my forefoot takes a lot of effort which becomes harder as I get tired. I know I need to strength train more. And the shoes are more alive around 11 min/mile and faster. But I ran my half marathon earlier this month in Endorphin Speed 3s even though I primarily trained in the SB2s. They’re just not working for me. The Speeds just felt lighter and had more pop. I am able to run 30 seconds faster per mile on average. So same question - what are the best shoes for a slower runner for a 5-6 hour marathon.

Personally I wouldn't be using the endorphin speed 4 for a marathon. Speed 3 and 2 were great and would have used them but the 4 just felt harsh under foot. Probably more a Personally thing. Superblasts would be my first pick for unplated that I would run a marathon in. Stable base and the shoe just works perfectly for me doing about 5min ks. Evo SL are a maybe but I honestly haven't taken them more than 20k in one run. They felt great up till then but until I take a shoe over 30ks its an unknown for me

Personally I wouldn't be using the endorphin speed 4 for a marathon. Speed 3 and 2 were great and would have used them but the 4 just felt harsh under foot. Probably more a Personally thing. Superblasts would be my first pick for unplated that I would run a marathon in. Stable base and the shoe just works perfectly for me doing about 5min ks. Evo SL are a maybe but I honestly haven't taken them more than 20k in one run. They felt great up till then but until I take a shoe over 30ks its an unknown for me

I went from something like 10 pairs of shoes (3 road, 7 trail) to 4 pairs (1 road, 3 trail) which will eventually become 1 pair of each. Not counting spare pairs I keep in reserve when you find a winner and just KNOW the brand will mess it up in the next version. The whole time, I was looking for my ideal and separate road and trail shoes that fit well, were adequately durable, and could work for every combo of easy/hard and short/long runs. The shoes that didn't fit were just returned or donated. The others had something going for them and were tolerable, so I used them up. Loved the Saucony Endorphin Speed 3s, averaged ~900 miles/pair but got discontinued. But over several years I eventually burned through my pairs and it got supplanted by the 4s. The 4s were way too narrow so I donated them rather than rack up 500+ miles of having my feet crushed. Mount to Coast R1s feel great, durability is great so far, works well enough. The Saucony Endorphin Edge fits and runs great for me, but the outsole had just average traction and relatively low durability. I straight up lose outsole chunks in them. The Tomir 2.0 is a great durable shoe though a bit thin for me for long efforts. The Mount to Coast T1 checks all my boxes, durability looks good so far but need to get it to 300+ miles to get the full measure.

I've been doing road runs with the Saucony Endorphin Speeds for a few years, they're great. They have an 8mm drop but I wouldn't disregard them or other >6mm drop shoes so quickly without at least trying them in store and on a treadmill. I ran exclusively in Altras for years and even with 8mm drop shoes my wear patterns are normal and the heels show less wear. You can work on your form and pick up your feet regardless if it's 5mm drop or 9mm drop. But totally fine if you don't want to try a >6mm drop shoe, I really liked the Altra Rivera but ultimately not as durable and long living as my Endorphin Speeds. I averaged around 400 miles in the Rivera before the upper fabric wore/blew out and could no longer keep my feet secure vs averaging >1,000 miles in my Endorphin Speeds.

Saucony Speed, nice balance between carbon and no plate. I've raced in them when I've been on the road back from injury and not going all-out and put a lot of long run miles on the original Speed 3s. Nearly worn my 4s out and looking forward to the 5s.

Saucony. I have adidas, nike, asics, mizuno in my rotation now but I have only ever disliked one shoe from saucony. (endorphin speed 3 cut my heels because of the stiff heel counter-I love the es5). I could do asics or adidas as well.

I have the Speed 3 and loving it. Though very much jealous that you have the 5 - heard great things about it. Tried the speed 4 in store and that felt so good too. I have the triumph 21 and like that a lot too. Ride 18 in store was awesome - bought the 16 too soon, though not disappointed with it.

You may be blessed with a very neutral gait. And possibly because of your lifting your ankles may be quite strong and stable. I’ve felt unstable in all sorts of shoes until I guess my feet worked out the shoes. Deviate Nitro 2, Triumph 21, adidas SL2, endorphin speed 3. I supinate - one meaning all my shoes wear out on the outside of the sole. Secondly since I land on the outside of the foot I probably put most pressure on the un-stable parts of the foam until I figure out how to adjust to the shoes.

Try out the Saucony Ride or Endorphin speed (you’ll get the 3s and 4s on discount). If foot width(I couldn’t read fully) is an issue try the men’s shoes in the appropriate size (1.5 lower in men’s is the same size in women’s but had more width). If you want to try ASICS - the mega or sonic blast might work you - try them on first (if not available for you order and return as appropriate). You must be aware of short stride and landing under your body (as it relates to form that helps protects knees).

Love my Evo SL too, and the ES3 I had as well. But for a fast 5-10K I’d say the Mach 6 might be a good choice. Though I’m smaller and not really a heel striker.

I never tried the SB2. I'm sure they're great. For me though, they seem a bit clunky to actually race a marathon in. Also just mpo, but the instability of the Evo SL seems like it might be one of those things people keep parroting online, while it's maybe hardly noticeable if you run in them and aren'r hyper focused on it. Sure, that thick soft slab of LSP foam doesn't feel planted, but the fact that it doesn't bother me might suggest that the complaints come from people who run with a not-so-great form and stability? If anything, the Evo SL costs quite a bit less, it's lighter, and the midsole foam should last you longer than that of the Asics SB2. My other (previous) shoes that work nicely for medium long distances and a wide range of paces: Adidas SL2 (better stability and comfort than the Evo SL, ran a marathon PR in 'em), Endorphin Speed 3 (ran a marathon PR in 'em), Hoka MAch 6 (might lack a bit of everything for long runs/races).

If you like the Clifton, I would look at the Rincon. It's a lighter shoe than the Clifton and by far one of my favorite Hoka shoes. I ran my first half marathon in the Rincon 3 and I just retired my pair of the 4. I replaced them with a pair of the Skyflow and am somewhat regretting my decision; they're just not the same. The other option is the Mach X 3. It has a nylon plate instead of a carbon, which I'd consider looking at if you haven't tried them already. I have a pair of the original Mach X that are still going strong and I use them for a lot of my speed work. I'm going out for intervals today and will be using the Saucony Endorphin Speed 3 - also nylon plated and also incredibly durable. Make sure you go up another 1/2 size if you venture into Saucony because they do tend to run small and narrow.

* Easy/Recovery: Hoka Skyflow (52 mi) - Honestly, not my favorite shoe, but I bought them so I'll keep using them. It's probably back to my trusty Rincons after these are done. * Speed: Hoka Mach X (224 mi) - Still one of my favorites, especially for tempo runs. * Speed: Saucony Endorphin Speed 3 (225 mi) - The original speed was one of the first shoes I fell in love with, and this shoe has different mechanics from the Mach X. * Long/Race: New Balance FuelCell SuperComp Elite v4 (190 mi/19mi) - I have two pairs. One that I've done all of my long marathon training runs in, and the new pair that I'm using for Philly this weekend and then Love Run in March. I wanted something wider and cushioned enough for longer runs, and while these aren't the fastest supershoes I've ever used, they're certainly reliable enough for 26.2. Ideally I'll replace them with the Cielo X1 3 when they're released. * Race: Hoka Rocket X 2 (146 mi) - I think these have one more race in them and then they'll be relegated to training. I adore this shoe and have to decide if I grab another pair or go with the 3 when I replace them. Also in my closet but not currently in use: * Brooks Ghost 15 (136 mi) - These feel like having a 2x4 strapped to your foot. They really ruined the shoe with this model and it's made me hesitant to try Brooks again. * Hoka Clifton 9 (153 mi) - I like the Clifton, they're just not ones I reach for on a regular basis. * Hoka Mach 5 (153 mi) - I bought these because of the hype around them, which I ended up not agreeing with. They're "fine" enough. * Hoka Skyward X (113 mi) - I've tried on and off to use these, but they make my peroneal tendonitis flare up. * New Balance More v4 (155 mi) - Another shoe that was overhyped for me. They never felt as "plush" as others talked about. * Saucony Endorphin Pro 4 (65 mi) - I bought these to use for my half marathon last year because of how much I loved the previous version. I strongly dislike this as a half/full marathon shoe because of the firmness, and it's not comfortable over 9 miles, to the point where I ended up using my almost-dead 3s for the race. They don't have a place in my rotation because the Rocket is a more aggressive shoe over the 5K/10K distance. I may end up using them for speed work when my current speed shoes are done.

I love the SC Elite 4 for my long and marathon paces, but they’re not my favorite for faster. I do my tempo runs in either the Hoka Mach X or Saucony Endorphin Speed.