Saucony Endorphin Cheetah review

The Saucony Endorphin Cheetah is a good option for:

• Runners looking to move away from the usual Nike and adidas options and try a less common spike without giving up top-tier performance.
• Athletes seeking a versatile spike for distance events ranging from 1500m to 10000m.
• Those who value a secure fit, as we found the lockdown and foot hold to be simply amazing.

If firm foams aren't your thing, the Endorphin Cheetah is unlikely to win you over. While the PWRRUN HG midsole delivers excellent bounce and responsiveness, we found that it also feels exceptionally firm underfoot. Instead, we recommend taking a look at the New Balance FuelCell SuperComp MD-X v3.

We also believe that runners who prefer the snappy feel of a carbon-fiber plate may come away disappointed. The Cheetah takes a more forgiving approach with a Pebax plate, so those seeking maximum stiffness should consider the Nike Dragonfly 2 Elite instead.

With 19.3 mm of heel stack height, we found that the Saucony Endorphin Cheetah pushes right up against the World Athletics limit for track spikes, which caps stack height at 20 mm.

The forefoot is also well cushioned for a track spike.

In our measurements, it reached 16.5 mm, which we believe is a smart choice for a spike designed for events ranging from 800m to 5000m.

The Saucony Endorphin Cheetah features a measured drop of 2.8 mm, although in practice it has little impact on the ride.

Since you'll be landing on the forefoot almost exclusively, the difference in stack height between the heel and forefoot is largely irrelevant for most runners.

Although Saucony already uses PWRRUN PB in shoes like the Endorphin Speed 5, it opted for PWRRUN HG here, the same premium foam found in the top half of the Endorphin Pro 5.

We believe that was the right choice, as it delivers even greater energy return while maintaining a low weight. It also carries a firm feel at 54.7 AC in our Asker C durometer, adding a boost in terms of stability compared to some rivals.

The Endorphin Cheetah features a flexible Pebax plate that extends the full length of the shoe beneath the midsole foam.

Like most track spikes, the Endorphin Cheetah delivers an aggressively race-focused fit with little emphasis on comfort. Everything about this shoe is designed with speed in mind.

In our first measurement, we recorded just 87.4 mm. While that figure sits close to the average for track spikes, it's dramatically narrower than what we typically measure in road running shoes, resulting in a highly locked-in feel for racing or track workouts.

The Cheetah also delivers a snug fit through the toe area, where we measured a width of 69.0 mm.

Like we mentioned earlier, that's fairly average for a track spike, although it would translate to an extremely tapered toebox in a road running shoe.

On the other hand, we found surprisingly generous vertical space in the toebox.

In our final measurement regarding fit, we recorded 28.0 mm, which is more than most competitors.

Saucony opted against using a carbon plate in the Endorphin Cheetah, giving the shoe a more forgiving feel that we believe works especially well for longer track events like the 5000. As a result, we measured a modest stiffness of just 13.0N.

With a name like Cheetah, anything other than a featherlight weight would have been disappointing.

Fortunately, Saucony delivered, tipping our scale at just 4.9 oz (139g). In our opinion, that's exactly what we'd expect from an elite-level spike.

Breathability may not be a major concern in sprint spikes, but it becomes far more important in models designed for endurance-focused track events. Since many runners race without socks, excellent airflow can make even a bigger difference over longer distances.

To our satisfaction, the Saucony Endorphin Cheetah aced our breathability test, earning the highest possible score of 5/5.

That's as good as it gets, although we can't say the result caught us off guard. Based on how ultra-thin and minimalist the upper is, we expected outstanding ventilation from the start.

A closer look under our digital microscope quickly revealed the reason behind this performance.

The upper features an exceptionally open structure that allows air to move freely between the inside and outside of the shoe.

What you won't find here is much in the way of comfort-focused padding, but that's clearly intentional. In our view, prioritizing low weight and maximum ventilation was the right call for this shoe, and that's exactly what the Cheetah delivers.

The absence of a carbon-fiber plate is evident here as well, resulting in another moderate result. This time, we evaluated torsional rigidity and recorded just 9.6 Nm.

The heel counter stays completely out of the way, as it's about as flexible as a heel structure can be. Unsurprisingly, it earned the minimum score of 1/5 in our test.

We found the Cheetah to offer a stability level comparable to most competing spikes, perhaps even slightly higher due to the ultra-firm PWRRUN HG foam used in the midsole.

Part of that stable ride comes from its 95.6 mm forefoot platform.

The heel surprised us with a width of 71.8 mm, a result that sits clearly above the lab average.

We believe that extra platform width could benefit midfoot strikers who occasionally drift toward a slight heel strike in the closing stages of a longer race as fatigue begins to affect their form.

The heel padding brushed aside any durability concerns in our Dremel test, delivering an outstanding performance and earning a perfect 5/5 score.

We measured the outsole of the Saucony Endorphin Cheetah at 2.2 mm thick, placing it almost exactly in line with the current lab average.

This is one of the thinnest insoles we've ever measured in the lab, not just among track spikes but across the hundreds of road running shoes we've tested as well.

We would've preferred to see Saucony use textured laces instead of a standard design, as they could have improved both lockdown and overall aesthetics.

However, we were impressed by the tongue's unusual dual-fabric construction, which combines two distinct materials with one section offering better ventilation than the other.

For thickness, we measured 2.4 mm, a generous result for a spike built with an all-out focus on performance. Even so, we appreciated the extra padding over the instep, and we loved that it comes with a semi-gusseted design unlike most competitors.

The heel features an extended design that helps support the Achilles tendon while also doubling as a convenient pull tab for easier step-in.

The Endorphin Cheetah targets the premium end of the track spike market, carrying a price tag that even exceeds the Nike Dragonfly 2. In our opinion, that could be its biggest challenge when attracting runners who are new to Saucony, as positioning it slightly below the Dragonfly might have been a more compelling strategy.

The outsole of the Endorphin Cheetah features six removable pins that can be easily replaced using the spike wrench included in the box.