New Shoe, Same Formula? Or Is Saucony’s New Drop Actually Elite?

It feels like months since I last saw 3D renders of shoes and scientists talking about running efficiency or energy return, but finally, Saucony have satisfied my hunger for this type of shoe porn with the launch of the Endorphin Elite.

With a striking resemblance to the OG Vaporfly NEXT%, the Endorphin Elite is, as the name suggests, Saucony’s premium running shoe designed for those looking to max out their potential come race day. One significant difference to the Vaporfly however, is the aggressive speedroll designed to propel you forward with a bit of bite.

The list of other features could be mistaken for any other super-shoe but for the sake of housekeeping, include a lightweight upper designed to be distraction free, a new superfoam, PWRRUN HG to be exact, which provides more rebound than anything else Saucony offer and of course, a carbon plate.

Perhaps the biggest talking point of this shoe is that the midsole can give 95% of the energy being used back to the runner. In Saucony’s launch video, they describe it as one of the most metabolically efficient shoes on the market today which in layman’s terms, refers to the body’s ability to use its on-board stores of energy more efficiently. Or the ability to preserve glycogen and burn fat as fuel.

In the first notable shoe release of 2023, it seems that running brands now have a tried and tested formula for creating race day shoes and it’s super exciting to see Saucony join the conversation. But across the board, any new release seems to boast more incremental upgrades.

Think of race shoes like phones. The big technological leap has happened. Every improvement now, is either very slight or a gimmick. Let’s see what the rest of the year brings.