Shoe Review: Saucony Guide 14

Support comes standard in the new Saucony Guide 14.

Saucony updated its popular stability shoe by streamlining the fit and creating a better underfoot feel, which means you get a more comfortable ride as the miles fly by. What didn’t change, though, is the stability you depend on.

Fleet Feet runners reviewed the Saucony Guide 14 to test the new fit, see how it feels on the road and check out what’s new. Here’s what they thought.

Saucony knows comfortable running shoes, and the Guide 14 doesn’t stray from the plan.

The newest Guide has a similar fit to many Saucony running shoes: snug in the heel, roomy in the forefoot. One Fleet Feet reviewer described it as a more triangular fit that locks in your heel and secures the midfoot but allows your forefoot to move naturally.

Part of the confident fit comes from the foam padding around the heel cup and collar. Saucony added a soft, memory foam-like pad that creates a plush step-in feel but also gives you a snug, no-slip fit.

Saucony’s FORMFIT system also shines here. The three-layer fit system adapts to your foot shape, weight and gait for a close-to-custom feel.

Covering the Guide is a standard engineered mesh upper. The soft and smooth mesh breathes well, which will keep you cooler on warm days, and it molds around the unique shape of your foot for a better fit.

On top of the mesh, Saucony added lightweight overlays to provide extra structure. The minimal overlays fan out across the midfoot, which helps the mesh maintain its shape and improves the shoe’s overall secure feeling when you tighten the laces.

Designers maintained the Guide’s traditional lacing system, so you don’t have to fuss with the laces to find the ideal fit. Plus, there are only five lace holes (and an empty sixth at the top), which helps increase the flexibility in the forefoot.

The Guide 14 gets its stability from a traditional medial post. Anyone who overpronates or who regularly wears stability running shoes will be familiar with the idea behind Saucony’s TPU guidance frame.

While neutral running shoes don’t use additional structure, stability shoes like the Guide 14 use the extra technology to help mitigate the effects of overpronation.

Pronation is the natural inward roll of your foot as you land and begin the transition to your forefoot, but it can become a problem if you pronate too much. This excessive pronation can prematurely wear out the inside edge (called the medial side) of your shoes, which over time creates an unstable platform to run on.

The Guide 14—and many other stability shoes—addresses the problem with a more durable piece of foam or plastic. The medial post compresses less than the surrounding foam, which helps your shoe wear more evenly and keeps it stable for longer.

The best part about Saucony’s guidance frame in the Guide 14 is that you barely notice it’s there. One Fleet Feet reviewer says the shoe delivers a smooth transition from heel to toe.

“I was expecting a firmer medial experience through the midfoot transition, but it wasn’t as prominent as I thought it would be,” he says. “Overall, it feels more adaptable than your traditional stability shoe.”

To enhance the smooth ride, Saucony layered the Guide with a comfortable PWRRUN midsole. The well-rounded foam composition cushions your landings but delivers a bouncy response for a livelier ride.

Beneath the midsole, designers tacked on a rubber outsole using Saucony’s TRIFLEX design. The rubber improves traction on pavement and increases the shoe’s overall durability, while the TRIFLEX design uses a series of grooves in the rubber that allow the shoe to flex more naturally than if it were one solid sheet.

There are two noticeable changes when you compare the Saucony Guide 13 and Guide 14 side by side.

The first obvious change is the shape and silhouette of the shoe. The Guide 14 sports a more refined shape and sportier look; the heel collar is slimmer than the outgoing model, and the upper is less bulky overall.

The other change is an improved underfoot feel. Saucony used a new PWRRUN foam formulation for a peppier response.

But, if you’re a fan of the previous Guide, you’ll get the same reliable stability in the new model as you did in the old thanks to Saucony’s TPU guidance frame.

The Guide 14 is the latest in the line of popular stability shoes from Saucony, and it lives up to the name.

A lightweight mesh upper breathes easily and molds effortlessly around your foot, and Saucony’s FORMFIT system adapts to your specific foot shape, weight and gait. The streamlined fit feels more refined and less bulky than before.

Add those updates to the familiar stability of Saucony’s TPU guidance frame, and the Saucony Guide 14 is a great all-purpose running shoe for anyone.

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.