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Saucony Endorphin Elite 2 Review: The Up & Runners

Name: Men's Saucony Endorphin Elite 2
Brand: Saucony
Rating: 3.8 (1 reviews)

The Up & Runners

Posted May 09, 2025

The Saucony Endorphin Elite 2 is a high-performance, carbon-plated racing shoe designed for speed, excelling in 5K to marathon distances. It offers a bouncy, soft ride with a seamless upper. It's wide fit and durability could be a concern for some.

Total

Form

Performance

Value

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Endorphin Elite 2

3.8/5

(1)

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Pros

Super bouncy and responsive IncrediRun foam
Seamless, breathable woven mesh upper
Aggressive rocker for smooth transitions
Lightweight at 7.1oz (men’s size 9)

Cons

Wide, loose fit may not suit narrow feet
Durability concerns with exposed foam and fraying eyelets
Too soft for slower paces or less efficient runners
Limited stability, especially at slower speeds

The Saucony Endorphin Elite 2 is a bold evolution of its predecessor, aiming to deliver a fast, fun, and bouncy race-day experience. With its supercritical IncrediRun foam, slotted carbon plate, and aggressive rocker, it’s built for runners chasing speed from 5K to marathons. Our duo from The Up & Runners—Blake and Eric—logged a combined 69 miles to test this super shoe. Spoiler: it’s a thrill ride for the right runner, but its softness and fit quirks make it a niche pick.

Endorphin Elite 2 At a Glance

How It Compares to Other Shoes

In the crowded super shoe category, the Endorphin Elite 2 competes closely with the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 4.

Blake: VS Adidas Adios Pro 4: Both of these shoes have fairly aggressive forefoot rockers, and both use soft, supercritical TPEE foam, however I think I prefer the density of Adios Pro 4. It' still soft, but not overly soft. I could honestly see myself picking either one for a marathon, and just depends if you're okay with a super soft squishy shoe, or want it to be firmer.

Eric: The feel underfoot is very similar to the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 4 but feels higher stack and more unstable. VERY different from the original Endorphin Elite which was firm and rigid.

Performance & Versatility

The Endorphin Elite 2 is a premium race-day shoe that shines at faster paces, offering enough cushioning for half to full marathons and an aggressive rocker for quick turnover in 5K and 10K races. Its soft IncrediRun foam delivers a fun, bouncy ride but sacrifices versatility at slower paces or for less efficient runners.

Blake Graf

(logged 34 miles): The Endorphin Elite 2 is definitely a premium, high performance race day shoe. It has enough protection for half and full marathons, and an aggressive rocker to help with turn-over for 5k and 10ks. However the soft foam may make it less versatile than some other super shoes.

Eric (logged 35 miles): The shoe is really one of the fastest and bounciest shoes I’ve ever worn in my life… Its definitely most stable at faster paces and as you slow or put less energy into the shoe the more squishy and unstable it feels. For this reason I don’t think that many ‘slower’ runners will enjoy this shoe for longer efforts like the marathon or possibly even half marathon.

Upper

The upper features a woven mesh that’s open, breathable, and seamless, making it one of the most comfortable race-day uppers in the category. However, its wide fit and loose heel lockdown require adjustments, and durability issues with fraying eyelets are a concern.

Blake: The upper is made out of woven mesh. It’s very open, breathable, airy, and very comfortable overall. It’s honestly one of the best-feeling race-day uppers I’ve tried in a while. The ankle collar is completely seamless and has no irritation. That said, lockdown around the ankle wasn’t perfect for me, and the shoe overall felt a bit wide/roomy. I had to crank the laces a bit, and one of the eyelets actually started to fray after just a few runs.

Eric: The upper is SUPER lightweight and breathable. The heel counter is soft and flexible which creates a super comfortable experience but because the upper is also wider fitting I think I would have preferred a more structured heel counter at least to help with lockdown. While I didn’t slip around like crazy, I did need a runner’s knot to keep my heel in place.

Midsole

The 100% IncrediRun foam (supercritical TPEE) is the star, offering an ultra-soft, bouncy ride that firms up at faster paces. Paired with a slotted carbon plate and an aggressive forefoot rocker, it delivers smooth transitions but lacks snap and stability at slower speeds.

Blake: The midsole is 100% IncrediRun foam which is super soft, supercritical TPEE… It feels very squishy when just walking or jogging, but once you start picking up the pace, it firms up and starts to feel more responsive and fast. It’s also more stable than I expected… One thing I did notice is that while the foam compresses easily, it doesn’t have that super fast rebound or snap. It kind of just absorbs impact but doesn’t really feel like it's giving you all the energy back, or at least that's what I thought. Despite that, the aggressive forefoot rocker still helps to throw you on your toes, and feels really smooth.

Eric McIntyre

Incredirun is INCREDIBLE. Supercritical TPEE, it’s the squishiest foam on a supershoe and possibly on the market… the more force you put into it, the firmer it feels. I can confirm that this is indeed the case, as such I feel that the midsole won’t work for everyone. While the shoe feels great at fast paces, when slowed it feels like standing on a foam pad or disk used for balance. This meant that my feet and lower leg muscles were working extra to maintain stability.

Outsole

The PWRTRAC rubber covers the forefoot and parts of the heel, providing solid grip while keeping the shoe lightweight at 7.1oz (men’s size 9). However, exposed foam raises durability concerns, especially on rough surfaces.

Blake: The outsole uses PWRTRAC rubber covering most of the forefoot and parts of the heel… While I thought the rubber itself gripped well and seems to be holding up, I do have some durability concerns with the exposed foam. After a few runs, I noticed a crack in the midsole where I toe-off.

Eric: The outsole is surprisingly great! The PWRtac rubber is super thin and lightweight but actively grips the roads. The traction isn’t deep but it really gets the job done. Full disclosure though, I didn’t test this in wet conditions much so I can’t speak to how it will handle rainy road races.

Who Should Buy the Saucony Endorphin Elite 2?

✔️ Best For:

Runners seeking a bouncy, fast race-day shoe for 5K to marathons (Blake)
Sub-3 marathoners or those with efficient running form (Eric)
Mid-to-forefoot strikers who thrive at faster paces (both)

❌ Not Ideal For:

Runners with narrow feet due to wide fit (both)
Those needing stability at slower paces (Eric)
Heel strikers or less efficient runners (both)

Final Verdict

Blake: The Endorphin Elite 2 is soft, fun, and fast. The upper is super comfortable and seamless, however it does fit a bit loose and cranking down on the eyelets may cause them to fray. I love how soft and bouncy the midsole is, but it isn’t necessarily the snappiest or most responsive racer out there.

As a person who likes squishy shoes I've really been enjoying the Elite 2, that being said, I wouldn't mind if the next version is a bit firmer.

Check out Blake's full video review on YouTube.

Eric: The Endorphin Elite 2 is truly a one of a kind shoe. The shoe has got to be one of the top 5 most fun shoes I've worn but at the same time the craziness of it makes it difficult to imagine using for a longer race type effort. I think those who run faster OR have very smooth running mechanics are going to like this shoe most at least for the marathon distance.

Check out Eric's full video review on YouTube.