Saucony Endorphin Speed 3 vs 2 Comparison Running Shoe Review
The main difference between the Saucony Endorphin Speed 3 and the Saucony Endorphin Speed 2 is the performance of the midsole, with the Saucony Endorphin Speed 3 featuring a nylon plate with modern S-curved technology, while the Saucony Endorphin Speed 2 features a standard nylon plate.
Both nylon plates are full-length, yet S-curve technology is a stand-out factor of the newest generation, cupping your feet to keep you central on the platform and elevating support to cater to explosive take-offs.
As Sportitude Running's in-house shoe expert Josh Willoughby explains in his shoe review below, compared to the race-specific Saucony Endorphin Pro 3, the Saucony Endorphin Speed 3 provides a higher level of structure and integrity. The Endorphin Speed 3 is more strictly focussed on shedding weight for record-breaking performance – being best suited to biomechanically efficient runners.
On the other hand, the Saucony Endorphin Speed 3 offers an ideal partnership for a broader range of runners, especially now that have Saucony have released it in multiple width offerings – a very exciting change.
Setting you up with a lighter yet softer ride than its predecessor with midfoot and heelstriker-friendly engineering, it’s on the radar for runners seeking a snappy tempo shoe as part of their shoe rotation that can smoothly transition to race day.
Check out the shoe review with full transcript below.
Hey guys, welcome to Sportitude Running. My name is Josh and I have a very exciting shoe review to dive into today on the ever-popular Saucony Endorphin Speed 3. For those of you that may not be privy to this shoe, it's been a very popular shoe over the last couple of years, catering for runners that are looking for that lightweight shoe that they can use for their fast days in their training program.
Some athletes have found great success using this as a race day shoe and we've also had a small portion of runners use it for some mileage running as well.
Where has this shoe come from over the last couple of years? It's off the back of the very successful Saucony Endorphin Speed 1 and Saucony Endorphin Speed 2. The Saucony Endorphin Speed 2 is very similar to the original model regarding the engineering. However, coming to the Saucony Endorphin Speed 3 now there's been a quite a bit of change and a lot of that is to do with the midsole performance.
In today's review like we always do we'll talk all things outsole, midsole and upper. I'll compare how the Saucony Endorphin Speed 3 looks in comparison to the Saucony Endorphin Speed 2 and give you all the information that you need at home to potentially purchase this running shoe and have it complement your running shoe rotation. Without further ado let's get stuck in.
Runner Profile
Before we dive into the specs, I want to touch on that it's a neutral running shoe. It's a lightweight running shoe so there's not a lot to do with this overall support and construction for your severe or aggressive overpronators.
Being a neutral shoe, if you're a mild supinator, neutral runner or mild overpronator you're still going to be A-OK within this shoe as long as you've been fitted correctly and we know that this shoe is going to hold up for you.
If you don't know what foot type you are or you want to know a little bit more about foot types, check out What Running Shoe Is Best For Me? which identifies different foot shapes and foot types.
As I touched on, this shoe is a complementary shoe in your running shoe rotation. It shouldn't really be sold as your one and only purchase. You can potentially do that by all means but it won't really hold up in terms of overall durability.
It is a lightweight shoe so it's really targeting that speed run within your program. We’re talking progressive runs, tempo runs or even your race day selection. Being a lightweight shoe it's really targeting that quick and efficient gait cycle, with less ground contact time and getting that knee drive out of your gait cycle.
As I said we've had great success fitting it as a complementary shoe for your running shoe rotation. You have your mileage and everyday shoe covered, whether that's a Saucony Triumph, Saucony Endorphin Shift, an Asics Gel Kayano, a Hoka One One Bondi or whatever it is. The Saucony Endorphin Speed 3 is just going to come in and make you feel really light, snappy and fast for your quicker tempo runs.
Outsole
Let's jump into the engineering now and talk all things outsole first. I'm holding the Saucony Endorphin Speed 3 in my hand. This happens to be the men's model and the women’s model looks exactly the same.
You have your XT-900 rubber outsole, the same compound rubber they used in the Saucony Endorphin Speed 2 and they're using again in the Saucony Endorphin Speed 3. However, there is a bit of change regarding where it's positioned within the actual outsole set-up.
First things first, you address that first point of contact – tick! We have heel striking covered and your midfoot runners have still got that lateral border secured with the XT-900 outsole.
As we come through to the forefoot, what you see with Saucony’s biggest change regarding the engineering component of the outsole is they have less in the Saucony Endorphin Speed 3. That's going to reduce the overall weight of the outsole.
The vertical lines underfoot is part of their SPEEDROLL technology that complements what this shoe is doing regarding the nylon plate through the midsole. It’s a really good, relatively decent surface area covered. There is a little bit of exposed PWRRUN PB on that medial side but that is not an area of concern because the majority of the compression friction and wear is going to be on the lateral column. That's OK, you can expose that medial part of the shoe.
Upper
Jumping to the upper, when we're talking lightweight shoes we still need to make sure that the upper is going to be a good, secure fit. As we touched on, it can be used as a race day shoe but when you're comparing the Saucony Endorphin Speed 3 side by side to the Saucony Endorphin Pro 3, the Endorphin Pro 3 has a really refined upper where the Endorphin Speed 3 has a little bit more structure, integrity and security in its overall make-up.
The internal heel counter at the back has been strategically placed exactly the same as last year. We had a good solid heel counter at the back so it keeps that calcaneus and heel secure with that first entry point and throughout the whole gait cycle.
As you come through to the midsection, the tongue itself has a gusseted construction so that piece of material that runs on the lateral side attaches to the midsole. The same thing goes on the medial side that attaches to the midsole as well.
It features Saucony’s FORMFIT throughout the forefoot so it has a relatively deep forefoot. I won’t say it’s a really boxy forefoot but there is a little bit of wriggle room. I haven't changed my size regarding this shoe. I'm a 9.5 in the Saucony Endorphin Speed 2 and I'm now a 9.5 in the Saucony Endorphin Speed 3. I’m happy with the fit, however I reckon there's just a little bit more wiggle room through the front half. I think that’s a good thing because you still get that secured fit across the navicular region on your arch and the heel counter is nice and secure with that internal construction at the back.
While we're talking all things uppers I want to address the exciting part of this shoe review. This shoe now is available in widths and I think that is a huge point of difference. Saucony has addressed a gap in the market. We've been requested, emailed and received comments on a lot of our reviews asking when a brand is going to start making lightweight shoes available in widths.
Guess what? Saucony have jumped straight to it. The men's comes in a D and a 2E offering and the women’s model comes in a B width which is standard and a slightly broader D width. I love that when they have a performance shoe they're making it more accessible for the slightly broader foot shapes out there which is fantastic.
Midsole
Let's jump straight to the midsole because let's be honest, I know you've been sitting there sipping a cup of tea waiting for me to get to this part of the review because it's very exciting.
Saucony's success off the back of PWRRUN PB has been well noted all around the world. It’s a really good performing midsole. It's compressed so it's nice and soft on that landing, however when you transition through midstance to toe-off the PWRRUN PB gives you a really snappy, poppy exit out of your gait cycle.
I really like what they have done previously in the Saucony Endorphin Speed 1 and the Saucony Endorphin Speed 2. What we have now in the Saucony Endorphin Speed 3 is marginally softer. It could be due to the fact that it's gone up half a millimetre in stack height, but then again I don't think that's really enough to justify how soft it feels underneath the foot.
The plate as I touched on in the intro is full-length, so it runs from the heel right through to the forefoot. However, the biggest change regarding the midsole is the technology they have used within that nylon plate.
Last year it was relatively consistent through the heel as it dipped down through midstance to the forefoot. This year in the Saucony Endorphin Speed 3 and the same thing with the Saucony Endorphin Pro 3, they have S-curved technology.
On the lateral wall you can see there's a bit of exposed nylon plate, and it’s the same thing on the medial wall. It goes right to the widest part of the midsection of this midsole and it almost cups your foot in. When you land in this shoe and go through your midstance transition, your foot will stay nice and stable on that platform.
You're getting a good lockdown from the gusset deconstruction. The S-curved plate is going to almost ‘bucket’ your foot in this position and then get you ready to go through to your exit out of your gait cycle. It’s a really great piece of technology which has been executed within this midsole and it's quite the change.
I must say with Saucony and how they rolled out their Saucony Endorphin Pro franchise and obviously the Endorphin Speed franchise, the first and the second generations are really similar, however there’s a couple of tweaks in the upper. That gave them time and almost bought them two years in engineering not only their Saucony Endorphin Pro 3 but their Saucony Endorphin Speed 3, so a lot of work has gone into executing this shoe.
It's been very well received downstairs with not only the team that we have here at Sportitude Running, but the few customers that have been lucky enough to try and purchase this shoe in early days. However, the proof is in the pudding and obviously we have to wait for some feedback after a few months to see if it gets a big thumbs up.
In my opinion sitting here right now, I think this is a phenomenal shoe. It's targeting a runner who is looking to complement their running shoe rotation. It's light, snappy and it can be used for race days. It's a very comfortable shoe and that midsole is a 9.8 out of 10 in my opinion.
For a couple of years now the Saucony Endorphin Speed 3 has really sat on its own. It's been a shoe that has set out to right or the left without any real direct competitors. The Adidas Adizero Boston in its 9th generation came close a couple of years ago and we've had seen some Hoka One One Mach come and go in that lightweight speed category, however there's been no real shoe that competes with regards to the midsole performance and having that nylon plate construction on such a light package.
However, fast track now and we're in the back half of 2022. We feel here at Sportitude Running and it's pretty consistent in comments around the running industry that the Nike Zoom Fly 5 will kind of fall into that same category. There’s a real big improvement coming with that shoe and we can't wait to review it for you runners out there.
The Saucony Endorphin Speed 3 has and will be a bit of an outlier. It's a great shoe and it's fantastic for those runners who are looking to improve their speed. It's nice and light, very snappy and overall performs very well. The Saucony Endorphin Speed 3 and the Nike Zoom Fly 5 are pretty similar regarding that profile in overall shoe performance.
The Wrap Up
In summary I've said it a couple of times now, I really like what Saucony are doing as a brand but more to the point, what they are doing with the Saucony Endorphin Speed 3. I can't wait to see where this shoe and this whole Endorphin franchise goes with the Saucony Endorphin Shift, the Saucony Endorphin Speed and the Saucony Endorphin Pro.
The next couple of years are going to be very interesting. There must be a line in the sand soon where you can't make shoes so light and can't make shoes so soft. However, the overall performance benefit and the feedback we get from the Saucony Endorphin Speed 1, Saucony Endorphin Speed 2 and now the Saucony Endorphin Speed 3 is that comfort is on point. It's a very comfortable shoe and it performs very well. It’s nice and light, very soft and incredibly versatile.
The biggest tick in my opinion is the fact that Saucony have invested hard in making the shoe available in widths. To give you some context, for a brand to make an extra width in a shoe it costs them in and around $50,000 to $70,000 in US currency. It’s quite a large investment for a brand to make just one shoe in an extra width because there's a lot of engineering pieces that need to come into play.
I love the fact that they've obviously invested in that. They thought about you out there, the runners that haven't been lucky enough to fit into their shoes or look at a lightweight shoe because they just haven't had the broad or the wider offerings available for you. Kudos to Saucony, well done!
If you have any questions about this shoe please contact our Sportitude shoe experts. If you have any feedback regarding where you've been in the Endorphin Speed 1, Endorphin Speed 2 or you've got any questions or concerns about how the Saucony Endorphin Speed 3 is going to go in comparison, let us know.
Until next time, stay safe, happy running, be kind to one another, keep up the training and we'll see you on the road. Take care.
FEATURES
Saucony Endorphin Speed 3
- Support: Neutral
- Upper: Mesh
- Midsole: Saucony PWRRUN PB
- Heel Height: 36mm
- Forefoot Height: 28mm
- Offset / Drop: 8mm
Men
- Weight: 229g / 8.3oz
- Width: D (standard), 2E (wide)
Women
- Weight: 204g / 7.02oz
- Width: B (standard), D (wide)
Saucony Endorphin Speed 2
Please subscribe to the Sportitude YouTube channel to stay updated on all things running shoes.
For a more in-depth shoe fitting experience, you can book a free 15 minute video chat in a Live Fit session or make an appointment to discover your RunDNA at Sportitude Running@Hindmarsh.
Happy running!