Saucony Men's Endorphin Shift 2 Running Shoe

Product Information

As a runner who overpronates, I tend to wear support/stability shoes for the bulk of my miles, and have found the Guide 16 suits me really well. I've run around 60km in the shoe so far during a range of sessions, including long runs, recovery runs, interval sessions and a few tempo runs. Essentially, this is a lighter and less intrusive version of a medial post, and although I could sometimes notice it preventing the excessive inward rolling of my feet – particularly during the latter part of my runs where my gait tends to worsen due to fatigue – I didn't find it invasive. Overall, I would still recommend this shoe if you are looking for an everyday trainer with moderate support. It is quite durable and I can see myself running it into the ground and easily getting a few hundred miles out of it. That said, If you are looking for something for race day I’d steer clear.

Saucony’s FORMFIT system also shines here. The three-layer fit system adapts to your foot shape, weight and gait for a close-to-custom feel.But, if you’re a fan of the Guide line, you’ll get the same reliable stability. Flat- feeling transition, but oh, the upper feels so cozy, even miles into the run. As for the ride, testers find the Saucony Guide 15 pleasant. They report it’s an efficient, durable, and versatile running shoe. David: The Saucony Guide 14 is a daily training moderate stability shoe for those who like a consistent and protective ride that isn't overly soft. The geometry of the shoe does a good job of moving through transition points throughout the gait cycle smooth without being "slappy" or awkward anywhere. There is forefoot flexibility and flex grooves integrated and the shoe feels best at consistent controlled daily training efforts. New Balance’s 860 is also a comparable shoe, with a 10 mm. drop and similar weight, in the half-size larger 860 that my foot needs. Saucony’s Guide 14 is .8 oz. / 23 g. lighter than Hurricane 22 in women’s size 9.5. Both shoes have an 8 mm. drop.

Pronation is the natural inward roll of your foot as you land and begin the transition to your forefoot, but it can become a problem if you pronate too much. This excessive pronation can prematurely wear out the inside edge (called the medial side) of your shoes, which over time creates an unstable platform to run on. Part of the confident fit comes from the foam padding around the heel cup and collar. Saucony added a soft, memory foam-like pad that creates a plush step-in feel but also gives you a snug, no-slip fit. Saucony has made their PWRrun midsole a bit softer in this update but it’s still a stiff shoe without a ton of response or pep. My first run in the shoe actually felt refreshingly light as I had been running in Gaviota 3. I ran some fast-paced intervals amid traces of melting snow from spring!

I personally don’t like stiff heels, they don’t work for my foot, and the result is noticeable heel slipping. The Saucony Guide 14 is fine. Nothing really wrong with it, but also there’s nothing really to get too excited about. It has a purpose and it does it well, period.

I like bright shoes though, so if you are from 1984, you may love these shoes and even request a pair of gray laces to mellow them out! Not for night runs I was somewhat let down at how the ride didn’t match the weight and profile. This was very apparent when I tried taking these out on faster efforts. I can appreciate a shoe with a firm ride, but this just didn’t have any pep to get me moving off my feet. I did not run in the 14s, but I can’t imagine how heavy feeling these used to be.Guide 14 jumped out of the box with a look that matched its later ride; “Hi, I’m a standard shoe of quality build, a bit old fashioned in technology (medial post; I’m lookin’ at you). Since you ran in 90’s Gel-Kayanos for years; I’ll feel like home.” While neutral running shoes don’t use additional structure, stability shoes like the Guide 14 use the extra technology to help mitigate the effects of overpronation. To enhance the smooth ride, Saucony layered the Guide with a comfortable PWRRUN midsole. The well-rounded foam composition cushions your landings but delivers a bouncy response for a livelier ride. The Guide from Saucony has received high marks for consistently being a solid shoe in the brand’s stability lineup, as the mid-cushioned, firmer younger sister of the brand’s Hurricane which employs the softer PWRRUN+ midsole. It’s got more PWRRUN midsole foam than the Guide 15 and a softer and more flexible duel-layered mesh upper. It's also a smidge lighter, shedding 12g on the Guide 15.