Endorphin Elite 3 vs Endorphin Pro 4

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.

The Endorphin Pro 4 is Saucony's carbon marathon racer, a road racing shoe built to help you chase a personal best over the half and full. It sits just below the top-tier Endorphin Elite in the range: less aggressive, a touch more forgiving, and easier to run at real-world marathon pace. At 212g it is light for a carbon racing shoe, and the full-length plate gives you that firm, rolling snap through toe-off that defines this category. The 8mm drop keeps you rolling forward rather than sitting back on your heels. In our view it is one of the more approachable super shoes: quick when you push, but not so unstable that it punishes you late in a race. For runners who want a genuine carbon marathon shoe without the harshest edge of an out-and-out elite racer, the Pro 4 is an easy shoe to recommend. Just know you are paying a premium race-day price at £230 RRP.