Saucony - 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.

Have tried a few and here are my thoughts Saucony endorphin edges Very similar to endorphin pro 3s in ride. They are a fast shoe but let down badly by the grip (atrocious on wet rocks) and i struggled with the upper. Go half a size up to normal for these Brilliant for open firetrail Speedland SFD Is it carbon plated? Well they are in there but they offer the least assistance of any i have tried. Broad base and good grip with the absolute highlight being the lock down from the boas. Down side is they drain like shit without cutting the plug out and if you do that they let water in from any wet ground. Price is absurd for what you get Adidas terrex speed ultra This shoe is fast! Probably the quickest trail shoe i have used BUT They are incredibly unstable on anything even remotely uneven, hit a rock wrong and goodbye ankle. The instep rubbed my arch badly so only got 30k in them before passing them on l Hoka tecton x2 These have been an absolute workhorse for me. 400ks in my first pair and they have tons of life left in them. Maybe not the quickest ride but they are on par with the speedlands for stability but much lighter (cheaper too) Highlight for me is the way they drain Downside would be the tongue could be longer and thicker. Had issues with lace bite early on but got the fit dialed now. Great shoe for up to 50ks for me so far. Hoka tecton X3 Very bouncy ride, for me the most on par with road going super shoes. Took me a little to like and trust these shoes but now my go to race shoe. The grip is easily the best of all I have used including the X2s (can't beat vibram megagrip imo) They are wearing well and the ride settled down a touch to not throw me on bad landings( note it still will a bit) Down side, the lacing system not allowing a heel lock. Have to use thicker socks than normal (i prefer steigens) to mitigate the heel not locking 100% The upper is thicker than the X2s and doesn't drain quite as well but on par with most others

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.

There isn't a best because user preferences and characteristics vary so you really gotta try them. Even then, some shoes fit and perform notably differently when new vs when you have 50 miles in them. I like the Peregrines but go for the Endorphin Edge and Rift when I want more cushioning and the Nnormal Tomir 2 when I want better grip. My Peregrines have nearly 250 miles of very rough terrain on them so they're about toast.

Carbon trail shoes work best when the surfaces are consistently smoother with gentler inclines/declines. I like the Saucony Endorphin Edge. Some reviews have described it as unstable but that hasn't been the case for me, even on technical trails. It also has a relatively wide toebox, albeit not Altra or Topo wide, that might contribute to reports of instability.

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 don't consider the Norda a super shoe, but that is probably most versatile, but also the slowest. I find the grip on Saucony horrible on wet terrain, which makes their versatility bad. Adidas has worked great for me and I got 750 km in them so far, but they're not good on anything technical for me. My foot sits pretty good inside the foam, but the narrow mid and heel still make them really unstable if I don't land on the forefoot. The Pumas don't seem to have this problem even if its narrower in the front and my feet don't sit so much inside the foam. But they feel more close to the ground than Adidas. I think Pumas may be more versatile for shorter runs. As for fast, all three feel very fast to me.

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.