Endorphin Speed 3

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.

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).