Endorphin Edge

The Endorphin Edge is one of my all time favorites for smooth trails, but not great in the technical stuff and not very durable.

Salomon Genesis for technical trails. Saucony Endorphin Edge for non-technical trails and non-technical races. OG Nike Zegama retired to short runs and family hikes. North Face Enduris 4. Great shoe, but returning them because the Vectiv plate digs into the sides of my feet. Brand new pair of Mount to Coast T1 that I haven’t had a chance to run in yet.

The endorphin edge had the scariest rubber i have ever come across. Literally zero grip on wet rocks. Fast and fun on open firetrail but that was about it for me.

I have >150 miles in the Tomir 2.0 and previously ran in the Xodus Ultra 1 and 2, and Peregrine 13. Also >500 miles in 2 pairs of the Endorphin Edge. Typically run on hard packed rocky trails. First 50-70 or so miles in the Tomir 2.0 felt a bit narrow in the forefoot/toebox. Not a big issue for short runs, moderately uncomfortable for longer runs. Loosening the laces helped a bit. After 70 miles, the insole has packed down and the upper fabric has loosened so they are generally fine for me on longer runs. I know it's not a case of my feet acclimating to being squeezed because my road shoes were squeezing my feet the whole time until I replaced them recently with the wider Mount to Coast R1. I've done several 20+ mile >4,000 foot runs in the Tomir 2.0 with some moderately technical sections, no width related issues anymore. The cushioning is on the firm side and took some getting used to. Endorphin Edge generally felt like a straight upgrade to the Xodus, lighter and faster feeling at higher paces. Some reviewers reported stability issues but I suspect it's due to (1) the Endorphin Edge being too wide for people who run in Hokas and Nikes, (2) high/max stack, and (3) the Endorphin Edge's plate. In my use, I had to slow down slightly on the looser and more technical downhills particularly when making turns but was notably faster with less effort and more comfort everywhere else. Main downside is that it's a struggle for me to get 300 miles out of a pair because the outsole peeled where the cutouts are, and that the outsole material itself doesn't flex well so I've lost chunks of outsole. It was worth the money when on sale but might be harder to find now. I just pre ordered the Mount to Coast T1 and am hoping it will be a good ultra shoe for me. I've had their R1 road shoes for some time and it fits and runs well for me.

I have ~100 miles in the Tomir 2 and ran extensively in the Endorphin Edge, Peregrine, Xodus Ultra, and Speedgoat. For me, the Tomir 2.0 is most like the Peregrine but with better traction. I wouldn't use the Peregrine in anything over a marathon and ditto with the Tomir 2.0. The main selling point of the Tomir 2 to me is better traction and overall shoe life (remains to be seen) since my Peregrines were done after 270 miles on my usual rocky trails. Of these, I like the Endorphin Edge the most and used it for my recent races and long runs. Outsole life and traction need improvement though, I've straight up lost chunks of outsole.

I have >200 miles in my Nnormal Tomir 2s, spanning short steep runs to 20 mile runs with >5,000 feet of climbing at altitude. Previously ran in Saucony Xodus Ultra, Endorphin Edge, and Endorphin (g)rift. Traction and durability on the Tomir 2 are great. They are on the firm side, even with the mileage I put on them so far, and lean on fast feeling given my previous shoes. I would want more underfoot cushioning for anything beyond a marathon or 50K. To me, these are medium generalist leaning shoes, great for racking up miles and training. Fit was a touch too narrow at first, I have wide feet. Took around 50 miles for the insole to pack down and the upper to stretch and flex a bit. Fits comfortably snug now. For the long stuff I am using the Mount to Coast T1. Comfortable fit for my toes, good underfoot cushioning, yet light and fast enough that I don't feel like I'm working too hard when running uphill or picking up the pace. I have ~80 miles on them so far, really just a few long runs, they're great. Durability looks good but need to take them out to at least 200 to say more. If these still look good after 300 miles I would switch completely to them and not get another pair of the Tomir 2s.

There are so many different trail shoes out there that I like to try different pairs when I get new ones, the problem with this is I don’t really know how they will be during longer races. They can feel great for 3-4 hours, but it’s hard to tell how my feet will feel after 8+ hours so I thought I would list the ones I have tried and see what you guys think. Saucony Endorphin Edge- My current “race” shoe. I got them on sale. I wore for shorter distances and they are fine, then I wore them for 2 different 50k and they gave me heel blisters both times. Saucony Peregrine 13- I like these, light, comfortable, but worried about how they would feel after 30+ miles. Saucony Xodus Ultra- I really liked these, but I had them when I wasn’t running as many miles. Also the 3’s have mixed reviews so that makes me nervous to try. Hoka Speedgoat 5- These felt just too chunky. They were comfortable, but just too big. Salomon Ultra Glide 2- These are just fine. I don’t like or hate them, just ok. Also I did a road 50 mile with Saucony Endorphin 3 Pro and my feet were fine, no problems at all. Also my feet are average/narrow so a wide toe box is not a big deal. I was thinking of trying the Nnormal Tomir 2 or Topo’s, but I don’t know anyone who has actually had these and if I’m just being hooked by the marketing, of course sponsored athletes will hype them up. Sorry for the long post and thanks in advance!

There are so many different trail shoes out there that I like to try different pairs when I get new ones, the problem with this is I don’t really know how they will be during longer races. They can feel great for 3-4 hours, but it’s hard to tell how my feet will feel after 8+ hours so I thought I would list the ones I have tried and see what you guys think. Saucony Endorphin Edge- My current “race” shoe. I got them on sale. I wore for shorter distances and they are fine, then I wore them for 2 different 50k and they gave me heel blisters both times. Saucony Peregrine 13- I like these, light, comfortable, but worried about how they would feel after 30+ miles. Saucony Xodus Ultra- I really liked these, but I had them when I wasn’t running as many miles. Also the 3’s have mixed reviews so that makes me nervous to try. Hoka Speedgoat 5- These felt just too chunky. They were comfortable, but just too big. Salomon Ultra Glide 2- These are just fine. I don’t like or hate them, just ok. Also I did a road 50 mile with Saucony Endorphin 3 Pro and my feet were fine, no problems at all. Also my feet are average/narrow so a wide toe box is not a big deal. I was thinking of trying the Nnormal Tomir 2 or Topo’s, but I don’t know anyone who has actually had these and if I’m just being hooked by the marketing, of course sponsored athletes will hype them up. Sorry for the long post and thanks in advance!

I've got a pair of plated Saucony Endorphin Edge trail shoes. I really only noticed the plate on flatter fast sections - road sections, flat trail. Sadly discontinued now though!

North face Enduris 4 is great. La Sportiva Prodigio Pro is the best but pricier. Evo SL is also my favorite road shoe. For a wilder ride that you can pick up for cheap, the Saucony Endorphin Edge is very fun but can bounce you around a bit, so not recommended if you have wobbly ankles. Very fast shoe.

I have the same experience with Saucony Edge. Great shoe but I also get blisters on my heels. I have therefore migrated to Hoka Tecton x3 for non technical trails and La Sportiva Prodigio Pro for more technical trails.

I share your love of the endorphin edge, but it’s not coming back sadly. Ride Tr, Guide Tr, Xodus and peregrine are all you’re getting from saucony as far as trail shoes go. They’re trying to pare down their lineup as they feel it’s been too saturated with different models.

I have the Saucony Endorphin Edge, the Nike Ultrafly, the Adidas Speed Ultra, S/Lab Genesis, S/Lab Pulsar, Hoka Tecton X1 et X3, etc. I have over 60 shoes, trail and road. Each of these super shoes is very different ... For 12km technical races, I've been using **Pulsar SG** for the past few years because it's the lightest + most nimble + deeper lugs. But it's not the most versatile imho, it's quite narrow and I would not run longer distances. I would say my top 3 so far : 1- Tecton X3 : first pick for training and for races over 25km, if it's not too technical 2- Endorphin Edge : first pick for less than 25km, if it's not too technical 3- Nike Ultrafly : first pick for soft midsole, training any distance I'm not sure what I would use for a technical 12km+ race. Maybe S/Lab Genesis but I've not tested enough. Regarding, Adidas Speed Ultra, it's a very narrow shoe, not a fan so far. Tecton X1 is fine for training. I tried Norda 001 but returned it, I was not really impressed for the price. I will probably try Norda 005.

I agree that it feels relatively dead, and it's annoying at times, but I think that works to its favor in some environments. They're my go-to shoes for super gnarly stuff where every step is an ankle roll waiting to happen. For me at least, shoes with higher energy return tend to be really unstable in situations where every step is severely off camber. I found the Endorphin Edge to be borderline unusable in those situations. But yeah, for most situations I agree that the lack of energy return is probably the biggest downside.