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Saucony Freedom 5

Discontinued · road · Daily / Tempo · $140

Light, natural-feeling neutral trainer with a flexible ride.

Built for daily, tempo, at a target pace of 7:30–10:00 /mi on road.

This model is no longer in production. The closest shoe you can buy today is Saucony Ride 19.

The spec sheet

Weight
240 g / 8.5 oz
Heel stack
30 mm
Drop
4 mm
Plate
—
Cushioning
3 / 5
Energy return
4 / 5
Responsiveness
3 / 5
Rocker
2 / 5
Flexibility
4 / 5
Stability
3 / 5 (5 = most guidance)
Toe-box
Standard
Sizing
True to size
Durability
~300 mi
Price
$140

How it rides

The foam

Saucony tuned this midsole balanced (3/5 on our cushioning scale). Energy return is above average: the midsole rebounds well without feeling unstable. 30 mm of heel stack keeps you low and connected, with more ground feel than most current trainers. Combined, the ride reads as lively at 3/5 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 low 4 mm drop encourages a midfoot landing and keeps the ankle working through a fuller range. The geometry is fairly traditional and flat, so the shoe follows your foot rather than steering it. The forefoot flexes easily, so the shoe adapts to slower, shorter strides. Support is light — neutral, with a mildly steady platform.

Fit, sizing & life

The toe-box is standard width — comfortable for most feet without swimming. It fits true to size. Expect roughly 300 miles from the outsole, about $0.47 per mile at $140.

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

240 g / 8.5 oz

35 g lighter than the catalog median of 275 g

Heel stack

30 mm

6 mm lower than the catalog median of 36 mm

Drop

4 mm

2 mm lower than the catalog median of 6 mm

Price

$140

20 cheaper than the catalog median of 160

Responsiveness

3 / 5

Catalog median 3 / 5

Cushioning

3 / 5

Catalog median 4 / 5

Energy return

4 / 5

Catalog median 3 / 5

Durability

~300 mi

Catalog median ~400 mi

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

Closest alternatives

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

Altra Experience Flow

238 g / 8.4 oz · 32 mm · 4 mm drop · — · $140

Altra's low-drop (not zero) speed trainer — a gateway to natural running.

Topo Athletic Cyclone 3

205 g / 7.2 oz · 30 mm · 5 mm drop · — · $155

Light, energetic tempo shoe that wakes up at speed.

New Balance FuelCell Rebel v4(2024)

218 g / 7.7 oz · 30 mm · 6 mm drop · — · $140

Featherweight, plateless and playful — an uptempo trainer that never feels heavy.

Asics Noosa Tri 17

215 g / 7.6 oz · 32 mm · 5 mm drop · — · $145

Loud, light triathlon-friendly speed trainer with quick-entry upload.

Altra Experience Flow ST

230 g / 8.1 oz · 32 mm · 4 mm drop · — · $145

The Experience Flow with added support — low drop with guidance.

Lineage & siblings