Saucony Endorphin Elite 2 Performance Review

I set my 10K PR in the original Saucony Endorphin Elite, and it’s frequented many of our ‘best’ lists – including Best Marathon Running Shoes and Best Saucony Running Shoes – since its release in early 2023. Can the Saucony Endorphin Elite 2 possibly live up to the high expectations set by the original? Let’s find out.

What is the Saucony Endorphin Elite 2?

Saucony calls the Endorphin Elite 2 “[its] premium fast and light race day shoe. It is built to get you to the starting line with confidence that no one in the field is better prepared or better equipped.”

While that last line is all marketing speak, the first line is where the rubber hits the road. This is Saucony’s premier road racing shoe, and Saucony tweaked quite a bit from the original to make it what it is.

Cushion

The original Endorphin Elite used PWRRUN HG for its midsole. PWRRUN HG was firmer and bouncier than the PWRRUN PB used on the Endorphin Pro series. A lot of people, including me, really liked that combination. But the Saucony Endorphin Elite 2 doesn’t feel anything like the original. Why?

Because the PWRRUN HG is swapped for the incredibly soft incrediRUN that’s also found in the top layer of the Saucony Endorphin Trainer. In the Endorphin Elite 2, the incrediRUN is the entire midsole. And it’s SOOOOOOOOOOOFT. Really soft. Angling for pole position on the running shoe softness rankings. I sink deep into the shoe with every footstep.

Walking, it feels awkward. But at speed, whether that’s marathon pace for longer tempo workouts or mile pace for 400s on the track, you’ll feel the squish and bounce launching off the ground. This is a plushy bounce consistent with the best road racing shoes on the market.

Now, the softness does come with a price. And that price will be paid almost entirely by your ankles as they work to stabilize every landing. The better your running form, the better the Endorphin Elite 2 will work for you. Those with vicious side-to-side movement may want to avoid this one.

That said, cornering in this marshmallowy race car of a shoe isn’t that bad.

Support

While the Saucony Endorphin Elite 2 doesn’t bring stability-shoe or even daily-trainer levels of support, it does well when compared against other race day shoes. The upper really locks the foot down onto the footbed, and the foot sits inside the midsole at the heel. That great fit means rocketing around corners doesn’t end with sliding off of the footbed.

While this isn’t necessary for most road racing courses, the extra support makes the Saucony Endorphin Elite 2 a good option for twisty, turny courses and the track. The shoe stays underneath the foot even when gravity tries to make it do otherwise.

Traction

The outsole of the Saucony Endorphin Elite 2 is thin and cut into four segments. There are some circular grooves in the black pieces, lines in the rear orange piece, and rectangular cut outs in the large orange segment to provide extra traction. 

But I’m not even sure those patterns are needed. The PWRTRAC rubber compound is doing the real work by being extra tacky. Now, don’t go thinking this means it’s snow or ice-ready. It’s not. But it will handle typical race day conditions, including rain, very well.

Upper

The Saucony Endorphin Elite 2’s upper consists of three pieces: the molded heel cup in the back, the airy woven-ish body, and a stretchy woven “tongue” that’s sewn to the main body. All three parts are comfortable. The body lets in tons of air, offers a good amount of room for the toes (for a race day shoe), and the tongue is stretchy and soft, protecting against lace pressure while continuing the theme of allowing good airflow. The whole front part of the shoe is a big win.

Where the Endorphin Elite 2 may run into complaints is the molded heel cup. Heel cups like this tend to be polarizing, and I expect this one to be no different. Brands try them and then abandon them once they find out how many people love to complain about them.

I find the Endorphin Elite 2’s heel cup to be in the goldilocks zone of not too hard, and not too soft… But that goldilocks zone varies for everyone, so your mileage may vary. Like the original Endorphin Elite, there’s no stiff heel counter, but the heel extends higher up to answer the heel security complaints. I do have some dead space behind my achilles, but that’s not surprising with a heel cup like this…nor did it make any difference for performance.

If the heel cup works for you, then you’ll love the fit.

Is the Saucony Endorphin Elite 2 wide foot friendly?

The Saucony Endorphin Elite 2 features a streamlined, competitive racing fit, so no one’s going to accuse it of being wide… But there’s good room around the toes, and the upper has some nice stretch for those that are wider in the midfoot or heel. The Endorphin Elite 2 is about as wide-foot friendly as most modern race day shoes can get.

Is the Saucony Endorphin Elite 2 worth $275?

On one hand, the incrediRUN foam is ridiculously soft and bouncy… On the other hand, $275 is steep. But now that the road racing shoe price band starts at $225 and goes up above $280, the Saucony Endorphin Elite 2 is not overpriced. You’re not getting a steal or anything, but you’ll get the rocket-y feel a race day shoe needs to have in a well-put-together package.

How to use the Saucony Endorphin Elite 2

The Saucony Endorphin Elite 2 is best when used for runs that include uptempo work, long runs, track workouts, and road racing. This is not a shoe you want to use for easy paces.

Saucony Endorphin Elite 2 Summary

The Saucony Endorphin Elite 2 is a soft, bouncy, well-fitting race day shoe. As long as your foot and the molded heel cup get along, you’re getting a race day shoe with everything you’d expect from a high-end, race-focused running shoe.

How does the Author Run?

Drew Whitcomb (age 42, 6’6″ 195lbs): Runs daily with a once a week rest day. Runs a lot of miles due to testing needs and a growing affinity for long-distance races. Regularly competes in marathons, half-marathons, 10k, and 5k races.

Disclosure

While Saucony did provide a pair of the Endorphin Elite 2 to facilitate this review, the company had no involvement in this review, didn’t receive an advance look at it, and has not attempted to influence it.