Saucony Endorphin Coach Introduction
The Kinvara Professional was one of the vital underrated trainers of 2023. For me, it was a wonderful velocity coach and a a lot better coaching companion than the Endorphin Pace.
I cherished how stiff its midsole was and the way a lot deep cushioning it offered. It additionally had good stability and a extremely comfy 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 task 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 feel it is a a lot better title for it. The Kinvara Professional had nothing in widespread 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 footwear: the Pace, the Professional and the Shift. The Pace and Professional nonetheless exist however the Shift was discontinued. It was the each day coach within the lineup.
Over time, the Pace has develop into a each day coach for a lot of runners due to its versatility and its balanced experience. Now, you may have the choice of the Pace and the Coach (inside the Endorphin vary) in 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 rather 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 experience really feel softer and extra energetic and it was very easy to extend my energy on the uphill sections. I used to be excited concerning the modifications that Saucony had made.
Saucony Endorphin Coach Higher
The Endorphin Coach’s higher feels extra comfy than the Kinvara Professional’s because of the extra accommodating match. The softer engineered mesh stretches and conforms to your toes a lot 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 comfy with out being overly puffy. The tongue is gusseted and it has extensive wings to carry it in place; there’s no tongue slide.
The match is true to dimension and is greatest suited to runners with excessive quantity toes due to how spacious the higher is. It’s additionally appropriate for runners with extensive toes. There are 3 small reflective circles on the heel for security.
Saucony Endorphin Coach Sole Unit
The Endorphin Coach is the non secular successor of the Endorphin Shift. Each of them are versatile, do-it-all trainers with stiff midsoles. The Endorphin Coach is a brand new era tremendous coach although, with higher midsole foams and a ¾ size carbon plate so its experience feels fashionable and extra dynamic.
From a design perspective, not a lot has modified from the Kinvara Professional. It nonetheless makes use of 2 completely different midsole foams and a thick PWRRUN+ insole. The primary 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 method too smooth within the Endorphin Elite 2. Within the Coach, the underside layer of PWRRUN may be very agency so there’s a stark distinction between these 2 layers and because of this, 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 wonderful future coach. Not solely does it have very deep cushioning but it surely additionally has a really secure experience 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 experience 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 experience softer, they’ve additionally needed to tune the carbon plate. It’s now extra versatile but it surely nonetheless supplies loads of propulsion throughout toe-offs. It’s not almost as flexible because the Endorphin Pace 4’s plate so it looks like a velocity coach, not a each day coach.
It makes it very easy to select up the tempo and it feels nice on tempo, threshold and hill sprints. It has a large tempo vary so it’s a fantastic shoe to take with you on a visit as a result of it could actually do most kinds of runs properly.
The PWRRUN layer of the midsole varieties 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 on the subject of traction on moist surfaces.
Saucony Endorphin Coach Conclusions
For those who didn’t just like the Kinvara Professional, chances are high excessive that you simply received’t just like the Endorphin Coach. It’s for runners who’re in search of a secure experience with minimal floor really feel and a stiff midsole. It’s good for lengthy runs but it surely additionally has the power to select up the tempo.
The Endorphin Coach is an improve over the Kinvara Professional. It has a extra energetic experience, a comfier higher and higher outsole sturdiness. I simply want it hadn’t picked up weight. It’s going to nonetheless keep in my rotation as a result of it’s a workhorse that absorbs affect properly. It has extra cushioning than the Trip 18 and the Endorphin Pace 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 substitute that may make it lighter.
At $180, it’s good worth for cash. It’s solely $10 greater than the Pace however you’re getting a carbon plate as a substitute of nylon and also you’re getting IncrediRun, Saucony’s newest tremendous foam. It’s additionally loads cheaper than the Skyward X ($225) and the Prime X 2 ($300) that are akin to the Endorphin Coach.