Saucony Endorphin Azura Review
By David Salas and Andrea Myers
Saucony Endorphin AzuraPrice: $149.95 at Running Warehouse
Weight: 8.5 oz, 240 g (men's size 9), 7.5 oz, 212 g (women's size 8)
Stack Height: 40 mm heel / 32 mm forefoot
Drop: 8 mm
Shoe Purpose: Daily Trainer/Workout
Pros: Incredibly versatile, great price point
Cons: Very good at doing a lot of things, though not a master at any; very firm midsole
RUNNING SHOE SUMMARY
The Saucony Endorphin Azura is a lightweight daily training shoe that can do a little bit of everything. The Endorphin Azura is built off of the same last and philosophy as the Endorphin Elite, but uses no plate, as well as a different midsole in PWRRUN PB. The geometry complements the midsole well for both easy and fast paces. The Endorphin Azura uses a late stage rocker in the forefoot that keeps you feeling like you are rolling into your next step. Combined with the lighter weight and PWRRUN PB midsole, the shoe has some life to it as well.
SIMILAR SHOES: Adidas Adizero Evo SL, Puma Deviate Nitro 3
PAST MODEL: new model
FIT
(To learn how a shoe should fit, check out our full podcast on fit by Matt Klein.)
David: The Saucony Endorphin Azura fits true to size in my men's 9.5. The fit throughout is pretty "normal" across the board. The width in the heel and midfoot are normal, with the forefoot being slightly wide. The volume in the forefoot is also average. I can feel the material on top of my toe after longer efforts, but not in a bad way. I just would not classify this shoe as overly spacious.
The mesh material is decently comfortable throughout. It is lightweight, breathable, and provides a secure lockdown. I had no issues with heel slippage or foot translation. There is a stiff heel counter with minimal padding. The shaping is good enough to where I had no irritation in this area. I do think I'd like a little more padding in that area though, especially for daily mileage and longer outings. The tongue is interesting. You can see strategic placement of padding that does a really good job of preventing any biting from the laces. The tongue is on the thinner side, but with intermittent areas of padding. In general, I really like this upper. It is pretty simple throughout, but it gets the job done without sacrificing much.
David's Typical Size: Men's US Size 9.5
Shoes that have fit David well: Nike Vomero 17, Saucony Ride 16, Puma Velocity Nitro 3
Shoes that have fit snug: HOKA Arahi 7
Shoes that have fit large: Salomon Aero Glide
Andrea: Like all shoes in the Saucony Endorphin line, I need to go up half a size for length in the Endorphin Azura. I have a full thumb's width from the end of my big toe to the front of the shoe. While I would not describe the toe box as wide, it is wide enough that I did not experience any discomfort at my 1st or 5th MTPs. The midfoot and rearfoot are normal width, but the medial rearfoot feels narrowed due to a significant medial sidewall built into the sockliner. This was not a particularly comfortable feature of the shoe for me, but it also did not limit my test runs in the shoe. The rearfoot features a small, rigid heel counter that is further reinforced by a flexible overlay that extends from the rearfoot to the midfoot, on the medial and lateral aspects. There is a moderate amount of internal padding in the rearfoot, which feels thicker medially than laterally.
The upper is a thinner mesh material that has some stretch to it, but the extensive overlays that run the length of the shoe on both sides give it needed structure. The gusseted tongue is thin, but has zones of additional padding to protect the dorsum of the foot from the laces. It was easy to lock this shoe down without a lot of lace adjustments. I would not recommend running sockless in the shoe due to the texture of the mesh material. I mostly liked the fit of the Endorphin Azura, but the high medial sidewall did not line up well with my rearfoot and caused some discomfort.
Andrea's Typical Size: Women's US Size 9.5
Shoes that have fit Andrea well: Brooks Hyperion Max 1 and 2, Topo Cyclone 2, Nike Vaporfly 3, ASICS Novablast 4 and 5, PUMA MagMax Nitro
Shoes that have fit snug: Altra Escalante 4 (toe box width and volume), Mizuno Wave Rebellion Pro 2 and 3 (length), Saucony Endorphin Speed and Pro 1-4 (length)
Shoes that have fit large: Adidas Boston 12 (length), Adidas Adios 8 (length)
Doctors of Running Checklist
Is This a Good Shoe for Walking: No
Is This a Good Shoe for Standing: No
Is the Forefoot Flexible: Not flexible
How Flexible is the Shoe: Mild
Is This a Good Heel Bevel: Yes
Recommended for Haglunds: No
Is This Shoe Orthotic Friendly: No
Recommended for Sockless: No
Durability Expectation: Average
PERFORMANCE
David: I have been happy with the performance of the Saucony Endorphin Azura. The shoe is intended to be a daily training shoe that has enough versatility to go fast when you need it to. The Endorphin Azura is able to do that. The last and geometry takes inspiration from the Saucony Endorphin Elite, though tuned for daily training. The Saucony Endorphin Azura does not use a plate or stiffening agent. It also uses PWRRUN PB, a PEBA-based midsole that we have seen in previous performance shoes from the company.
For those that ran in the Endorphin Elite, the ride is reminiscent of that shoe. The heel has a balanced bevel to it, with the forefoot having a sharp and late stage rocker. The change to PWRRUN PB (from PWRRUN HG in the Elite) makes for a sturdier foam that also feels more appropriate for daily miles and paces. The result is a firmer ride that feels balanced well at the heel with a quick rolling sensation at the forefoot. At easier paces you can fall into rhythm pretty easily as you roll off the front of the forefoot. Because of the late stage rocker, the stance phase can feel a little long through midstance at slower paces but it still smooth enough. At faster paces, the foam and forefoot rocker really come alive and you can feel your stride lengthen almost immediately from the bounce. The prolonged stance feeling goes away at faster paces as well. At 8.5 ounces, the shoe certainly has enough versatility to hit faster paces with the geometry and midsole combination. 40mm of stack height also ensure plenty of cushioning for longer efforts.
For me, this shoe is very good at doing a lot of different things, without being a master of any of them. At $150 though, there is a considerate amount of value here. This is definitely a shoe that you can make a single purchase and cover all of your daily training and workout needs. For those that like sharper rounded forefoots, this is a fun option.
Andrea: The Saucony Endorphin Azura is a lighter weight trainer with a sharp forefoot rocker and toe spring and a firm midsole. For a shoe with 40mm/32mm stack of PWRRUN PB, it is remarkably firm. The aggressive forefoot rocker and toe spring gave me a feeling of falling off the front of the shoe, which became more noticeable at faster paces. I have tested the shoe on a number of easy runs, including a 10 miler, as well as for some shorter LT-marathon pace efforts and some strides at mile pace.
For easy runs under 5 miles, the shoe just felt firm, but I did appreciate the aggressive forefoot geometry keeping me rolling along. The high stack height felt protective from the ground, but not particularly cushioned due to how firm the midsole is. I found the ride much too harsh on my 10 mile easy run and I could not wait to take the shoe off. The shoe does feel better at uptempo paces, primarily around marathon pace, but the forefoot rocker and toe spring gave me a feeling of my feet being too locked in place, which prevented me from using the full power of my calves for faster running. Similarly, the shoe felt terrible for strides at mile pace because I felt like I was falling off the front of the shoe instead of being able to push off strongly at the forefoot for propulsion. For me, the shoe felt the least uncomfortable at easy pace, but I don't see myself choosing this shoe for easy runs in the future. I like a firmer midsole, but the combination of the firm midsole and extreme forefoot geometry made this shoe very unforgiving for me.
The Endorphin Azura feels like its stated 8mm drop and to me, the drop feels similar to every other Endorphin Speed and Pro. The shoe has a lateral midsole cutout in the midfoot, but due to the stiffness and firmness of the platform, I did not notice this feature at all. The forefoot features a flex groove at the apex of the toe spring, but this did not provide any noticeable flexibility during my test runs. The shoe was comfortable for midfoot landings thanks to the moderate heel bevel and wide platform, and I never felt like the rearfoot was getting in the way.
The Endorphin Azura should have decent durability due to its large amount of outsole rubber coverage and likely high midsole durability based on past performance of PWRRUN PB. I have 25 miles on my pair and there is minimal visible wear on the exposed midsole and no wear on the rubber outsole. Traction is okay in the shoe - most of my runs have been on wet, sand covered roads and I have definitely experienced some slipping.
STABILITY
(Learn more about stability in our full guide)
David: The Saucony Endorphin Azura is not intended to be a stability shoe. With that said it actually runs surprisingly stable. The shoe has several components that aid it in that. The underfoot platform is on the wider side. The PWRRUN PB runs firmer and feels sturdy. The geometry is dialed in well and keeps you moving forward. There is a pretty involved sidewall both medially and laterally that help keep you centered as well. The sole flaring in the heel and forefoot is dialed in well too. This is a shoe that I honestly don't have hesitation running off of the road in if I need to.
Andrea: The Saucony Endorphin Azura is a neutral shoe with significant guidance features. The most prominent feature is the aggressive forefoot rocker and toe spring, which promotes noticeably quicker turnover. It has a stiff, wide platform, which also promotes forward motion. The lateral cutout in the midfoot may provide mild resistance to pronation in early stance phase for those who land further back. There is a midline groove in the rearfoot and midfoot and a curved groove that runs from the lateral midfoot to the medial forefoot, which may provide mild guidance into pronation, although I did not particularly notice this feature. There is also moderate sole flaring in the rearfoot and forefoot that is well balanced medially/laterally. The sockliner features a prominent medial rearfoot sidewall and the upper features significant overlays that further help to center the foot in the shoe. These features combine to make a shoe that provides noticeable centering and forward guidance.
Thoughts as a DPT: Forefoot Rockers and Toe Spring for Midfoot Strikers
By Andrea Myers
The Saucony Endorphin Azura is yet another shoe with an early forefoot rocker and large toe spring that did not work for me. To review, forefoot rocker refers to the upward curvature of the forefoot midsole, which reduces the work done by the calf muscles and MTPs. Typically, the forefoot rocker stops at the base of the toes, keeping the toes straight, not bent up. Toe spring refers to the curvature of the forefoot rocker continuing to the end of the shoe, resulting in the toes being positioned in extension (bent up towards the shin). The Endorphin Azura has both an early forefoot rocker and toe spring. I had a similar experience in the New Balance Balos, which has an early forefoot rocker, slightly less aggressive toe spring, an extremely large heel bevel, and a very soft midsole. Out of the two shoes, I was more comfortable running in the Azura due to its relatively less aggressive heel bevel and firmer midsole, but I had a sense of falling off the front of both shoes.
For midfoot strikers like myself, we need some real estate in the forefoot to progress from initial contact at the lateral midfoot to push off at the 1st MTP. Shoes with very early forefoot rockers like the Azura or Balos result in the apex of the rocker being located quite close to where we land. This can result in push off feeling abrupt or forced. The addition of a toe spring makes the situation even worse, because toe spring positions the 1st MTP joint in extension, which puts tension on the flexors of the toes and the plantar fascia, locking the foot up even more and reducing its ability to absorb force during mid stance.
One things we encourage our readers to do is look for patterns in the shoes that do and do not work for you. For me, I know to proceed carefully if I get a shoe with a large forefoot rocker and toe spring. I would similarly encourage those who land further forward to be cautious with shoes like the Azura and Balos, because the forefoot geometry of these shoe may not work for you.
RECOMMENDATIONS
David: I really enjoyed my time running in the Saucony Endorphin Azura. My main recommendation is to add a little bit more padding to the heel cup posterior to the Achilles tendon. I would also love to see a version of this shoe with a top layer of PWRRUN HG. I think it could bring even more life to the versatile trainer.
Andrea: I like the concept behind the Endorphin Azura, but I find it much too firm for easy runs and too aggressively rockered in the forefoot for faster running. For me, it would need to have at least some compliance in the forefoot for it to be comfortable on easy runs, and to have a less aggressive toe spring for it to perform well at faster paces. This shoe does feel like a "jack of all trades, master of none" situation, and I would advise Saucony to decide what this shoe is really supposed to be best at, and design it for that.
WHO IS THIS SHOE FOR?
David: The Saucony Endorphin Azura is a daily training shoe for those looking to have a highly versatile offering. The shoe can do both daily training and faster efforts with ease. The Endorphin Azura will cater to those that like a sharper forefoot rocker and a slightly firmer ride underfoot. To me, this feels like a true do it all shoe. It might not be the best in any specific category, but it is good in all of them. It also runs really stable throughout, and those who want a lightweight training shoe with a good amount of guidance have that here as well.
Andrea: The Saucony Endorphin Azura is a firm, aggressively rockered daily trainer at a competitive price. It is definitely not suitable for those with great toe mobility issues due to the large toe spring. For me, it was better for short, easy runs because I found it too firm for longer runs and too rockered for faster running. I think this shoe is for those who prefer a firm shoe and need a large forefoot rocker and toe spring to potentially reduce calf and ankle work at push off. If the shoe works for you, it is a great value at $150.
GRADES
David
Fit: B (Pretty average fit throughout with good security. Heel counter does not have much padding.)
Performance: A- (Highly versatile across all paces. Easy paces could probably be a touch smoother, but versatility is through the roof.)
Stability: A (Surprisingly stable. Good sidewalls, sole flare, platform width, firmness of foam.)
Value: A (At $150 this shoe delivers quite well.)
Personal: A- (I would want this to transition just a touch smoother at easier paces, otherwise great.)
Overall Design: A-
Andrea
Fit: A- (Overall comfortable fit, although I need to go up 1/2 size for length. Prominent medial sidewall caused some discomfort for me.)
Performance: B- (This shoe does not excel at any pace for me. It is too firm for anything but short, easy runs and too rockered to run fast in.)
Stability: [neutral] A- (Rocker geometry, firm platform, wide base, sole flaring, and sidewalls combine to give the shoe a centered, rolling ride)
Value: A- (If the features of the shoe work for you, this shoe is a good value)
Personal: C (I did not particularly enjoy any of my runs in the shoe due to the aggressive forefoot geometry and firm midsole. I won't be running in it again)
Overall Design: B
SHOP | SUPPORT DORSaucony Endorphin AzuraPrice: $149.95 at Running Warehouse
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FURTHER READING
Saucony's staple stability trainer.
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