Saucony Endorphin Pro 3 review

Who should buy the Saucony Endorphin Pro 3

The third version of the Saucony Endorphin Pro is a great buy if you want a: 

• carbon-plated running shoe that offers an insane amount of energy return
• long-distance racer that's best suited for half to full marathons, especially during summer

Who should NOT buy it

Although fantastic, the Saucony Endorphin Pro 3 is not without fault. And if you want a racing shoe that won't be abrasive on your heel, we established in our tests that the Endorphin Pro is not it. Instead, you can take a look at its tempo/race-day younger brother—the Saucony Endorphin Speed 2. 

Want ample room for your toes when they start to swell? The ASICS Metaspeed Sky is our recommendation for runners who love their toe box spacious. Heck, it can even fit wide feet. 

Endorphin Pro 3 vs. 2

Saucony found a way to improve its already perfect running shoe! This time around, it's: 

• lighter (from 223 grams/7.9 ounces to 204 grams/7.2 ounces) and more breathable, thanks to its stripped-down upper
• also outfitted with a new tongue to improve ventilation and lockdown even more
• cushier, more responsive and protective with an added foam of 4 mm 
• better-gripping than before because of its new outsole layout 
• a tad roomier in the toe box 

We believe that these changes helped to elevate the Pro to an even higher tier. 

Ready to break records

Yes, you heard that right. The oh-so-speedy Saucony Endorphin Pro is now even faster. Running in the shoe felt so effortless and energized!

In addition to lots of pop in the midsole, the shoe also employs the S-shaped carbon-fiber plate that literally pushes you forward.

An oh-so-smooth ride

On top of its snappy and responsive ride, the Endorphin Pro 3 has a very seamless heel-to-toe transition, making our runs feel even more effortless.

Goes the distance

The past Endorphin Pro 2 has crushed it in the speed department but left our legs a bit tired after the longer efforts. But in the third version, it feels much more forgiving! This must be thanks to the added foam.

We measured the shoe's stack height at 35 mm in the heel and 25.7 mm in the forefoot. That's about 2 mm taller than the average.

Simply, it becomes its own shoe at half to full marathon distances. So if you're worried about having your legs and feet feeling thrashed after a half or full marathon, you don't have to in the Endorphin Pro 3. For reference, it feels as comfortable as the Nike Vaporfly NEXT% 2 and the NB FuelCell Elite v2. 

Stiff and great in the freezer

To be this snappy, the Pro 3 had to be stiff. On our flexibility test, we needed a force of 94.4N to bend it at room temperature. This is 3x more than it takes on average!

And, after 20 mins in the freezer, Saucony Endorphin Pro 3 got only 16.7% stiffer. Other shoes tend to get 40.3% stiffer, on average. 

On our subjective tests, it scored 5/5 for longitudinal flexibility (5 being the stiffest) and 4/5 for torsional stiffness. The average for all the shoes in our lab is 3.3 for longitudinal and 3.4 for torsional flexibility. 

Plants you to the ground

For a supershoe, the Endorphin Pro 3 is stable AF! So much so, it still inspires confidence even when running sharp turns.

Gains more foam but loses weight

And this is what makes the Endorphin Pro 3 stand out so much! To achieve this weight benefit, the shoe features cutouts underfoot that keep the weight down. Not to mention the lightweight nature of the PWRRUN foam itself.

So, even with the added stack, the shoe remains quite airy on the foot.

For comparison's sake, the Saucony Endorphin Pro 3 weighs in at 194 grams/6.8 ounces. This is lighter than average in both categories:

• Race shoes: 214 grams/7.5 ounces
• Carbon-plated shoes: 227 grams/8 ounces 

Upper: THE definition of minimalist

The upper is not only thinner; it's, in fact, extremely thin. But despite this, it actually feels very pleasant against the foot.

The tongue is also just as trimmed down, but again, it's one of the most comfortable gusseted tongues out there. Even when cinching the laces down, it's still really comfy.

Just how trimmed-down the tongue actually is? It measured 1.2 mm on our caliper! The average in our lab? 6.0 mm! That's one race-fit tongue, confirmed.

The upper is made even better

Because it's so thin, you can literally see through it. And what does this mean? It doesn't get any more breathable!

And if you're looking for a running shoe to race in the summer, this fits the bill so well! 

The heel is a party pooper

The upper's wrap would've been A-OK if it weren't for the heel.

Its inner lining is quite harsh so do grab a pair of bandaids the first time you run in it. The material rubs the Achilles quite noticeably. 

As secure as a racer needs to be

The Endorphin Pro 3 has a highly secure fit and foothold. It wraps around the foot in all the right places and never slips. There's no need to do a runner's knot in it either!

And for a tall shoe to be this supportive, it's pretty impressive. Even when cornering, you don't have to worry about feeling tippy.

Toebox is kind of a miss

Unfortunately, the toebox turns out to be on the narrow side which is a bummer since it's a marathon racing flat. Supposedly race running shoes need adequate room in the toebox for foot swelling, but it's not the case here. 

The width of the upper at the forefoot is below the average, as our lab numbers have confirmed. It measured only 94.3 mm while the average for all the shoes in our database is 98.6 mm.

And because of this, the small toe kept rubbing on the upper causing a hot spot. 

Grippier now

What's even more surprising about the shoe's barely-there weight is it doesn't skimp on the outsole rubber.

So much so, that it gives an amazing grip on both wet and dry road surfaces. And this is a lot of improvement, given that the first two iterations didn't have much to offer when it comes to traction.

Average visibility for night runs

It’s not like they shine like diamonds but also, it’s not like they are muted in the dark. Just OK. To be on the safe side, we’d recommend wearing something else with reflective elements.