I’ve been testing carbon plate running shoes ever since the original Nike Vaporfly 4% came out, and if three things are true of most of them, it’s that they are very expensive, unstable, and not all that durable.
However, the Saucony Endorphin Pro 4 bucks two of those trends by being a highly durable shoe you can use for a lot of training and racing because it is much more stable than most super-shoes.
Now $189 is still a lot of money, but it’s a $50 saving on the original price of the Saucony Endorphin Pro 4, and given that most of the best carbon plate running shoes cost at least $250, it is a good price.
While the Endorphin Pro 4 isn’t as bouncy and lightweight as some carbon shoes, including the Saucony Endorphin Elite 2 from the brand’s range, I still found it had a very fast ride during my testing.
I raced a 10K in 33-minutes in the shoe, along with a 16-minute 5K parkrun, as well as doing a lot of fast training runs in the shoe, and it always delivered a smooth and speedy feeling on the run, thanks to the rockered profile of the shoe.
It’s also more accessible than other super-shoes because of its more stable ride, and those who log marathons in more like four or five hours instead of the two hours common with elites will get more support from the Endorphin Pro 4 than other sneakers.
The reason the price of the Endorphin Pro 4 is dropping right now is because the Saucony Endorphin Pro 5 has just come out, but its design is pretty similar to the Endorphin Pro 4, so you won’t be missing out on a huge update by opting for the older model.
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