Endorphin Elite 2 vs Endorphin Elite 3

Saucony swapped the firm foam of the first Elite for something far softer, and the Endorphin Elite 2 ended up as one of the bounciest carbon racing shoes around. Lab testing at RunRepeat rated its midsole the softest they had measured, and reviewers mostly describe a ride that squashes at easy pace and pushes back once you speed up. That makes it a marathon shoe before anything else, and it's also why it wobbles. The Run Testers found it unsettled on fast corners and slippy in the wet, and pointed to the Metaspeed Sky Paris as the steadier pick. The toe box is narrow as well. With steady mechanics and slim feet, you get a very lively half or full marathon shoe. If your form tends to fade late in a race, the Endorphin Pro 4 is calmer and cheaper, and Saucony has since followed it with the Endorphin Elite 3.

The Endorphin Elite 3 is Saucony's no-compromise carbon racing shoe, built for one job: chasing a personal best over the half and full marathon. This is a specialist marathon shoe, not a do-it-all trainer. You get a tall 40mm heel, a full-length carbon plate and Saucony's springy IncrediRUN foam, all wrapped up at a race weight of 210g. At £306 it sits right at the top of the market, alongside the Nike Alphafly 3 and the adidas Adizero Adios Pro 4. What you are paying for is peak return at speed. The slotted plate and high stack give a rolling, aggressive ride that wants to move. It is less versatile than Saucony's own Endorphin Pro 5, and it asks for a fair bit of leg strength to get the best from it. We rate it as one of the sharpest tools you can lace up on race day, so long as race day is what you want it for.