Shoe Review: Saucony Endorphin Elite

Saucony had a big year in 2022. Two of their bestselling shoes, the Endorphin Pro and the Endorphin Speed, quickly shot up to the top of every runner’s wishlist thanks to major updates including more cushioning and more responsiveness. Little did we know that, at the time, Saucony was getting ready for yet another major launch that had been in the works for four years.

The Saucony Endorphin Elite almost broke the internet on January 25 when 25 athletes and influencers (including Fleet Feet) simultaneously posted unboxing videos of the new super shoe. Runners immediately started buzzing about the neon-green wonder gracing their screens. What was this shoe? When could they get a pair? Would it arrive in time for their goal race?

Fleet Feet reviewers Max and Caroline tested out the new Endorphin Elite, and we also asked Phil Young from Fleet Feet Davenport, creator of Fleet Feet’s unboxing video, for his thoughts – here’s everything you need to know about the Endorphin Elite, launching February 21. Keep an eye out for this shoe online and at your local Fleet Feet store.

Shoe designers were so invested in the new Endorphin Elite, they created a brand new midsole foam to help runners reach their maximum potential. Saucony touts the new PWRRUN HG foam as its most energy efficient cushioning yet. While Fleet Feet reviewers didn’t have a scientific way to test that claim, they did notice how springy and responsive the shoe felt.

“My first run in the Endorphin Elite was an 11-mile workout with some mixed intervals, and my strides just seemed to roll along smoothly,” Caroline says. “I noticed that my threshold pace felt like it took less effort to hold than usual. I think it was a combination of the midsole foam, the carbon plate and the rocker shape of the shoe.”

The Endorphin Elite features a full-length carbon fiber plate that’s slotted into four sections at the toe box, which is designed to give the plate more flexibility for an accommodating feel. The carbon-fiber plate flexes during landings and rebounds during takeoffs, springing you forward into the next stride.

While the slotted carbon-fiber plate is designed for added flexibility, Caroline noticed that the shoe still felt pretty stiff in the forefoot.

Part of the stiffness Caroline felt can be attributed to the shoe’s rocker shape, which Saucony calls SPEEDROLL footwear geometry. This technology tilts the shoe slightly forward for added momentum that keeps you moving forward from heel to toe.

“I noticed that the rocker shape is pretty pronounced in this shoe,” Caroline says. “I could feel some extra pressure in my toes and forefoot. My feet aren’t used to being held in that position, so I think I need a few more runs in the Elite to get used to the shape before racing in them.”

But for other reviewers, the mix of the rocker shape, the midsole foam and the stable platform was love at first step.

“The SpeedRoll technology felt apparent but not overbearing,” Phil says. “The shoe feels properly aggressive during toe-offs, and the midsole foam is soft, but not without form. The broader-than-most platform and its geometry made for what I felt to be a uniquely stable ride in a high-performance, go-fast shoe.”

The Saucony Endorphin Elite delivers a unique running experience, and its eye-catching upper is different from anything we’ve seen from Saucony running shoes before. A performance-knit mesh offers a secure yet breathable fit, thanks to strategically placed cutouts in the midfoot and perforations in the forefoot.

“The upper in the Endorphin Elite is pretty crazy,” Caroline says. “It features lots of overlays and cutouts. I was nervous about the cutouts around the midfoot since I’ve never run in a shoe like this before, but I didn't have any problems. The material in the forefoot is so thin and light, and the grid-like perforations remind me of a window screen. That, combined with the hexagonal shaped perforations in the tongue, creates a pretty bold aesthetic. It also means there is absolutely no way your feet are going to get hot in this shoe.”

The Endorphin Elite offers a classic race-day fit, meaning it’s slightly snugger than your average training shoe. This eliminates movement within the shoe, helping you run as efficiently as possible. Despite this, reviewers felt the shoe fits true to size and is fairly easy to slip in and out of. A handy pull tab on the back of the heel helps as well.

“I found the straps and cutouts in the Endorphin Elite to be quite functional,” Phil says. “In shoes with high stack heights and soft foams, feeling like you’re locked down on top of the midsole is a huge deal and I think Saucony nailed this here.”

The Saucony Endorphin Elite is the next tier up from the Endorphin Pro, so Pro loyalists need not worry as that model will carry on. The Elite and the Endorphin Pro 3 are similar in terms of fit and feel, with a few notable differences. Both shoes offer Saucony’s SPEEDROLL rocker geometry and a full-length carbon-fiber plate, although the carbon plate is slotted in the Elite for added flexibility and not the Pro.

The Saucony Endorphin Pro 3 uses Saucony’s soft, springy PWRRUN PB midsole foam, while the Endorphin Elite uses their new PWRRUN HG foam.

While both shoes are almost identical in terms of weight, stack height and heel-to-toe drop, the PWRRUN HG foam and toe-spring shape in the Elite provide even more propulsion.

“The Endorphin Elite is like the Endorphin Pro 3, but on steroids,” Caroline says. “The Elite has an even more aggressive rocker shape, firmer midsole foam and, of course, the slotted carbon plate.”

The Endorphin Elite also uses a new, performance-knit mesh upper with plenty of cutouts and overlays to keep your feet cool. While both shoes offer a sleek, lightweight upper, the Endorphin Elite is more detailed in its design.

“Out of the box, all I could say was, wow!” Max says. “Everything is engineered for speed, from the laser-cut hexagonal shaped holes in the tongue to the see-through gridded fabric in the upper.”

We took a look at some comparable shoes and how the Endorphin Elite stacks up against them. Here’s what we found.

While the Saucony Endorphin Elite offers more cushioning than the HOKA Carbon X 3 and ASICS Metaspeed Sky+, all three shoes provide a similar feeling thanks to their firmer midsole foams. While some other super shoes offer soft, squishy cushioning, the aforementioned three have a stiffer ride, which many runners prefer when trying to run at top speed.

“The Endorphin Elite offers a good balance between soft and firm while providing excellent energy return,” Max says.

The Endorphin Elite offers a higher heel-to-toe drop than the other two shoes, which means your heel sits higher than your toes at a sharper angle (8 millimeters, in this case). This can be useful for runners who experience calf or achilles tightness, as the higher heel drop is thought to place less pressure on those areas.

The Endorphin Elite is built for the runner who wants to invest in their performance and squeeze every ounce of speed out of themselves and their shoes. A rigid carbon-fiber plate and propulsive SPEEDROLL geometry make heel-to-toe transitions feel smooth and easy while you chase down those precious seconds.

Some reviewers felt that the rocker shape was more aggressively angled forward than in other super shoes, so we recommend wearing them on a few training runs to get used to the shape before race day.

The firm cushioning in the Endorphin Elite makes this shoe ideal for runners who don’t care for the squishy, soft cushioning of other super shoes and want a more rigid platform to push off of.

“The Endorphin Elite is a shoe that I want to run in for a long time, efficiently and swiftly,” Phil says. “I’ll pull out these shoes to race the half marathon distance and longer. I’m even tempted to wear these for flat, fast ultra marathon work – from 50K all the way up to 100 miles on the road.”