Saucony Endorphin Elite 2 First Run Review: Incredibly Bouncy, Incredibly Soft

Introduction

The Saucony Endorphin Elite 2 arrives with a big change: Saucony swapped the firm PEBA platform of the original Endorphin Elite for a new TPEE foam called IncredRun, moving away from PEBA entirely. The result is one of the softest, bounciest racing shoes we have put on the road. After a 20-mile long run that included four two-mile sets at marathon pace, the picture is clear: comfort and bounce are off the charts, but control and forefoot support at the very fastest paces are the trade-off.

Who the Endorphin Elite 2 Is For

Saucony claims IncredRun is the most resilient foam it has ever developed, and the shoe is clearly aimed at racers who want a plush, trampoline-like ride. If you are a heel striker or you run marathons around 3:30 or slower, this could genuinely feel great. The original Endorphin Elite was a firm, planted shoe best for runners chasing every second; this one is a floating cruiser.

Main Strengths

The headline is the foam experience. IncredRun compresses deeply but snaps back fast, and at easy to moderate paces around 6:00 to 7:00 per mile, the ride feels explosive and fun. Heel striking is the shoe’s best mode: the heel contains a huge amount of foam, and unlike some soft competitors, the plate positioning stops it from bottoming out completely. It is the closest thing to that classic Vaporfly 2 feeling for heel strikers.

Weight is competitive with the best in the category. In our tester’s size 10.5, it measured 220 g in the right shoe and 219 g in the left, essentially the same as the original Endorphin Elite at 219 g and right in line with rivals like the Adidas Adios Pro 4 (213 g) and Nike Alphafly 3 (214 g). Stack height measured 39 mm at the heel in that size, staying under the 40 mm racing limit despite all that foam. Grip also impressed on wet roads, with no noticeable slipping, an improvement over the original model’s rubber.

Things to Consider Before Buying

Softness cuts both ways. At marathon pace efforts around 5:50 per mile and faster, the forefoot compressed all the way down, and digging hard for speed felt unsupported. It is a shoe that rewards relaxed, floating mechanics more than aggressive power output. On corners, the lateral squish made us slow down noticeably to avoid ankle roll.

Fit is the other watch-out. In size 10.5, the shoe ran almost half an inch shorter in length than the original Endorphin Elite, with a more cramped, curved forefoot and a hardened toe cap. If the production run matches this sample, many runners may need to go up a half size. Durability, however, looked promising: the exposed foam showed no wear even after scraping against wet pavement.

Buying Advice

Think of the Endorphin Elite 2 as a soft, bouncy long-run racer rather than a surgical race-day weapon. If you loved the firm control of the original Endorphin Elite or other firm-shoe experiences, this softer platform may feel limiting at your top end. If comfort, bounce, and an enjoyable ride matter more than razor-sharp control, it has serious potential. Consider a half size up if you are between sizes.

Conclusion

The Saucony Endorphin Elite 2 is an instant classic in the making: insanely bouncy, extremely comfortable, and clearly fast. Whether it is too soft for your racing depends on your size, stride, and pace range. For heel strikers and runners at moderate race paces, it is easy to recommend. For power runners chasing fast splits, test it carefully before committing to race day.