Saucony Endorphin Shift 2 Review

Saucony Endorphin Shift 2 Review
By Chief Founder Matt Klein and Contributor Nathan Brown

The original Endorphin Shift was a favorite here at Doctors of Running in 2020 (REVIEW). A durable, well cushioned, smooth, stable maximal shoe that could handle long miles and uptempo running. We were impressed by the methods of stability used without making it a true stability shoe and maintaining the ability to work for a large variety of runners. We were a bit nervous for the second version, but everything has been refined. Although meant as only an upper change, subtle updates have made the Endorphin Shift 2 just as good, if not better than the original. A little more upper security and a slightly softer ride make this a great update that won't disappoint.

Editor's Note: Find our full Guest Contributor's reviews of the Shift 2 here.

Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 38 Review (2021 Release)

Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 38 Review: Tightening Up the Upper
By Senior Contributor Nathan Brown

Believe it or not, this is the first Nike shoe I have ever owned and tested. Last year alone I tested over 70 shoes, and I was yet to don the swoosh on the side of my foot. I grew up in a house where Nike was not allowed (for reasons unbeknownst to me as a kid...I may have some guesses now), so even into adulthood I would not naturally gravitate to Nike footwear. It took our founder, Matt, purchasing a pair and sending it my way to get my feet in my first pair. No better than the trusted trainer: the Pegasus.

May Round-Up: Latest Reviews, Videos, and Our Top Reviewed Shoes of Mid-2021

 

What!? You're telling us it's MID 2021 ALREADY. The year's flown by for all of us at Doctors of Running, but we've been really excited to get our summer gear out and get some warm days ahead. May was an interesting month for us: we got a huge load of shoes coming in from every which way, half of which we can't even talk about. Potential daily trainer of the year coming mid-June along with a shoe that's on NO ONES radar yet for speed day shoe of 2021.

Teasers aside for now, let's take a look back at everything that went down in May at Doctors of Running. Since we also are hitting the midpoint of the year, we thought we'd pull together our top five reviewed shoes of 2021 so far to see where we stand.

361 Flame Review

361 Flame Review
By Matt Klein

While racing shoe technology is continuing to advance, the challenge with many super shoes is that they are expensive. With many brands topping $250-275 for a single pair of shoes that often keep their "magic" for less than 200 miles, that is more than most people can afford. Those that do purchase them often spend very little time training in them, saving the shoes exclusively for race days. 361's goal with the Flame was to create a (more) affordable carbon fiber racing shoe that was fast enough for racing but durable enough to handle training miles. $160 still isn't cheap, but compared to others on the market, this may be a more budget friendly carbon fiber racing shoe that has enough durability for both training and racing. 

PUMA Eternity Nitro Review

PUMA Eternity Nitro Review
Review by Nathan Brown

The PUMA Nitro Line has worked to cover all of its bases, ranging from the race day ready Deviate Nitro Elite all the way to what we are reviewing today -- the Eternity Nitro. Consistent with all the models in this line, this shoe sports the Nitro midsole and some other features found in other models such as the TPU heel piece. The Eternity Nitro is touted as the stability shoe of the line, and today we will talk about how stable it really is. 

Hoka Clifton 8 Review (2021 Release)

Hoka Clifton 8 Review
By Chief Editor Matthew Klein and Contributor David Salas

The Hoka Clifton series started out legendary as THE cushioned lightweight trainer. The original was incredibly light for how much midsole there was. However, that was the early days of Hoka, where the uppers were narrow and often fit oddly. Fast forward almost a decade later (we can almost guarantee that work has started on the Clifton 10...) and the Clifton 8 retains some of the elements but has certainly changed. A greatly improved upper, a softer sole and a continued smooth ride make the Clifton 8 a better fitting and cushioned easy day and daily training shoe.

Coach Dave Ames on Holistic Running, Tapering Mistakes, and More | Podcast

 "There’s quality information out there, but there's a lot of bad information out there too. The runner is on what I call information overload. The overload is “information equals expectation.” But if we look at taking the info and absorbing and embracing the info to our own style, not what any else said we should do, but embracing it to our own style and taking a more holistic look to our sport. Look at the shoe game right now. Oh well that Nike is supposed to make me run “xxx” at this race. Well that's cool, but then when the athlete dies at 18-19 miles, they look back and see they got too overhyped because of what was on their foot and ran the first half marathon three minutes too fast or whatever and there goes the day. We expect the shoes, that watch, that recovery device that is tracking our sleep is supposed to give us these results, but at the end of the day, to me the data and technology isn't allowing us to think about the sport in a holistic way." - Coach Dave Ames

Inov-8 Trailfly Ultra G 300 Max Review

Inov-8 Trailfly Ultra G 300 Max Review
Review by Matt Klein

It has been a long time since an Inov-8 shoe has been on our feet. The Road-X 233 was a favorite of mine back in the day as it was the perfect combination of a 6mm drop with a lightweight trainer vibe. Meanwhile, the Road-X Lite 155 was ahead of its time as a minimal racing flat. Both shoes were out long before I created this website, but they continued to leave an impression. Inov-8 was nice enough to reach out regarding the Trailfly Ultra G 300. Having not run in any of their trail shoes and certainly not any Inov-8 shoes recently, my old perception of closer to the ground Inov-8 shoes was challenged. A maximalist, heavy duty, aggressive trail shoe... that still had vibes that reminded me of the models I loved so much. An interesting twist that is worth talking about.

ASICS Novablast 2 Multiple Tester Review

ASICS Novablast 2 Multiple Tester Review
By Chief Editor Matt Klein, Senior Contributor Nathan Brown, and Senior Contributor David Salas

ASICS is continuing to push their innovation line of shoes with the Novablast 2. The Asics Novablast 2 is a highly cushioned training shoe that utilizes FlyteFoam Blast to create a plush, bouncy, and surprisingly responsive ride. Fun fact: the shoe reviewed here comes in a Celebration of Sports colorway that was created for this year's Tokyo Olympics!

Newton Gravity 10 and Motion 10 Review | Podcast

The team pulled together this week to drop a video review of the latest in Newton’s Motion and Gravity series. The shoes are degradable in approximately 10 years and utilizes several sustainable and recycled features. Normal shoes are approximately 40 years according to Newton. The Gravity and Motion are the neutral and stability daily training models from the brand, whose technology focuses on their action/reaction technology underfoot which we go into in our review.

New Balance FuelCell Rebel v2 Multiple Tester Review

New Balance FuelCell Rebel v2 Review
Written by Senior Contributors David Salas and Nathan Brown

New Balance continues to deliver with an update to their lightweight performance trainer the Rebel. The FuelCell Rebel v2 features the highly cushioned and responsive FuelCell midsole with an update to the upper. It's is a highly versatile shoe that can dabble in faster efforts, daily efforts, and easy days. The shoe is a Swiss army knife that has gained a lot of traction in the shoe world, but is it worth the hype? Find out below. 

The habanero colorway of the Rebel v2. A bright orange rear upper with white forefoot diagonally. A blue outlined N logo over the midfoot.

PUMA Liberate Nitro Review

 PUMA Liberate Nitro Review
By Nathan Brown

The PUMA Liberate Nitro is the lightweight performance trainer in PUMA's resurgence in the run specialty scene. The market for lighter weight shoes with supercritical foams is booming due to runner preference in this direction, and many people are leaning towards using these types of shoes not only for speed work, but for all training due to the fun yet protective feeling that some of these "new-age" foams that are hitting the market. The Liberate is the stripped down, lighter performance trainer sibling of the Velocity Nitro from PUMA, the brand's versatile daily trainer.

ASICS GEL-CUMULUS 23 Review

Asics Gel Cumulus 23 Review
By Chief Editor Matt Klein

The Asics Gel-Cumulus series is a quiet, consistent daily trainer within the Asics line-up. Billed as the more traditional trainer compared to the more cushioned/premium Nimbus series, the Cumulus has been a staple for those looking to rack up miles and get training in. Ahead of many Asics shoes with the change to a full ground contact outsole 3-4 years ago, the newest version makes some changes to soften the ride, widen the fit and make it a bit more accommodating. Subtle updates continue the tradition of consistency, so previous Cumulus wearers have no major reason for concern.