Shoe Review: Saucony Endorphin Pro

A pair of the Saucony Endorphin Pro running shoes on a bridge

The Saucony Endorphin Pro is built for speed.

Saucony engineered the Endorphin Pro with its lightest and fastest components, including a new foam composition and a carbon-fiber plate in the midsole. The resulting shoe is a featherweight racer that’s bound to break your personal records.

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The Endorphin Pro is the top tier of the Saucony Endorphin Collection, which also included the Saucony Endorphin Speed and Saucony Endorphin Shift. Saucony created the Endorphin trio to handle every mile of your training: everyday runs, speed workouts and race day.

Fleet Feet runners reviewed the new Saucony Endorphin Pro to see how it handles on uptempo days. Here’s what they thought of the fastest Saucony running shoes yet.

Tech specs

Saucony Endorphin Pro

Weight

6.3 oz (W), 7.5 oz (M)

Stack height (heel/toe)

35.5 mm/27.5 mm

Drop

8 mm

Midsole

PWRRUN PB

Plate

Carbon-fiber

Category

Neutral

Use

Racing

Saucony Endorphin Pro Fit and Materials

A runner wearing a pair of the Saucony Endorphin Pro running shoes

Saucony streamlined the Endorphin Pro to meet the demands of elite marathoners.

The Pro has a single-layer mesh upper that provides a minimalist fit and feel. The mesh is light so it doesn’t weigh you down over long distances, and it’s well ventilated to keep you cool.

A very thin tongue covers the top of your foot. While shoes with a heavier focus on training might have more padding in the tongue, the Pro’s minimal padding contributes to its speedy feel. Saucony sewed the tongue into a stretchy bootie that provides a snug fit in the midfoot and prevents it from moving around as you run.

Another big difference between the Endorphin Pro and models meant for training is the heel cup. Like the minimally padded tongue, the Pro has a slim heel cup with little extra padding that you’d typically find in a high-mileage trainer.

Saucony also went without a reinforcing heel counter that accompanies more general-use shoes. One Fleet Feet reviewer worried initially about the heel, but it never caused her any problems.

“I was nervous about the heel at first because it didn’t feel as secure as other shoes,” she says. “But I never had any trouble when I was running. No blisters, no heel slippage. In fact, the shoe was incredibly comfortable.”

With only one layer of mesh, there are almost no seams inside the shoe that could cause chafing or hot spots during a race. A few printed overlays add structure to the upper, but the shoe is clearly tailored for busting PRs.

“I love how purposeful every detail feels,” one tester says. “There’s no excess. It feels like it has exactly what I need to run my fastest and nothing more.”

One of the other nice features of the Endorphin Pro is its removable sock liner. The option to remove the stock insole allows you to put in an aftermarket version or a custom insert if you need more shape. That's something one reviewer loves about the Pro.

"“There are not many speed-oriented shoes that offer this, so this is fantastic," he says.

Saucony Endorphin Pro Performance

Professional runner Laura Thweatt runs in the Saucony Endorphin Pro shoes

Want to feel fast? Lace up the Endorphin Pro.

Running shoes with carbon-fiber plates have been powering marathoners to faster times than ever before, and the Endorphin Pro joins the ranks. Saucony sandwiched an S-curved carbon-fiber plate into the midsole to help create a more powerful transition.

The rigid plate makes the Endorphin Pro stiffer than everyday training shoes. Saucony says the stiff platform contributes to what it calls the Speedroll effect—the feeling of propulsion generated by the shape of the shoe, the foam and the plate.

According to Fleet Feet runners, the Speedroll effect is real.

“I ran a faster workout than expected,” one reviewer says. “My half-marathon reps felt nearly effortless, and I'm going to have to give some of the credit to the shoes.”

The Endorphin Pro feels very smooth during the transition from landing to toe off, and it springs you forward with every step thanks to the PWRRUN PB foam. Saucony’s new foam is its lightest composition yet. It’s also incredibly bouncy.

Because it’s so light and springy, designers stuffed a bunch of it into the Pro without adding unnecessary weight. The stack height measures 35.5 mm in the heel and 27.5 mm under the forefoot; for comparison, the Saucony Ride 13 measures 32mm/24mm and the Saucony Kinvara 11 measures 28.5mm/24.5mm.

Not only does it give you more of that bouncy material underfoot, it also feels tall if you’re not used to the height. Testers say the height is noticeable at first. Like everything else about the Pro, though, the height blends seamlessly into the experience.

“The foam really stands out,” one tester says. “It’s so bouncy no matter how fast I’m going, but it really comes alive when I’m running hard.”

Saucony Endorphin Collection

Professional runner Jared Ward wears a pair of the Saucony Endorphin Pro shoes

The Saucony Endorphin Pro tops the trio of Endorphin shoes Saucony designed to get you through your entire training and racing cycle.

The three-pack also includes the Saucony Endorphin Shift and the Endorphin Speed. Each shoe has a specific purpose and works with the other two to propel you toward your fastest times yet.

  • Endorphin Shift. Saucony engineered the Shift as the base model in the collection. It’s meant to handle the bulk of your training miles, from easy and recovery runs to general maintenance miles.
  • Endorphin Speed. The middle shoe also has a slab of PWRRUN PB foam, but it gets a more flexible nylon plate than the carbon-fiber model in the Pro. Great for speed workouts and uptempo training runs.
  • Endorphin Pro. Powered by PWRUN PB foam and a carbon-fiber plate, the Pro is the fastest shoe in the collection and best saved for race day.

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Conclusion

The Saucony Endorphin Pro is billed as a top-tier marathon running shoe, and it delivers with every detail.

Designers streamlined the fit and materials to create a hyper-focused experience. The single-layer mesh upper is light and airy, making it perfect for when you want speed without distractions.

Packed into the shoe is a generous helping of bouncy PWRRUN PB foam and a carbon-fiber plate. Together, the foam and plate create Saucony’s Speedroll effect to propel you toward your own personal records.

Fleet Feet reviewers say it’s a welcome addition to the Saucony running shoe family and a sure bet come race day.



Still not convinced? Don’t sweat it. Fleet Feet's return policy means you can test drive your shoes and gear without risk. If you’re not happy with the way your gear performs, looks or fits, we’ll take it back within 60 days. Plus, you’ll get free shipping on orders over $99 and free return shipping on all fleetfeet.com orders. That's our Happy Fit Guarantee.

By Evan Matsumoto. Evan played many sports growing up but didn’t go pro in any of them. Now, he’s the digital copywriter for fleetfeet.com and editor for the Fleet Feet blog where he writes about different foam densities and engineered mesh uppers.

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