Saucony Endorphin Speed 4 Preview: Release Date, Midsole, Specs, Price

The Saucony Endorphin Speed 4 is rumored to have a slated release in spring 2024. Lucky for us, we have pictures now. This upcoming iteration looks to retain most of the classic Speed identity—the PEBA midsole, the nylon plate, the fast but approachable ride—while introducing some new elements to the equation. Here, we dive into that and explain where the Speed fits into the current plated trainer landscape.

Saucony Endorphin Speed 4 Overview

The Saucony Endorphin Speed 4 is an upcoming shoe release by the Boston-based company that calls itself "the original running brand." The current version of the Saucony Endorphin Speed, the 3, has a lightweight engineered mesh upper, a winged nylon plate for stability and a full PEBA midsole. The Speed is part of Saucony's Endorphin series of shoes, which is characterized by the pronounced rockers on all of the models.

Released in summer 2022, the Saucony Endorphin Speed 3 is a beloved, do-it-all shoe that sits at the top of many "best of" lists. The Speed 4 looks to continue on that legacy, while also driving further differentation between the Speed model line and the recently released Kinvara Pro. The Saucony Kinvara Pro is another plated trainer that uses PEBA, but it has a three-quarter length carbon plate that stops before the forefoot and a bottom layer of EVA foam without an outsole.

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The Speed 1 and 2 had fast, snappy rides, while the Speed 3 saw the shoe go in a different direction. The platform got wider, the ride got softer and the overall experience became friendlier for everyday running. What was once a shoe for the fastest runners' fastest workouts transitioned to becoming an everyday running shoe that could also pickup the pace. With the Kinvara Pro entering the scene, which also has a softer underfoot ride and aggressive rocker similar to the Speed 3, the Endorphin Speed 4 is primed to get back to its fast and firm roots.

Saucony Endorphin Speed 4 Release Date: Spring 2024

According to online whispers, the Saucony Endorphin Speed 4 will release in spring 2024 along with the Endorphin Pro 4. Rumor has it that Saucony is shifting their release calendar for performance shoes to be on an every-other-year cycle. This is similar to how Nike develops and launches new Vaporfly and Alphafly shoes—each shoe gets released once every two years. Nike has the release years staggered so that the market gets a new Nike racing shoe each year (e.g., new Alphafly in 2022, new Vaporfly in 2023, new Alphafly in 2024, new Vaporfly in 2025).

With the introduction of the Endorphin Elite and Kinvara Pro in 2023, Saucony may take Nike's approach and alternate release years of the Endorphin Elite with the Endorphin Pro and the Kinvara Pro with the Endorphin Speed. 

Saucony Endorphin Speed 4 Midsole: At Least One Type of PEBA

The midsole of the Endorphin Speed 4 looks to be a full-length bed of PWRRUN PB. However, the picture that leaked shows two different colors of foam, which suggests the possibility that there's a dual-foam midsole being used in the new Speed—all the rage these days. Dual-foam midsoles are seen in many of the high-mileage trainers that compete with the Speed 4, including the Adidas Boston 12 (Lightstrike and Lightstrike Pro), Asics Superblast (FF Turbo and FF Blast+), Hoka Mach 5 (EVA and PEBA), Puma Deviate Nitro Elite (Nitro and Nitro Elite) and Saucony's Kinvara Pro (PWRRUN EVA and PWRRUN PB).

Along with the Nike Tempo Next%, the Endorphin Speed 1 was one of the first shoes to implement PEBA in a training shoe context rather than a racer. There are more than a handful of great training shoes using PEBA today, so the Speed's value proposition isn't as special as it once was. Saucony will need to make changes to the midsole construction to remain competitive with shoes like the Mach X and Superblast.

Saucony Endorphin Speed 4 Specs: Look to Stay the Same

With competitive options coming in as low as 7.7 ounces (Asics Magic Speed 3), we anticipate Saucony will maintain a low 8 ounce weight (Speed 3 is 8.1 ounces for a US mens size 9 sample size) or shave weight from the platform. The upper is already minimal, and version 4 looks to have a more padded tongue, so weight savings will need to come from losing rubber and cutting or lightening up the foam. 

The PWRRUN PB PEBA used in the Speed 3 is already an extremely light compound, so saving weight via the midsole is a tough brief. Saucony did manage to create a sub–5 ounce racing flat in the Sinister, so anything is possible. What we don't anticipate is that the Speed 4 loses any stack height off the PWRRUN PB foam: the Speed 3 has a 36mm heel stack and 28mm forefoot stack for an 8mm drop. The Speed 4 will likely measure in at the same height or have grown a touch.

Saucony Endorphin Speed 4 Price: Likely Going Up

We predict a small price hike on the Saucony Endorphin Speed 4 due to the inflation experienced between the release date of the 3 and 4. The Saucony Endorphin Speed 3 was released with an MSRP of $170 and still retails for that price more than a year later. With 18+ months between model releases and pricing in the market that proves consumers will pay close to $200 for a training shoe (see: Hoka Mach X at $180, Kinvara Pro at $180 and Superblast at $200), it's likely the MSRP of the Saucony Endorphin Speed 4 will be at least $180.

Final Thoughts

The Saucony Endorphin Speed is playing in a tough market. Over the past yhear, the plated performance trainer segments designed for high-mileage runners has exploded. There's no the viral Sujperblast to contend with, and legitimate challenges from nearly every major brand (maybe Brooks will jump in the ring with the next version of the Aurora BL). Until we get official word from our friends at Saucony, we'll hold tight until the winter when they start teasing the Speed 4 in earnest.