Trail-Running Shoes Buying Guide

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Made for days when you want to feel speedy on the trails, the men's Saucony Endorphin Rift trail-running shoes combine soft cushioning with serious traction for a confident ride on rugged terrain.
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View all Saucony Men's Trail-Running ShoesBest Use | Trail Running |
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Trail-Running Shoe Type | Rugged-Trail |
Running Shoe Cushioning | Maximum Cushion |
Heel-to-Toe Drop (mm) | 6 |
Heel Stack Height (mm) | 33 |
Forefoot Stack Height (mm) | 27 |
Footwear Height | Ankle |
Footwear Closure | Lace-up |
Upper | Air mesh |
Outsole | PWRTRAC rubber |
Rock Plate | No |
Vegan | Yes |
Weight (Pair) | 1 lb. 1.2 oz. |
Gender | Men's |
7 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 10 | 10.5 | 11 | 11.5 | 12 | 12.5 | 13 | 14 | 15 | |
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U.S. Men's | 7 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 10 | 10.5 | 11 | 11.5 | 12 | 12.5 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
U.S. Women's | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 10 | 10.5 | 11 | 11.5 | 12 | 12.5 | 13 | 13.5 | 14.5 | |||
UK | 6 | 6.5 | 7 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 10 | 10.5 | 11 | 11.5 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
EU | 40 | 40.5 | 41 | 42 | 42.5 | 43 | 44 | 44.5 | 45 | 46 | 46.5 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 |
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They finally did it, guys. This is essentially a premium, ultra-distance Peregrine. Think the Peregrine outsole with the sock-like upper of a Brooks Catamount (arguably the best upper in all of trail running) with the foam of the Endorphin Speed. Once you get the lockdown figured out (highly suggest a runner’s knot), the use cases for this shoe are endless. I’ve been running Sauconys (among many other trail brands) for a LONG time and this shoe is truly a triumph (pun intended). Shoutout to the product managers that put this thing together, it is a staggering achievement in design and execution and I can’t wait to crush more trail miles in these!
I bought these last winter. They don't protect as well from the cold as the Peregrine Ice and lacing the forefoot doesn't get very snug. The other downside is that the outsole began shedding/peeling it's "paint" colour almost immediately - a cosmetic flaw. But I'm delighted with the fit, especially the overall support and heel snugness. And they're a fast shoe! Last weekend I shaved over a minute off my time on a 9km trail race. Being 64 years old, I doubt that I'm getting much faster. LOL So these shoes are making a difference when it comes to speed. I quite like them and would buy again as a summer trail shoe. Hoping Saucony will address some of the shortfalls, which are relatively minor.
Ethos: 2:55 marathon, 10K 32:49, and I work at a running shoe store as an outfitter. I spend most of my time on the trails, though, and specifically enjoy running up mountains the most. I bought this shoe for a fire-road race that I ended up getting 2nd place in. The midsole and outsole unit work perfectly on fire roads, soft and steep singletrack, and even on road if you need it to (although they will wear out very quickly). They are not particularly great at rocky terrain. I took them up and down Mt. San Gorgonio (20 miles, 4700ft gain) and they were incredibly comfortable the entire way, besides when the trail was all rocks and my feet were sliding around due to the limited number of eyelets. This is pretty much the biggest downfall of the shoe: the eyelet chain. Not only do they not go down far enough in the forefoot to give you a really secure feeling on technical terrain, the tongue does not have enough padding where you would want it to make the upper feel nice and secure on your foot. In the next version, keep the midsole and outsole unit, and give it a more padded tongue. Get rid of the stupid pull tab, and maybe shave off a half mil off the lugs to bring the weight back down. For what this shoe is, the lugs seem a little too big, but I did welcome that on really steep (45% and loose) trails. Fit wise, it has a very secure heel for a narrower foot, average width in the midfoot and ball of the foot, and a slightly narrow toebox. That is another gripe I had. It took about 50 miles for my baby shaped feet to stretch out the big toe area for it to feel really comfortable. The fit in general seems very similar to the Endorphin Pro 3, but with a toecap. Because of the toecap, the shoe feels slightly short, so if length can be an issue in your size, and you have a wider foot, go half size up. Durability wise, 77 miles in the outsole looks great. Unfortunately, one of the plastic eyelets near the top has already started to tear. I had only owned the shoe for less than a month. Because of this, I had to slightly change my lacing method. I can foresee this totally tearing at some point in the next month or so.
I have 100 trail miles into the shoes on hilly technical terrain. It is different to tension the laces. It has to do with the ease in which the laces move through the eyelets. The result is usually overly tight laces in the two eyelets closest to the ankle and the rest loose. The result is the foot is not as secure as it should be and my toes hit the toe box turning my big toe nails black. Next is chaffing on Achilles from the cuffs on runs longer than 10 or 15 miles. Last night I abandoned ship and bought a different shoe. Other than the two issues, I enjoyed running in these shoes, they have a lot going for them and it was frustrating having to get a different pair.
They fit as expected when you look at these. A glove like fit around the ankle and forefoot, and a splay for your toes in the front. The foam is comfortable and responsive. You know the rock plate is there but, it disappears like the lugs when you are out and about. They are also super light weight, so they just sort of disappear on foot. First time out, 8 mile trek over some medium rocked surfaces, heavily rooted areas, and these just glided right over them. If you like your hiking shoes to fit like a sock, while still giving you some of the fun from Saucony's road shoes, this new model is a slam dunk.
I've used this for east coast trail running, including a 22-mile, 9,000' vert day. Fantastically comfortable. The PWRRUNPB feels a tad too firm for my liking when compared to last year's Xodus Rift or the Endorphin Pro 3, but does have that great light and responsive feel. In a perfect world I'd shape a millimeter or two off the lugs. Otherwise, stupendous.
Thank you for sharing your experience!
The best trail running shoes that I've tried so far. I still love Peregrine. They're like iconic shoes. I compare every trail running shoes to them. But Rift just doesn't have any flaws. I run very technical trails and big mileages (10-15) Rift can handle it very easy,comfortable and with style. They also looks gorgeous.
The shoe lacks stability due to the ineffective lacing system. Saucony needs to improve the overall ride of the show by creating more heel lock. They only have 5 lease holes compared to hokas 8. Hokas shoe fits better due to the appropriate number of laces.
I really wanted to like the shoe, but i didn’t get past the aesthetics. The huge Saucony logo in the image shows black, which would make it a little more subtle. The logo on the actual shoes however is light grey. Very frustrating.
We appreciate your feedback. Thank you.
Midsole and traction are excellent. Toe box would not work for me on technical/sustained downhills. Lacing system was lacking 1 additional eyelet for dialing in fit. Wish it had the Peregrin upper.