Saucony Endorphin Coach Introduction
The Kinvara Professional was some of the underrated trainers of 2023. For me, it was a superb velocity coach and a significantly better coaching companion than the Endorphin Velocity.
I beloved how stiff its midsole was and the way a lot deep cushioning it offered. It additionally had good stability and a extremely snug higher. I discover it unusual that not many runners who tried it preferred it.
Whereas it wasn’t essentially the most energetic coach, it crammed a job which wasn’t current within the Saucony lineup: a maximalist, inflexible coach with little or no floor really feel. It was Saucony’s model of the Skyward X or the Prime X 2.
The Kinvara Professional has been rebranded because the Endorphin Coach and I believe this can be a significantly better title for it. The Kinvara Professional had nothing in frequent with the common Kinvara. The brand new title additionally tells us that it’s within the Endorphin household and it’s a coaching companion to the Endorphin Elite and Endorphin Professional.
When the Saucony Endorphin household was first launched in 2020, it consisted of three sneakers: the Velocity, the Professional and the Shift. The Velocity and Professional nonetheless exist however the Shift was discontinued. It was the every day coach within the lineup.
Over time, the Velocity has develop into a every day coach for a lot of runners due to its versatility and its balanced trip. Now, you’ve the choice of the Velocity and the Coach (inside the Endorphin vary) to your coaching run wants.
The Endorphin Coach weighs 9.9 oz (280 g) for a males’s US 9. This makes it 0.4 oz (11 g) heavier than the Kinvara Professional. It measures 41 mm within the heel, 33 mm within the forefoot, 1 mm decrease in each the heel and forefoot than its predecessor. It prices the identical because the Kinvara Professional.
Saucony Endorphin Coach First Impressions
The very first thing I observed when placing the shoe on was how a lot plusher the midsole felt. My toes sank down into the froth far more than within the Kinvara Professional.
The opposite factor which I observed was the improved higher match. It felt extra spacious and the brand new higher materials conformed to my toes higher.
My first run was a hill sprints exercise consisting of 10 x 100 m intervals. The brand new midsole made the trip really feel softer and extra energetic and it was very easy to extend my energy on the uphill sections. I used to be excited in regards to the modifications that Saucony had made.
Saucony Endorphin Coach Higher
The Endorphin Coach’s higher feels extra snug than the Kinvara Professional’s as a result of extra accommodating match. The softer engineered mesh stretches and conforms to your toes significantly better. Breathability has additionally improved as a result of the mesh is thinner and extra porous.
There’s a small quantity of padding within the tongue and the collar, so it feels snug with out being overly puffy. The tongue is gusseted and it has huge wings to carry it in place; there’s no tongue slide.
The match is true to measurement and is finest suited to runners with excessive quantity toes due to how spacious the higher is. It’s additionally appropriate for runners with huge toes. There are 3 small reflective circles on the heel for security.
Saucony Endorphin Coach Sole Unit
The Endorphin Coach is the religious successor of the Endorphin Shift. Each of them are versatile, do-it-all trainers with stiff midsoles. The Endorphin Coach is a brand new technology tremendous coach although, with higher midsole foams and a ¾ size carbon plate so its trip feels fashionable and extra dynamic.
From a design perspective, not a lot has modified from the Kinvara Professional. It nonetheless makes use of 2 totally different midsole foams and a thick PWRRUN+ insole. The principle distinction is that the higher midsole layer is now Saucony’s newest premier racing foam, IncrediRun.
IncrediRun is by far the softest midsole foam I’ve ever skilled and I discovered it approach too smooth within the Endorphin Elite 2. Within the Coach, the underside layer of PWRRUN could be very agency so there’s a stark distinction between these 2 layers and consequently, it could really feel clunky to some runners.
The agency PWRRUN part is there for sturdiness and stability; the marshmallow-like IncrediRun is there for consolation and vitality return.
It’s a superb long term coach. Not solely does it have very deep cushioning but it surely additionally has a really steady trip due to the agency PWRRUN backside layer. The stiff midsole ends in a forefoot rocker which feels environment friendly and energy-saving throughout these 25+ kilometre lengthy, marathon slogs.
The Endorphin Coach has a softer trip than the Kinvara Professional and it feels bouncier as a result of the layer of IncrediRun returns extra vitality. It feels much more pure at slower paces than its predecessor. You additionally get the signature Saucony thick PWRRUN+ insole which makes it really feel even plusher and extra deeply cushioned.
As a result of they’ve made the trip softer, they’ve additionally needed to tune the carbon plate. It’s now extra versatile but it surely nonetheless offers loads of propulsion throughout toe-offs. It’s not practically as flexible because the Endorphin Velocity 4’s plate so it seems like a velocity coach, not a every day coach.
It makes it very easy to choose up the tempo and it feels nice on tempo, threshold and hill sprints. It has a large tempo vary so it’s an ideal shoe to take with you on a visit as a result of it may possibly do most varieties of runs nicely.
The PWRRUN layer of the midsole kinds a lot of the outsole. A brand new addition is that the outer lateral heel and the medial toe-off areas get correct rubber for higher grip and sturdiness.
I haven’t observed any extreme outsole put on throughout my testing of the Endorphin Coach however due to its lack of full rubber protection, the outsole is subpar in the case of traction on moist surfaces.
Saucony Endorphin Coach Conclusions
When you didn’t just like the Kinvara Professional, likelihood is excessive that you simply gained’t just like the Endorphin Coach. It’s for runners who’re looking for a steady trip with minimal floor really feel and a stiff midsole. It’s excellent for lengthy runs but it surely additionally has the flexibility to choose up the tempo.
The Endorphin Coach is an improve over the Kinvara Professional. It has a extra energetic trip, a comfier higher and higher outsole sturdiness. I simply want it hadn’t picked up weight. It can nonetheless keep in my rotation as a result of it’s a workhorse that absorbs affect nicely. It has extra cushioning than the Trip 18 and the Endorphin Velocity 4, and it feels extra dynamic.
Saucony positively wants to change out the agency, boring PWRRUN for one thing livelier. PWRRUN PB as the underside layer could be a very good substitute that will make it lighter.
At $180, it’s good worth for cash. It’s solely $10 greater than the Velocity however you’re getting a carbon plate as an alternative of nylon and also you’re getting IncrediRun, Saucony’s newest tremendous foam. It’s additionally lots cheaper than the Skyward X ($225) and the Prime X 2 ($300) that are corresponding to the Endorphin Coach.
