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Saucony Endorphin Elite 3 review; I've fallen in love all over again
Is the Saucony Endorphin Elite 3 the super shoe that finally fixes its only real flaws? Here's my honest take on Saucony's fastest, most refined carbon racer yet.
The Saucony Endorphin Elite 3 (links to v2 until v3 is released) isn't a small update, it's a proper refinement of what was already my most thrilling race day super shoe. Saucony has kept the ride I fell for in the Saucony Endorphin Elite 2 and smoothed out the rough edges, without sanding off the thing that made these so special in the first place.
At $290, available June 1st, it lands with a new slotted carbon fiber plate, tweaked geometry, and the same ridiculously alive IncrediRUN midsole. If you've been watching the super shoe category get incrementally faster but more homogenous, this one still stands apart. In the best way possible.
Here's my honest take after logging miles in them, covering what's changed versus the V2, who this shoe is for, and where it fits in the wider racing shoe conversation.
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Key specifications
- Price: $290 at Saucony.com (available June 1st)
- Weight: 7.5oz (213g) on my scale in US(M)9
- Stack height: 39.5mm heel / 31.5mm forefoot
- Drop: 8mm
- Midsole: IncrediRUN foam, ultra-soft with exceptional rebound
- Plate: Newly designed slotted carbon fiber plate for smoother, faster propulsion (SpeedRoll)
- Upper: Racing Fit engineered mesh, lightweight and secure, reflective highlights, lace storage loop, finger pull, easy slip-on
- Outsole: PWRTRAC carbon rubber with areas of exposed foam
- Sockliner: IncrediRUN
- Support: Neutral
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Sizing and fit
The Elite 3 fits true to size for me (going by US sizing), with a medium width that has just enough give through the midfoot for higher volume feet thanks to the engineered knit sections around the lacing.
If your feet are narrow, you may still notice a little material overlap under the laces once you cinch them down, the same thing I saw on the Endorphin Elite 2. It never translated into any hot spots or pressure for me. Secure, relaxed, and easy to get dialed.
Midfoot and heel lockdown is excellent here too.
Performance review
A ride that still feels like nothing else
The IncrediRUN foam is the reason you buy this shoe.
It remains the most alive midsole I've run in, for a racing shoe. Ultra-soft underfoot, with a rebound that's almost disorienting the first few strides until your legs catch the rhythm.
You press down, it springs back, and there's a looseness to the ride that no other super shoe gives me right now. Long runs feel forgiving, and I walk in the door afterwards with legs that don't feel beaten up.
That low leg fatigue after hard sessions is one of the most incredible things about this shoe. For neutral runners logging big miles at tempo and marathon effort, this is where the Elite 3 earns its keep.
A smoother, more connected rollover
This is the update I was most hoping for, and it's real.
The new geometry and slotted carbon plate work together to give a smoother transition through the gait cycle.
In the Elite 2, the ride felt thrilling but a touch disconnected, or just not as smooth a transition, as if you were bouncing on the foam more than rolling through it. The Elite 3 tidies that up. The forefoot rocker feels more decisive, the toe-off more efficient, and mid to forefoot strikers will feel the benefit most.
You're still getting that fun, lively bounce, but there's more flow to it now. Less pogo, more propulsion.
More planted, but still a neutral shoe
The Elite 2's one real weakness was stability through sharp turns and late race miles once form started slipping.
The Elite 3 is measurably better here, with a slightly more planted feel through the midfoot. I'd still classify it firmly as a neutral shoe, and runners with significant pronation should look elsewhere, but the platform feels less tippy than the outgoing model.
Pair that with the wide footprint that's carried over from the V2, and this version feels more trustworthy at marathon effort when your gait gets a little messy in the final miles.
Racing fit upper that locks in and breathes
The upper is another one of the real improvements on the V3.
It's lightweight engineered mesh with structured support where you need it, and it's noticeably better than the Elite 2's upper in almost every way, that's not to say v2 was bad in anyway, it wasnt.
Heel lockdown is excellent, helped by subtle padding at the heel counter, and these are much easier to get on now too, which sounds minor until you've wrestled with a stubborn race day upper at 6am before a start line.
Breathability is strong, which matters in warm weather long runs and half or full marathon efforts where heat builds up. Oh and that little lace garage, is sooo welcomed on a racing shoe - who wants flappy laces when you're flying? Not me!
At 7.5oz on my scale, it still feels more like part of your foot than a pair of shoes. That alone changes how the miles tick by.
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Yes, they squeak, and yes, you'll stop caring
The one quirk I have to flag.
The Elite 3 still makes that telltale race day foam squeak and pop noise as the foam compresses, squishes and pops back to original form. It does lessen over time as the foam breaks in, but the first few miles you'll feel a little self conscious about it.
Then mid run you're having so much fun with the ride that you genuinely stop giving a damn, lol.
If you're the kind of runner who likes to hunt down a competitor with quiet, light footed stealth, factor that in. Otherwise it's a non-issue and honestly part of the character of the shoe now.
Where the Elite 3 shines, and where it doesn't
This is a racer with a clear sweet spot.
The Elite 3 is at its best between 10K and marathon pace for neutral mid to forefoot strikers. It's energetic in long efforts, fast at tempo, and genuinely fun for race-week shakeouts if you just want to feel something special on your feet.
It's less convincing for heel strikers but still better than most racing shoes.
The soft foam compresses so much at the heel that some of the snap you'd expect from a carbon plated racer gets muted through the transition. The new plate and geometry help here, but if your heel is the first thing down, you won't feel the rollover as crisply as a midfoot lander will.
Durability is more of a mixed picture.
There's a lot of exposed foam on the outsole and that's wearing down faster than I'd like, but the rubber compound where most of the ground contact actually happens is holding up really well on mine.
So the shoe looks progressively rougher over time, but the functional traction where it counts is more robust than I'd expected going in.
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My verdict
The Saucony Endorphin Elite 3 is the rare sequel that's better than the original without losing what made the original special.
It's still the most fun carbon plated racer I've run in, and the bounce underfoot is genuinely like nothing else on the super shoe market right now.
The ride is alive, the foam is forgiving on long efforts, and the new geometry and slotted plate give it a smoother, more efficient rollover than the V2. The upper has also taken a real step forward, and is much easier to get on.
At $290 it's priced with the rest of the top racers, and for neutral runners with decent form who prioritize comfort, rebound, and a genuinely unique ride, it's very easy to recommend.
Heel strikers and runners who want long-term training mileage out of their race day shoes should think harder before buying, but that's been true of every shoe in this category.
If you want a race day super shoe that feels different to everything else out there, and you want to actually enjoy the miles while you're running fast, the Elite 3 is the one.
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