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Buyer's Guide

Saucony Endorphin Speed Review & Sizing Guide

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Buy a Saucony Endorphin Speed (5 or 6) for a plated PEBA-style tempo shoe that comes alive at race pace and survives 600+ miles in nostalgia threads; skip it if you specifically want the lighter, snappier ES2 feel that newer generations have walked away from ES 1 was the first serious running shoe I ever bought. Talk about never being able to find anything as good as your first shoe.

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Key facts

Plate & foam
Winged nylon plate inside PWRRUN PB (PEBA-style) foam; aggressive SpeedRoll rocker.
Use case
Tempo workouts, race-day at half-marathon or marathon distance, mixed daily long runs.
Generation pick
ES2 is the cult favorite; ES5 and ES6 are the current retail options.
Fit
True to size; medium width; engineered mesh upper with light heel hold.
Value
Retail $170-$200; ES5 hits $88 at Dick's late-cycle, which is the strongest value pick in the line.
Caveat
Plate sensitivity is real; runners with sensitive metatarsals should try in store first.

Full breakdown

Saucony Endorphin Speed is the brand's plated PEBA-style tempo trainer line: a winged nylon plate inside PWRRUN PB foam, an aggressive SpeedRoll geometry, and a versatile-enough ride to handle daily runs and race pace. The line has a documented love affair with the ES2, which the community openly calls the best version ever made and a reference point against which every new generation gets measured ES2 is best shoe ever made... Just make the 1 or 2 again and no one gets hurt. Buy the ES5 or ES6 for tempo trainers that double as race-day shoes; skip if you only run easy daily miles.

FAQ

Endorphin Speed 5, 6, or vintage 2 — which should I buy?

Buy the ES5 at sale price ($88 at Dick's late-cycle) for the best value pick in the line; choose the ES6 if you want the latest generation at retail and accept the community ambivalence about iterative changes Saucony Endorphin Speed 5 - $88 at Dick's. Skip vintage ES2 hunting unless you want the original feel; the community love is real but the shoes are unfindable in fresh condition still got a pair i put about 600 miles into and use every now and again. The ES5 is the right buy for most runners today.

Is the Endorphin Speed comfortable for easy daily miles, or only tempo?

It is versatile enough for easy daily miles, but it shines at tempo and faster paces because of the SpeedRoll rocker. The ES5 first-run thread emphasizes the comeback feel relative to the ES4 and how the shoe handles 19km easy with confidence Endorphin Speed 5 - 19km First Run - It's Back. Use it as a daily-tempo do-it-all if you have one shoe for the rotation; pair it with a max-cushion daily like the Brooks Glycerin Max if you also need pure easy-day comfort.

Is the Endorphin Speed worth retail?

Retail is acceptable but sale is the buy signal; the line has predictable price drops late-cycle that bring it under $100. The 158-comment first-run thread on the ES5 is dense with positive feedback that justifies retail for first-time buyers Endorphin Speed 5 - 19km First Run - It's Back, and the Dick's $88 deal is the textbook example of the sale window Saucony Endorphin Speed 5 - $88 (Men's). Buy at retail if you want this generation now; wait for late-cycle sale if your race is more than 4 months out.

Endorphin Speed vs Brooks Hyperion 3 — which is the better tempo pick?

Pick the Endorphin Speed for plated tempo and race-day rotation; pick the Hyperion 3 for a non-plated daily trainer that handles tempo without forcing the SpeedRoll geometry. The two cover overlapping use cases at similar price tiers, but the Endorphin Speed is the more aggressive tempo shoe with a snappier ride Saucony Endorphin Speed 5 Initial Impressions. Buy Endorphin Speed if your goal race is in the next quarter and you want race-pace feel at retail; buy Hyperion 3 if you want one shoe for all training paces and prefer a softer underfoot ride.

Why does the community keep hyping the Endorphin Speed 2?

The ES2 is the line's reference point because it nailed the original tempo-shoe pitch — light, snappy, fast — before later generations added stack and complexity. The 167-comment ES6 thread is dense with ES2 nostalgia and complaints that nothing has matched the original two generations Just make the 1 or 2 again and no one gets hurt. Treat the ES2 hype as a caveat rather than a buy signal: skip chasing used pairs at premium prices because the ES5 and ES6 are still strong tempo shoes at retail, just heavier and softer than the originals.