Saucony Triumph 23 First Run Review: A Return to Form for a Cushioned Daily Trainer

Introduction

The Saucony Triumph 23 costs £170 or $170, weighs 278 g (9.8 oz) for men in a size 8, and has a 10 mm drop. After a Triumph 22 that many testers found too heavy, too blocky and too dense underfoot, the 23 is a noticeable deviation. It is lighter, the ride is smoother from heel to toe, and it moves the line back toward the versions that earned a place among favourite daily trainers.

The changes centre on the midsole: a tweaked version of the PowerOn PB foam that is lighter and softer than before, plus a redesigned rubber outsole that works with the foam for a more fluid, natural feel, especially over longer sessions. The upper is a lightweight engineered mesh built for breathability and comfort, with a thick padded gusseted tongue.

Fit and Sizing: Roomy Where It Counts

The Triumph 23 is a genuinely roomy shoe. There is ample space in the toe box with a thumb’s length of room up front, decent wiggle room across the top, and the forefoot and midfoot hold plenty of space without feeling loose. The heel collar is plushly padded and slightly tapered, holding the heel in place without any rubbing or irritation at the Achilles, which can be a worry with higher collars.

Lacing across the midfoot is secure, helped by that well padded tongue, though the thick padding can feel a little warm at times. Heel slippage was not an issue on first runs, and the shoe locks down well for a cushioned trainer.

On sizing, the consensus is simple: stick to your normal size. It fits true to size. If you are between sizes and want a closer fit, going half a size down is reasonable, but a full size down is too small. There is also a wider fit option alongside the regular width, though several testers with narrow to average feet found the regular fit roomy enough already. Runners with wider feet will likely be fine in the standard option too.

Ride and Handling: Soft, Stable, Slower

The key sensations here are softness, cushion, reliability and decent stability. The wide four-foot base brings a lot of control underfoot, and the footbed cradles nicely with a soft edge and a little spring back. It is not the most stable shoe on the market, but it felt relatively stable in testing.

The ride is not immediately 100% natural underfoot. For the first two or three miles everything felt a little slappy and slightly disconnected, and the Speedroll geometry did not engage as efficiently as it does in some other shoes. The shoe came to life deeper into runs as the midsole softened up, and it felt noticeably better over the final miles.

When pace picks up, the shoe tends to want to go slower rather than faster. It is not a race-day shoe and would not suit faster all-out efforts, but unlike the 22 it is comfortable to push into moderate and slightly tempo paces. The heel offers plenty of compression and cushion for rear-foot strikers, while mid to forefoot runners will want to give the rocker a few miles to start working properly.

One tester summarised it as a lighter, more agile alternative in the spirit of a Gel Nimbus: a cushioned shoe for easy, long and consistently paced runs rather than a fast one. Another put it among shoes like the ASICS Novablast and New Balance 1080 lines: cushioned and very comfortable, but with a bit more life for daily training than pure max-cushion options like the Hoka Bondi or Gel Nimbus.

Outsole and Durability

The redesigned outsole carries a good amount of rubber, particularly across the wide forefoot, with a similar level of coverage at the heel and some exposed areas in between. Testing so far has been on dry concrete and flatter terrain, where it has been absolutely fine, though wet-weather grip still needs longer-term confirmation.

What the coverage does suggest is durability: this is a shoe built to eat up a lot of running mileage, which is exactly what the Triumph line has always been about. Longer sessions and more miles will tell the full story, but the early signs are good.

Things to Consider Before Buying

• It is comfortable and protective, but it did not wow on the first run. It sits in the competent box: good uppers, good fit, reliable easy-mile comfort.
• The ride takes a few miles to feel natural, and the width can feel slightly clunky at faster paces.
• The roomy toe box is a genuine positive for long runs, but runners with narrow feet may find it a touch too spacious.
• Energy return is decent rather than exceptional, and it does not quite match the snappier Triumph 21 as an all-rounder.

Buying Advice

If you liked the Triumph 20 and 21 but were put off by the 22, the 23 is likely what you hoped the PowerOn PB version of this shoe would be. It is a cushioned daily trainer for easy runs, long sessions and moderate paces, with just enough versatility to pick the pace up slightly when you want to. Its roomy, airy fit also makes it a compelling candidate for very long days on foot, the kind of shoe you might reach for in the final miles of an ultra when you want cushion that is not too soft and sapping.

Conclusion

The Triumph 23 is a return to form. It is lighter than the 22, softer without being plush to the point of sapping, smoother through the transition, and it restores the versatility that made earlier Triumphs such well-loved cushioned daily trainers. It is not identical to those shoes and it will not replace a fast shoe, but for comfortable, reliable mileage it makes a strong first impression and looks set to become a go-to easy and long run option.