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Saucony Endorphin Shift 4

In production · road · Daily / Long run / Recovery · $150

Big, stable, rockered cruiser for high-mileage easy days.

Built for daily, long run, recovery, at a target pace of 9:00–12:00 /mi on road.

The spec sheet

Weight
300 g / 10.6 oz
Heel stack
42 mm
Drop
6 mm
Plate
—
Cushioning
5 / 5
Energy return
3 / 5
Responsiveness
2 / 5
Rocker
4 / 5
Flexibility
2 / 5
Stability
4 / 5 (5 = most guidance)
Toe-box
Standard
Sizing
True to size
Durability
~500 mi
Price
$150

How it rides

The foam

Saucony tuned this midsole very soft (5/5 on our cushioning scale). Energy return is moderate — comfortable and predictable rather than bouncy. At 42 mm of heel stack this sits in max-cushion territory; legs stay fresher on long efforts, but the platform is tall. Combined, the ride reads as calm at 2/5 responsiveness.

The plate

There is no plate here. The midsole does all the work, so the shoe flexes naturally and stays versatile across paces — easier on the feet day to day, but without the snap of a plated shoe when you want to roll.

The geometry

A 6 mm drop is the mainstream middle — familiar to almost anyone coming from a standard trainer. The rocker is aggressive: the sole is curved and stiff enough to tip you into the next stride on its own, which saves the calf on long runs but feels strange when you slow right down. The forefoot is stiff, so it rolls rather than bends — a lever, not a slipper. It offers real guidance through the gait cycle — useful for runners whose form collapses when tired.

Fit, sizing & life

The toe-box is standard width — comfortable for most feet without swimming. It fits true to size. Expect roughly 500 miles from the outsole, about $0.30 per mile at $150.

For the foams and plates Saucony uses across its line, read the Saucony brand guide.

How it compares

Measured against the 542 currently-available shoes in the catalog. The bar shows where this shoe sits in that range.

Weight

300 g / 10.6 oz

25 g heavier than the catalog median of 275 g

Heel stack

42 mm

6 mm taller than the catalog median of 36 mm

Drop

6 mm

Level with the catalog median of 6 mm

Price

$150

10 cheaper than the catalog median of 160

Responsiveness

2 / 5

Catalog median 3 / 5

Cushioning

5 / 5

Catalog median 4 / 5

Energy return

3 / 5

Catalog median 3 / 5

Durability

~500 mi

Catalog median ~400 mi

Within the Saucony line it is heavier than the brand's median (269 g / 9.5 oz) and sits taller than its median stack (36 mm).

Closest alternatives

Current shoes with the nearest combination of weight, stack, drop, foam feel and plate.

Hoka Bondi 9(2024)

297 g / 10.5 oz · 43 mm · 5 mm drop · — · $170

Maximum foam under everything. Recovery-day armchair with a wide platform.

Hoka Bondi 10(2026)

305 g / 10.8 oz · 43 mm · 5 mm drop · — · $175

Maximum cushion, maximum forgiveness — the recovery-day default.

New Balance Fresh Foam More v5(2024)

303 g / 10.7 oz · 43 mm · 4 mm drop · — · $165

Max-stack, wide-platform cruiser for the softest possible easy miles.

Hoka Gaviota 6

283 g / 10.0 oz · 39 mm · 6 mm drop · — · $175

Maximal stability: wide J-Frame base with plush, slow cushioning.

On Cloudeclipse 2

290 g / 10.2 oz · 42 mm · 6 mm drop · — · $190

Double-layer CloudTec for On's softest long-run ride.

Lineage & siblings