Endorphin Edge

Favorite brand for trail shoes is Saucony. Their overall approach seems to work best for me across shoes. The Peregrine line has been the best do-it-all shoe for me, and I like it on long runs even though it seems marketed as a light and speedy type. The Endorphin Edge was great in so many ways, only severely bottlenecked by an outsole that was aggressively frail (I had large chunks missing after 30 miles on tame terrain). That said, my favorite trail shoe is the Terrex Agravic Speed. I haven't tried any of the other Terrex shoes, but grabbed this one on sale once and it's very fun. It's definitely heavily geared for non-technical courses. The tread depth is pretty shallow, it's light, bouncy, and very fast if you are on runnable terrain. No rock plate but enough stack that it's not an issue. I've taken it up to HM distance very comfortably, and would consider it for longer if the terrain was appropriate.

I tried the PDX and Tam 2 years ago and currently run in the MTC R1 (~100 miles) and T1 (~50 miles). I don't have them side by side though. The Speedlands were ok but nothing special, there were already other fast shoes like Nnormal Kerag and Salomon Pulsar series, and long run/ultra shoes like the Saucony Endorphin Edge that worked great for me at a fraction of the price and lighter to boot. I don't care for boa, they add to costs, bulk, maybe weight and for me would be a hardware solution for a minor problem having to do with attention to detail when just lacing up. R1 fits my feet well which is a major item for me, durability is good so far, and runs well enough. Will take time to compare to the Endorphin Speed 3s I enjoyed for a few years because I could get 900-1000+ miles/pair out of them and the current Endorphin Speed 4s are notably too narrow. T1 is what the Speedgoat or MTN Racer could be. Fits my wide feet well, good amount of bouncy cushioning that I don't feel like I'm fighting when picking up the pace, and solid traction.

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 >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.

Ive had 2 pairs of endorphin edge. They are indeed fast. They also really don’t do great on technical terrain as they slide around. I also found the outsole to wear quickly and lacked durability. In the right context though they definitely feel fast.

Saucony Endorphin Edge is what I'm currently using. https://runrepeat.com/saucony-endorphin-edge Crud. Apparently they're discontinued. But you may be still able to find a pair at your size.

I think it also depends on the geometry. Tecton X2, X3, Fujispeed 2, Fujitrabuco Max 3, Endorphin Edge or Metafuji all have carbon plates but they don’t feel as propulsive as most road super shoes I’ve ran in (certainly not as many! Endorphin Pro, Endorphin Speed and Metaspeed Sky). In fact, Asics shoes are probably the least carbon-plate-feeling shoe, and not in a bad way. The Terrex ASU is the only exception.

I ran 146.9mi in 24hrs. First 50 miles in Endorphin Edge, then swapped into Xodus Ultra for more comfort. Should have done the whole thing in them, in retrospect. If I was to do it again, I may consider Metafuji or Tecton X2/3, depending on the terrain.

I love Ride TR. They’re an amazing daily trainer on road to trail, or gravel days. Wear amazingly well, I get 700-1000+km with the Rides and Ride TR is currently at 445km with visibly no wear. Endorphin Edge weren’t that great imho, I guess it depends on what you like but they were a bit worse than the competition in longer races with plusher foam, and they weren’t that fast for shorter stuff. Xodus Ultra were amazing, I went through five pairs of gen1 but haven’t tried others. Saucony do tend to tinker with their shoes a bit too much in my mind, and I think that puts me off. Kinvara, Ride and Xodus were all very different shoes compared to the current iterations - so why reuse the name? ISO structure was also a bit meh, they could have just changed the name instead of dropping ISO from the name.

Kjerag if you want something that handles tech well but still feels fast, endorphin edge if the trails are smooth and you just wanna rip. peregrine is more of an everyday workhorse than a race shoe imo

What size are your feet? If you have small or big feet, you might be able to find a pair of Saucony Xodus ultra 1 or 2. They are my favorite forever! Enough cushion for 100 but my foot doesn’t wobble around like in Hokas. They feel much firmer to me. I also like the Endorphine Edge. I am interested in the Mount to coast but haven’t tried yet.