REASONS TO BUY
Fast
Lightweight
Good wet traction
REASONS TO AVOID
Expensive
Not a daily trainer
Saucony Endorphin Pro 3 Review
For runners who value speed over everything, this race-day shoe is a strong contender
Credit: Saucony
RELATED: Best Running Shoes for Men of 2024
Our Verdict
A smooth rolling and snappy race-day shoe, the Saucony Endorphin Pro 3 is one of our favorites for hard efforts. An aggressive geometry and carbon plate make it fast, while the phenomenal PWRRUN PB foam formula makes landings soft, saving your legs on long miles. While this is a top-tier lightweight racing shoe, we think it also could have a place in your quiver for long and hard efforts at marathon pace or faster. If you are looking to chase a PR or looking for a snappy shoe for your fastest workouts, you'll love this shoe.
Our Analysis and Test Results
While it isn't quite as snappy or cushioned as some, the Endorphin Pro 3 feels fast and natural. We think it does best at races of 5K and above, but it has great traction and durability, making it a good shoe for those hard efforts in training as well. If we wanted one super shoe to both race in and use for our hardest workouts, this is the one we would pick.
Performance Comparison
This shoe makes a great race day companion.
Credit: Nathaniel Bailey
Cushioning and Landing Comfort
PWRRUN PB is one of our favorite foams on the market. In the Endorphin Pro 3, we think it's nearly perfect, combining a lively bounce and energy return with a soft landing that never bottoms out. We measured 39mm of foam in the heel and 27mm in the forefoot. The 12mm of drop is combined with a Speedroll rocker that feels extremely propulsive without ever feeling intrusive at easier paces.
We don't recommend using super-shoes off of pavement (although we did for our testing). They're designed for racing and rarely have the durability to handle miles of gravel or dirt. However, the Endorphin Pro is the welcome exception. We've used it for long, fast runs on rough dirt roads and haven't seen any of the premature wear we'd expect.
This shoe's wide and flared forefoot makes it feel significantly more stable than other plated, high-stack race shoes. That means it's more comfortable taking corners at speed and ripping down hills. If you regularly race in wet conditions, we think choosing this shoe would be a good move thanks to its stability and the excellent traction provided by the rubber outsole.
The forefoot cushioning is ample, with an aggressive rocker than can take some getting used to.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Responsiveness
This is a great race shoe. Thanks to the rocker, it's snappy on toe-off and helps keep your legs moving when they start to fatigue. We think the rocker is more subtle at the late stage of toe-off, but this also makes this a more approachable shoe. Because of that, the Endorphin Pro does well as a training partner for the hardest workouts of the year. Recovery jogs don't feel unnatural in this shoe, which is surprising given its propensity for speed.
The aggressive geometry of this shoe encourages quick turnover. It can take some time to adjust, but once you do, faster paces feel (relatively) effortless.
Credit: Nathaniel Bailey
We think that runners who tend to bound as they fatigue may benefit from the geometry of the Endorphin. The rocker encourages a slightly faster turnover without feeling as forceful as other plated racers. Overall, this is a hard shoe to beat regarding all-around responsiveness.
The PWRRUNPB foam works well to help provide a responsive ride.
Credit: Nathaniel Bailey
Stability
As far as high-stack, plated shoes with minimal support go, this one is stable. The wider forefoot provides significant confidence when taking turns at high speeds. The midfoot and forefoot have very slight sidewalls, which gives the foot a planted feeling. It feels more like being in the foam rather than on top of it.
It's important to remember that this is a race shoe. In that context, it has good support and stability. Outside that context, it offers pretty sub-par stability. Runners who seek a little more support in their race day shoe would likely prefer this over other, more niche models, but if you really need support, you're better off going with a shoe that is designed with that in mind.
The wider forefoot does a good job of providing stability in a race shoe.
Credit: Jessica Riconscente
Upper Comfort
The upper on this model is so lightweight it's transparent. The single layer of mesh is designed to keep weight as low as possible. It's also extremely breathable.
This shoe has a racy feel, with a snug fit and great lockdown. We had no issues with hotspots or slippage. We think the gusseted tongue is well executed, and we didn't experience any heel lift, regardless of pace.
The upper is extremely light weight. It also doesn't retain water... what a suprise.
Credit: Nathaniel Bailey
Weight
With a transparent upper designed purely for speed, we'd expect a very low weight, and this shoe delivers, coming in at 7.95 ounces per shoe for a men's 10.5. It's not the lightest shoe in our test, but it's close enough that we don't notice a difference when the shoes are on our feet.
It's no wonder this shoe is light with all that airy mesh.
Credit: Jessica Riconscente
Should You Buy the Saucony Endorphin Pro 3?
This shoe came very close to winning an award for a race day shoe. It combines great cushioning and responsiveness and adds decent stability and traction as well. We think it is just slightly slower than the Nike Vaporfly 3, but that will likely depend on the runner. That being said, we also think the Endorphin Pro 3 is a better shoe to train in than the Vaporfly 3, as its stability, durability, and more natural-feeling rocker all stand out. Race day shoes are a very personal choice, and your decision will come down to what you value most. Overall, we don't think you can go wrong with the Endorphin Pro.
What Other Running Shoes Should You Consider?
The Nike Vaporfly 3 is the closest competitor to the Endorphin Pro 3. Both have similar levels of performance, with the Nike feeling a bit more aggressive and the Saucony feeling a little more stable. If you want a faster shoe that will also work for most runs, the Puma Deviate Nitro 2 is a great choice that works well for 90% of our runs.
—
Nathaniel Bailey
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