Saucony Endorphin Elite 2 and Salomon S/LAB Ultra Glide: Two Very Different Kinds of Comfort

Introduction

Two shoes, two completely different jobs. The Saucony Endorphin Elite 2 is a max-cushion carbon super shoe that divides opinion, and the Salomon S/LAB Ultra Glide is a trail shoe that quietly impressed on its very first outing. Here is how each one performed.

Saucony Endorphin Elite 2: A 20-Mile Long Run

The Endorphin Elite 2 was put through a 20-mile long run at a steady 6:48 average pace, and it did exactly what it was asked to do: turn a potentially grinding morning into something fun. This is not a shoe for serious workouts or racing, at least not for this tester, but as a long-run cruiser it earned its place.

Sizing is a real consideration. A half size up was needed to make the fit work, and the reason is strange: Saucony put a hard plastic toe cap at the front, the kind of thing you normally see on trail shoes to protect against rocks. In the true-to-size pair it pressed down painfully on the toes. Going up half a size solved the fit, and the upper itself then felt nice and forgiving through the midfoot.

What Makes the Foam Special

The foam here is the main event. It is unlike anything else on the market, extremely soft and bouncy, almost gelatinous underfoot. Even someone who had watched every impression of this shoe was shocked by how soft it felt in hand. It completely compresses and collapses, yet still bounces back with real energy.

The trade-off is stability. Standing still, it feels like you could roll an ankle, and the softness means you can feel the plate through the foam when landing. Foot fatigue showed up in the midfoot and forefoot during the long run. The shoe can be pushed to faster paces, but it does not feel good there; it is at its best in a steady, relaxed groove where the bounce comes alive.

Salomon S/LAB Ultra Glide: First Impressions

After a first outing used for Father’s Day hiking, the S/LAB Ultra Glide came away as a complete banger. It is comfortable, well cushioned, and the bounce is genuinely excellent, sitting somewhere between a plated bouncy trail shoe without the plate and a max-cushion road shoe, but softer and bouncier for the trails. The upper is completely dialed, and the lacing system in particular stands out.

The outsole layout looks wilder than it feels. The divots built into the bottom work well to take pressure off underfoot, and the shoe uses a dual-foam construction with a carrier foam wrapping a race foam. It is an expensive trail shoe, reportedly around $250, but so far it is better than any other trail shoe tried recently, not even close.

Should You Buy the S/LAB Ultra Glide?

For the small audience that genuinely cares about trail shoes, this one is easy to get excited about. Hiking performance was elite, and the anticipation of running miles in them is high. More running impressions will follow, but the early verdict is overwhelmingly positive.

Conclusion

The Endorphin Elite 2 is a fun, extremely soft long-run option that is not built for racing, with sizing quirks around the toe cap and low stability. The S/LAB Ultra Glide looks like a premium trail shoe that justifies its price with comfort, bounce, and a smart outsole. Choose based on the surface you actually run on.