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The Saucony Endorphin Elite 2 is a very different shoe to the original Endorphin Elite, with a much softer midsole that delivers an incredibly springy ride. It’s one of the best carbon plate running shoes available, but the soft foam does have its drawbacks with regards to stability.
It’s still worth considering for your next race, but we’d still have a few racers ahead of the Endorphin Elite ourselves, including the Asics Metaspeed Sky Paris and Nike Alphafly 3. It’s certainly one of the best running shoes in Saucony’s line-up though, and a lighter, faster racer than the Endorphin Pro 4.
Design & Key Stats
- Price: £280/$275
- Weight: 216g/7.6oz (men’s UK 8.5 / US 9.5)
- Drop: 8mm
- Upper: Lightweight yarn
- Midsole: IncrediRun foam with full-length carbon plate
- Outsole: Rubber covering forefoot and sides of heel
Saucony Endorphin Elite 2 review
How’s The Fit
Nick, Mike and Kieran had mixed opinions on the fit of the Endorphin Elite 2, but agree that it’s a narrow shoe that tapers sharply in the toe-box, with the result that the upper can rub the outside of the little toe in particular. If you’re small for your size then sticking to your normal size should be fine, but those with wider feet might benefit from going up a half size.
The Run Test: Likes
The Endorphin Elite 2 is much softer and more comfortable than the original Elite, which some of found could start to feel a little harsh when racing flat out over longer distances. It’s a top-class racing shoe for events of any distance, and a better marathon running shoe than the Elite or Endorphin Pro 4 because of the extra comfort.
Even compared with other super-shoes, the Endorphin Elite 2 feels unnaturally soft and springy underfoot, and even over long distance runs we found that the bounce never went away. If you love a squishy, springy super-shoe, this is one of the bounciest options on the market.
We also found that the Endorphin Elite 2 felt very springy at all paces, so it’s something that runners of all speeds are likely to enjoy. As we ran faster in the shoe, it did firm up a little and the bounce felt more directed, but even then it felt softer than almost any other shoe we’ve tested in the last few years.
The Run Test: Dislikes
The soft midsole does mean that the Endorphin Elite 2 is not a particularly stable shoe, and it’s one that can feel a bit wobbly when taking corners at speed in particular.
While fun, we found that we more aware of the Elite 2 during runs than most other racing shoes, and were always a quite wary of where we placed our feet, which can start to drain you mentally over the course of a long run.
The outsole also didn’t impress during our testing, with the Elite 2 often feeling a bit slippery on wet and greasy surfaces, which added to the insecurity caused by the unstable design.
Verdict And Alternatives
The Saucony Endorphin Elite 2 is a very fun and fast shoe to run in, and has a unique ride feel that stands out even compared with other super-shoes. The high level of bounce in a lightweight design makes it a fantastic racing shoe, as long as the instability is not a concern for you.
We have a few racing shoes that we rate more highly still, mostly because they have simply suited us more as runners than the Endorphin Elite 2. The Hoka Cielo X1 2.0 and Nike Alphafly 3 are both also very bouncy shoes, but the spring feels a more controlled and directed than with the Endorphin Elite.
Other great options include the Brooks Hyperion Elite 4 PB and Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 3, which have more natural rides and come in cheaper than the Saucony, while the Asics Metaspeed Sky Paris is our favourite overall racer right now thanks to its lightweight, responsive design.
Within the Saucony range the Elite 2 does stand out as the best racer available, with a bouncier, faster feel than the Endorphin Pro 4, though the Pro 4 is more stable and considerably cheaper.