Looks:
Like I lovingly hinted at above, I was hoping for a little more colorful option from the Endorphin Speed 2 line. Obviously, looks are the least important thing in running shoes, but I really liked some of their other colorways. That being said, there is ALWAYS a need for a classic colorway shoe in your closet and these deliver. Honestly, I love having a simple pair or shoes that I call my travel pair – because they don’t “look” like running shoes, so I can more easily feel comfortable using them when heading on a trip to clear up space in my bag. I actually did this exact thing on our recent runcation to Tucson, and I feel the same thing will occur on our forthcoming Spring Break jaunt.
Construction:
First of all, if you have like the midsole of the Saucony Endorphin line, you can breath a sigh of relief – their PWRRUN PB cushioning and full-length nylon plate remain the same. It keeps the shoe light while giving a nice and comfortable amount of bounce along the way. It’s always great to see a new version of a shoe not dramatically be altered from one version to the next. Sometimes it just isn’t necessary!
What has been a little updated is the upper – a mono-mesh that keeps things breathable (even in warm Arizona sunlight). Having no familiarity with previous Endorphins, I will highlight that other reviews showcase that slight modifications in the upper have the shoe feeling more snug and secure in the heel portion, with added room for maneuvering in the toe box. While we can’t personally draw that comparison, I can mention that I have not thought a single time about my heel sliding or my toes being cramped while wearing the Endorphin Speed 2, so I reckon any changes were positive in that fashion.
Function:
They were also a really solid option to use on multiple terrains, should that arise. I don’t think the ankle security grip on the outsole is really primed for technical trail running (and it’s not like it was made with that in mind anyway), but they can absolutely hold up to some off-road settings. As I mentioned before, we took these on our recent runcation to Tucson and they handled dirt and rock trails admirably well. I was a little concerned initially, but I experienced no pain from stepping on what ended up being probably thousands of rocks. They were up to the challenge for sure. These definitely wouldn’t replace a trail-only shoe (it is a road shoe after all), but if you are tackling basic trails and/or slowing your pace along the way – as I was with the hundreds of cactus pics I took – then you should be fine.
Overall:
The Saucony Endorphin line has long been one that runners really appreciate and enjoy and it’s hard to find much negative about this shoe as it just feels very familiar. There have been some slight modifications (duh) over the years, but they always seem to receive favorable reviews – and we will be no different. Having not run in Saucony for a bit, I wasn’t sure how it would go. I ended really very pleasantly surprised. They were comfortable right away and there was little to no real break-in period. It honestly seems like the kind of shoe that could be your Swiss-Army Knife of footwear – light enough to race in, comfortable enough to log miles in, and functional enough to tackle some other terrain. Overall, a really great shoe to have in your arsenal.
Saucony
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Products & Price:
- Endorphin Speed 2 | Released on June 15, 2021 for $160
- Weight: Men 7.9oz; Women 7.0oz
- Offset: 8mm
- Stack Height: 35.5mm forefoot / 27.5mm heel
Thank you to Saucony for providing us with test shoes. Please read our transparency page for info on how we do our reviews.
