Español The Saucony Endorphin Pro 3 have been, up until a week ago, the "top" shoe of the American brand. But it's not that a new model has come out to replace it, but that Saucony has launched an Endorphine Elite that sits above it (although both are fast racing shoes).
But this post is about the Endorphin Pro 3, so it will be these that I am going to talk about. Don't worry as later on I'll leave a specific section so that you know the differences. For now we are going to shell out these "discreet" shoes.
Saucony Endorphin Pro 3 review
Saucony Endorphin Pro 3 upper
They drag attention, right? The upper is made of a single piece of mesh, really very open. It is light and fully breathable.
Throughout the shoe it has a series of small reinforcements to give it structure, which is also helped by the side logos.
Beyond the pink color of this shoe, what gives its strikingness are the iridescent threads that run through the mesh.
It is what gives it that iridescent effect characteristic of the Pro 3. They are in these pink Endorphin and also in the rest of the available colors.
We can see that same iridescent effect on the tongue and in other areas of the shoe.
And while we are talking about the tongue, note that it has three holes in the center to further reduce weight.
It is thin, without excessive padding, but it is not uncomfortable. It is a gusseted tongue attached to the shoe by elastic bands and does not make it difficult to put the shoe on. Good to know for those triathletes among us.
The laces are flat and comfortable on the foot, and slide very well through the eyelets. Have you read this as well, dear triathletes?
As for the collar, it is somewhat softer than the tongue, but without exaggeration.
The heel has a bit of structure, but it's not a rigid piece.
The midsole keeps with PWRRUNPB
Remember that the secret of these shoes is inside the midsole, especially if we talk about racing shoes. So it is what we must pay more detail to and obviously with the Endorphin Pro 3 it was not going to be different.
The foam goes by the same name as the one on the Endorphin Pro 2. It's PWRRUNPB, but it's a lot softer than the previous model. That makes it not only more comfortable, but also more reactive. It has a lot of rebound, at the level of the best in the category. But it does not give in support, it is quite stable within the type of shoe we are talking about.
The carbon plate is the same as that of the previous S-shaped models. In terms of geometry, the typical Endorphin SpeedRoll is maintained.
That is to say, the shape of the shoe is of the rocker type, which is something that helps on take off. This means that depending on where you take off, perhaps you may feel some hardness in the front, because it has a lot of height in the heel but not at the very front.
Speaking of heights, it has a heel height of 39.5mm, bordering on the legal 40mm. The drop is 8mm, so we're left with a 31.5mm front end. But again, that's under the ball of the foot, not under the toes.
And in terms of weight, it is really light. In my size US12 it only weighs 240 grams. In smaller sizes it is around 200 grams. Given the volume and size of the shoe, it is great news.
XT-900 rubber outsole
The outsole is made out of XT900 rubber, the same compound that Saucony has been using for quite some time. If you already have experience with the brand, you already know what you are going to find, the pattern may be different in some aspects but the traction will be similar to other models of the brand.
I've not had traction or grip issues, although it is true that I have not taken them out on a rainy day.
Saucony Endorphin Pro 3, how they feel and opinion
Let's get to the important part: how they feel when we are running in them. Quick summary? It's a top shoe and is among the best in its segment without any discussion.
Then we can assess the preferences of each one. If you are looking for a firmer or softer touch, an upper with more or less ventilation, etc.
But it is a comfortable, reactive, soft shoe and at the same time with good stability, considering that we are dealing with a "super shoe" with such a high midsole.
They feel supportive enough and closed turns can be done without fear, it is a shoe that gives confidence. I have done 180º turns without feeling “anguish”, as can happen in other shoes with soft cushioning.
The best that can be said about these Saucony Endorphin Pro 3 is that, within racing shoes, they are the most "mundane". And not because its performance is inferior to the rest, but because it is the least demanding for the general public.
It is a shoe that does not ask us to adapt our footsteps in a certain way, nor does it have any trade-offs in how we have to put it on or place the tongue. Nor does it need restrictive designs to fix the foot to the shoe. It is as if we were wearing an Endorphin Speed 3, but softer and more reactive.
How are the Pro 3 when put next to other models on the market? I like its dynamics much more than that of the Vaporfly. When you go from the Saucony to the Vaporfly, you can clearly see that the Nikes are a flatter shoe, they don't have that curved geometry and, although the foam is somewhat more reactive than Saucony's, it doesn't launch you as much.
To look for something similar to the Endorphin Pro 3 I have to go to the Nike Alphafly. They have a similar feel, the Alphafly being more comfortable thanks to the airpods, but in both cases we are dealing with shoes that feel very reactive.
If I think about a marathon, due to my running dynamics I would opt for the Alphafly before because I think I would end up with a more complete foot, as long as I don't have problems with chafing on the shoe's arch, which is a common problem with these Nikes.
And another thing to keep in mind about these Alphaflys is that they are much heavier than the Sauconys, which is another issue to address.
Perhaps the Metaspeed Sky+ are the ones that most resemble the feeling of the midsole. Cushioned while firm. They also have a lot of rocker.
Between the Asics and the Saucony the main difference is the stability in the heel area. The Asics feel quite narrow at the rear, which is not the case with the Saucony. In fact, walking with the Asics is quite uncomfortable precisely because of that lack of stability.
If you now ask me, among all these, which one would I use to compete... Well, in a distance up to 10k I would hesitate between the Asics and the Saucony. They give me similar feelings and I think they can be just as fast.
Steping up a bit to half marathon distance, I know the Asics are quite stressful on my feet, so I would not hesitate and opt for the Saucony Endorphin Pro 3. I think that, for me (and this is important to emphasize , you should not take it as a dogma), would be the most appropriate choice.
If we go to marathon distance, especially in Ironman, I would look for the comfort of the Alphafly even leaving aside the fact that they are the heaviest of them all.
Saucony Endorphin Pro 3 vs Saucony Endorphin Elite
Until a week ago the Endorphin Pro 3 was at the top of Saucony's food chain. The fastest model of the brand. But an even faster shoe has come out, the Endorphin Elite.
The Elite feature a new foam, which Saucony calls PWRRUN HG. It has more energy return than the PWRRUNPB of the Pro 3, but is firmer and fully focused on performance.
The carbon plate is different, on the Elite it is a “fork” type, with four separate spikes at the front.
They're both Saucony race day shoes, so what's the difference between them? Well, it lies in the fact that the Elite is more demanding.
Remember what I told you about the Pro 3 being the most mundane race shoe? Well, that does not happen with the Elite, which is no longer so kind to the runner and demands that you adapt to it, while the Pro 3, let's say, adapt to you.
In the end we can conclude that the Endorphin Elite are intended for the "elite", while the Pro 3 are suitable for a larger number of users, but not being slower than other models.
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I hope this full review has helped you decide if these shoes will fit your wear. All the work I do is without any cost to you, but if you want to support the page and by doing so the work I do, the best way to do that is to buy these shoes through the links that I provide .
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If you have any questions, remember that you have the comments section at the bottom, where I will try to answer all your questions.
Saucony Endorphin Pro 3 | Análisis, características y opinión - Correr una Maratón - Review de Garmin, Polar, Suunto, COROS...
Las Saucony Endorphin Pro 3 han sido, hasta hace una una semana, la zapatilla más "top" de la marca americana. Pero no es que haya salido un modelo a sustituirla, sino que Saucony ha lanzado una Endorphine Elite que se sitúa por encima (aunque ambas son zapatillas de competición).
Product Brand: Saucony
Product Currency: EUR
Product Price: 155
Price Valid Until: 2026-02-14
Product In-Stock: InStock
4.5
