By Kieran Alger
Saucony overhauled its Endorphin line-up at the start of 2024 with upgrades to two of its fastest shoes, the Endorphin Speed 4 and the Endorphin Pro 4. One is a nylon plated daily trainer built for fast efforts that can double as a race shoe.
The other is a carbon race shoe built for racing but also good for fast training. With a $55 difference in the price, the big question is which one should you buy? Or do you need both? We’re here to help you answer that question. Read on for my Saucony Endorphin Pro 4 vs Endorphin Speed 4 review.
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Stack Height, Drop, Weight and Price
When it comes to stack, the Saucony Endorphin Pro 4 packs a bigger midsole with 39.5mm in the heel and 31.5mm in the forefoot for an 8mm drop. The Endorphin Speed 4 stack height sits at 36mm in the heel and 28mm in the forefoot, also for an 8mm drop.
Despite the bigger stack, when it comes to weight, the Endorphin Pro 4 comes in a touch lighter at 7.9oz in our US 9.5 test shoe. The Endorphin Speed 4 weighs in at a sprightly 8.6oz.
Price-wise, the Endorphin Pro 4 launched at $225 – that’s about the standard price for a carbon race shoe. Certainly not the most expensive. Meanwhile the Endorphin Speed 4 will set you back $170, towards the top-end of what you can expect to pay for a plated daily trainer.
Stats
Saucony | Endorphin Speed 4 | Endorphin Pro 4 |
|---|---|---|
Best for | Daily training and faster efforts | Racing / faster training |
Support | Neutral | Neutral |
Cushion | Medium | Maximum |
Stack Height | 36mm heel / 28mm forefoot | 39.5mm heel / 31.5mm forefoot |
Drop | 8mm | 8mm |
Weight | 8.6oz / 245g | 7.9oz / 225g |
Suggested Retail Price | $170 | $225 |
Fit | True to size | True to size |
Rating | 9.5/ 10 | 8.5/ 10 |
Design
Aside from the larger stack, the midsole is where you’ll find the most important differences between the two Endorphin shoes.
Both shoes feature Saucony’s familiar Speedroll rockered geometry, to help you speed along with smooth transitions. But the Endorphin Pro 4 also features two types of foam in its midsole. There’s an added layer of PWRRUN HG closer to the foot, atop the carbon plate and then a wedge of PWRRUN PB at the bottom. The Speed 4 uses just PWRUN PB Pebax foam with a winged nylon plate sandwiched in the middle.
Both shoes also have a new sock liner, which Saucony calls “the Super Responsive Sockliner (SRS)” there to boost comfort and that feeling of energy underfoot.
Up top, the redesigned gauze-like mesh uppers on the Pro 4 are lighter, less structured and a little more breathable. The Speed 4 uses a thicker zonal mesh with some small perforations to boost the airiness. Both shoes offer plenty of flex across the top of the toes.
The Endorphin Pro 4 offers much more padding than you’ll find on many carbon race shoes. It’s not a million miles from the protection you find on the Speed 4 which offer medium padding around the heel collar.
The Endorphin Pro 4 tongue is now a knit-style integrated tongue that aims to offer better wrap across the top of the foot. The Speed 4 has a knitted gusseted tongue that’s more padded.
Flip them over and both shoes have quite similar lattice rubber outsoles with larger sections covering the whole forefoot and two reinforced areas in the major impact zones in the heel. The lattice work here has bigger gaps in the Speed 4. There’s also a larger channel in the Pro 4 midsole that has some stone-catching potential.
Endorphin Pro 4
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Endorphin Speed 4
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Fit
I ran in a US 9.5 in both test shoes which is my regular Saucony running shoe size. I found the fit quite similar. The heel hold, the overall instant step-in comfort was certainly on par. Interestingly, the Endorphin Pro 4 has the roomier, more flexible toe box, certainly across the top of the toes. The Speed 4 are marginally more snug.
I had to work a little initially to find a good lace lock down for the Endorphin Pro 4. Once I did, the midfoot lockdown was good. I had no heel slipping or hotspots. Things were simpler in the Speed 4 which fit like a glove from the get-go.
Performance
In testing I’ve run well over 60 miles in the Saucony Endorphin Speed 4 and north of 40 miles in the Saucony Endorphin Pro 4.
I’ve put Saucony’s two fast, plated shoes through similar tests, from all out intervals to marathon pace runs and longer, slower efforts. Most of my miles were on the road but some of them took in light offroad river paths – a good test for durability and stability.
I also did one marathon training interval session with half a dozen reps at 5:49 min/mile pace. Half way through, I swapped the Speed 4 for the Pro 4. Along with a side-by-side mile, with one shoe on each foot, to really tease out the differences.
On the interval reps, I was surprised that the Endorphin Speed 4 gave me a snappier, more responsive ride. When I swapped into the Endorphin Pro 4, they felt softer and less immediate by comparison.
It was harder work to maintain pace in the Pro 4 and I certainly didn’t get the leg-sparing benefit you expect from the best carbon racing shoes. The Pro 4 offers more cushioning and softer landings plus there’s a little more bounce in the midsole when the midsole eventually returns. But that didn’t necessarily translate into a more efficient-feeling ride.
You’re not getting the propulsion you get from livelier carbon racers. To illustrate that point, I certainly wouldn’t want to run too far with an Alphafly on one foot and Speed 4 on the other. But with the Pro 4 the difference wasn’t that pronounced.
The Endorphin Speed 4 is stiffer and firmer. It relies more on the rockering and that firmer platform makes it a more stable ride than the Pro 4 which has a little more wobble in the softer midsole, potentially from that top later of PWRRUN HG.
There is a potential benefit to the Endorphin Pro 4’s more cushioned ride. It’ll certainly look after you better than most carbon running shoes deep into longer races – at least from the perspective of cushioned comfort and road protection. Great news if things get strained at mile 22 of a marathon. The Speed 4 might not be quite as protective deep into longer time on feet.
However, when it comes to comfort on foot, there’s very little to choose here. Both offer a good reliable disappearing feel on the foot. I don’t think you notice the weight difference that much either.
Aside from the lacing eyelets which are less robust on the Pro 4, I haven’t found there’s any difference in how long I’d expect the shoes to last either. That’s a big tick in the box for the Endorphin Pro 4.
My Verdict
What you’ve got here are two extremely capable shoes that are very happy at marathon pace and faster. The Endorphin Pro 4 is more cushioned and bouncy, the Speed 4 is still energetic but it’s a firmer, snappier, more immediate, responsive ride.
The Endorphin Pro 4’s less aggressive, more cushioned, stable super shoe ride will suit a lot of marathon runners who want a race shoe they can rely on from the first mile to the last. But it’s not the punchiest carbon racer. If you’re looking for that all-out raciness, there are better shoes like the Alphafly and the Adios Pro 3.
While those rival carbon shoes are a sizable step up from the Saucony Endorphin Speed 4, the difference between the Pro 4 and the Speed 4 is much more subtle. You can get much the same performance from the Endorphin Speed 4 for much less – in a shoe that could be used for racing and training.
However, putting budget to one side, if you’re looking for a shoe to tackle faster training runs and races, I think the decision comes down to this -
If you like a little more cushion, go for the Endorphin Pro 4. If you like a faster, slightly more direct response, go for the Endorphin Speed 4.
Both shoes can cater for faster training and racing. The Speed 4 offers marginally more versatility when it comes to ticking over the slower miles.
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