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Saucony Sinister

In production · road · Race day / Tempo · $180

Short-course carbon racer for 5K to half-marathon speed.

Built for race day, tempo, at a target pace of 5:15–7:15 /mi on road.

The spec sheet

Weight
139 g / 4.9 oz
Heel stack
25 mm
Drop
6 mm
Midsole foam
PWRRUN PB
Plate
Carbon
Cushioning
3 / 5
Energy return
5 / 5
Responsiveness
5 / 5
Rocker
4 / 5
Flexibility
2 / 5
Stability
2 / 5 (5 = most guidance)
Toe-box
Narrow
Sizing
Size up ½
Durability
~250 mi
Price
$180

How it rides

The foam

The midsole is PWRRUN PB, tuned balanced (3/5 on our cushioning scale). The foam is highly resilient — it gives energy back rather than swallowing it, which is what makes the shoe feel eager when you push. 25 mm of heel stack keeps you low and connected, with more ground feel than most current trainers. Combined, the ride reads as explosive at 5/5 responsiveness.

The plate

A full-length carbon plate stiffens the forefoot and works with the foam as a lever: it smooths the transition off the toes and cuts the effort of holding fast paces. It also asks for speed — at easy paces a carbon plate feels stiff and does little for you, and it is the main reason super-shoes wear out sooner than trainers.

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 is a neutral platform with no built-in correction.

Fit, sizing & life

The toe-box is narrow and performance-oriented; wide-footed runners should try before buying. It runs small; most runners size up a half. Expect roughly 250 miles from the outsole, about $0.72 per mile at $180.

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

139 g / 4.9 oz

136 g lighter than the catalog median of 275 g

Heel stack

25 mm

11 mm lower than the catalog median of 36 mm

Drop

6 mm

Level with the catalog median of 6 mm

Price

$180

20 pricier than the catalog median of 160

Responsiveness

5 / 5

Catalog median 3 / 5

Cushioning

3 / 5

Catalog median 4 / 5

Energy return

5 / 5

Catalog median 3 / 5

Durability

~250 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.

Nike Streakfly 2(2025)

144 g / 5.1 oz · 27 mm · 4 mm drop · Carbon · $170

Short-distance racer: featherweight, low and honest for 5K–10K.

New Balance FuelCell SuperComp Pacer v3

190 g / 6.7 oz · 32 mm · 6 mm drop · Carbon · $180

Short-course carbon racer for 5K to half marathon.

Adidas Adizero Takumi Sen 10(2024)

196 g / 6.9 oz · 33 mm · 6 mm drop · Carbon · $180

Firm, brutal 5K–10K racer. All snap, no lounging.

Adidas Adizero Takumi Sen 11

184 g / 6.5 oz · 32 mm · 7 mm drop · Carbon · $200

Adidas Adizero Takumi Sen 11: 32 mm heel stack, 7 mm drop, 184 g — specs from independent lab testing.

Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1(2023)

138 g / 4.9 oz · 39 mm · 6 mm drop · Carbon · $500

The 138-gram, $500 record-chasing racer — Lightstrike Pro Evo at the legal limit.

Lineage & siblings