Midpoint Running Shoe Review: Four Trainers Tested After Around 50 Miles Each

Introduction

About 50 miles in, most running shoes show their true character. First impressions fade, quirks either settle down or get worse, and you find out whether a shoe has earned a permanent spot in the rotation. This midpoint check-in covers four shoes that have all been run hard: the Saucony Endorphin Speed 4, the Hoka Cielo X1, the Asics Novablast 4, and the Saucony Endorphin Elite. Some have improved with break-in, one has an awkward price tag, and one is quietly becoming the favorite for fast days.

Saucony Endorphin Speed 4: A Go-To Daily Trainer

The Endorphin Speed 4 has quietly become one of the most-used shoes in this rotation, covering everything from easy runs to faster-paced efforts. Early arch pain in one shoe has completely disappeared, and the platform has loosened up slightly with mileage, feeling a little less rigid than it did out of the box.

The single biggest improvement came from swapping out the stock stretchy laces for a standard flat pair. Lockdown over the top of the foot becomes far more consistent, the foot sits securely on the midsole base, and there is no fiddling with the fit mid-run. The outsole has also improved over previous versions, though wet concrete and debris such as fallen catkins can still clog the grid pattern and cause some slipping. In dry conditions, grip is excellent. The winged plate issues from the initial wear have not returned, though a standard nylon plate would arguably save a little weight. The upper runs slightly generous, which most people will be fine with.

If it has to be graded, this one lands at a B: great for faster efforts and daily training, with a touch more weight and wet-weather grip as the main areas left to improve.

Hoka Cielo X1: An Acquired Taste With Real Cushioning

The Cielo X1 is an odd fish, with a distinctive upper and a genuinely smooth, forgiving ride. The midsole is compressive with nice return and bounce, and the roughly 40mm stack delivers proper max-cushion comfort. On the hottest days, though, the upper runs warm, and in one heavy storm it absorbed a surprising amount of water and gained noticeable weight.

The ride is enjoyable, but the price is hard to ignore. At around 250 pounds, it sits in a crowded premium segment, and a shoe like the Adidas Prime X offers similar weight with more cushioning at a comparable price. The ribbon-like laces take some getting used to, and the upper is less generous than past Hoka offerings, which together with the outlandish looks makes this a shoe for a specific taste. The upside for some buyers: if a max-stack shoe like the Prime X feels too lofty or unstable, the Cielo X1 is a slightly more grounded alternative with super-foam cushioning.

Durability has been strong, with a thick spread of outsole rubber and no major wear so far, though the outsole cutouts collect dirt and debris easily and need occasional cleaning. As a somewhat faster tempo shoe with long-run capability, it earns a C so far: capable, but the price holds it back.

Asics Novablast 4: The Lively All-Rounder

The Novablast 4 plays like a cheaper, slightly less cushioned version of the Superblast, and that is not a knock. Around 50 miles in, it has bewitched its way into daily runs and even some speedier sessions. The upper is similar to the Superblast but a little thicker and more padded, particularly in the toe box, and the foam choice delivers both bounce and impact protection while still feeling comforting on easy miles.

The standout trait is nimbleness. It never feels clunky on foot, and when you raise the effort level it leaves a lot of other daily trainers behind. Wear is mostly minor: little rubber wear to report, some creasing of the exposed midsole around the forefoot trampoline area and weight-relieved heel, and the usual collection of grit and small stones in the cutouts. None of it affects performance. The upper has stained badly after some messy runs and resists cleaning, but that comes with the territory for a daily trainer.

At this point it grades a B+: a really nice, lively shoe living up to expectations, versatile enough for a wide range of runs and stylish enough to wear away from the track in a muted colorway.

Saucony Endorphin Elite: Built for Fast Days

The Endorphin Elite is the rigid race shoe of the group, and it rewards commitment. Around 50 miles in, there is no major foam degradation, just minor tearing on the medial side of the heel, while the textured, sticky rubber outsole looks fantastic and has provided great grip even in wet weather. Durability expectations for race shoes should stay realistic, but so far the wear is modest.

This is a firmer, extremely rigid shoe, so a good lockdown is essential to get the best results. As with the other Saucony here, swapping the flexible stock laces for standard laces should improve lockdown consistency further. Some runners have reported heel rubbing and blistering, but that has not appeared at all in this pair: comfort over the top of the foot is genuinely good, the toe box has decent width, and the tongue behaves well without catching or overlapping. The PWRRUN HD-style premium foam experience is very enjoyable, and this feels like a shoe begging to be raced, ideally at threshold efforts or top-speed testing rather than long, slow miles.

It grades a B+ so far, and with new colorways just released, it should have plenty of race days ahead, including a few 10Ks and half marathons.

Overall Buying Advice

If you want one shoe that does almost everything well, the Endorphin Speed 4 and the Novablast 4 are the safest picks, with the Novablast 4 currently the livelier and more versatile of the two. If you want max cushioning for tempo runs and long efforts and can accept the price and the look, the Cielo X1 delivers, though the Prime X comparison is worth making first. And if your focus is racing and fast sessions, the Endorphin Elite is the one to reach for, just make sure you get the lockdown dialled in.

Conclusion

After around 50 miles each, these four shoes occupy distinct lanes: the Endorphin Speed 4 as a dependable daily trainer with room to improve, the Cielo X1 as a premium cushioned oddball with a price problem, the Novablast 4 as the lively all-rounder, and the Endorphin Elite as a firm, sticky-gripped race weapon. Matching the shoe to the run you actually do most often is the surest way to pick the right one from this group.