Been doing a bit of running lately with the father in law, not done much running since my school days 10-odd years ago. First few weeks were fine, a bit of joint pain but nothing too bad, got a bit worse recently as the pace has picked up though. I’ve got some cheap Nike running shoes I picked up from Decathlon a few years back but they don’t feel the most cushioning and the jarring doesn’t seem to be doing my knees/hips any good.

Figured some new, more cushioned shoes would be a good place to start! LBS have weirdly started stocking Saucony shoes and I can get them for a good price, was looking at the Guide 14 and Triumph 18. Any feedback from STW users? I do 5k mainly, so nothing major, but comfort is a must!

Find somewhere that’ll let you try a few on and go for a lap around the block.

I think you need some better advice here – the Guide is a shoe to help correct over-pronation (the Triumph does not appear to be – it’s just the Guide and Omni listed on the Saucony site as stability shoes). If you don’t over-pronate you’ll end up with more issues if you ran in those!

I’m a long term fan of Saucony shoes as they fit my feet. Nike do make some decent running shoes too, with the Pegasus being an all-time classic, so its possible your cheap Nikes were more shoes in a running style than proper running shoes, so I wouldn’t rule out Nikes if they fit your feet.

I’ve had a few generations of the Saucony Guide and it is possibly a good starter shoe and can happily cover 5k to marathon distances etc. It’s in the middle of the range for cushioning and offers a bit of structure, whereas the Triumph is from their neutral range and is more heavily cushioned. So these two shoes are quite different and its unusual to be picking between them, for example I’ve moved to neutral shoes after many years and went with the Saucony Ride as its more equivalent to the Guide.

Have a chat with the shop and see whether neutral or structured shoes are right for you and try them on. If the shoes are comfortable – consider toe room, heel grip and the arch support when testing – then there’s a good chance they are the right shoes for you.

My run has just been cut short by being shat on by a Pterodactyl. Nothing valuable to add, just thought I’d amuse you all. Literally right on the bonce. At least I was just at the start so didn’t have to walk too far home covered in shite. Total karma tho, it happened to a friend when we were walking to school as kids. I didn’t let it go for years.

Don’t forget to work on your running technique. Better to get that right than to compensate with very cushioned shoes IMO.

This may be helpful

Running

Hoka are great for me but YMMV

Don’t forget to work on your running technique. Better to get that right than to compensate with very cushioned shoes IMO.

I would agree with that to some extent. You don’t need lots of cushioning.

Having said that I have moved away from inov8’s (little cushioning) to Hoka lots of cushioning as I’ve got older.

Less cushioning does feel nicer and doesn’t hide poor technique

IMO look at your daily shoes, if they have weird wear patterns then you might need non normal trainers, if the wear pattern is quite uniform then just buy neutral

I live Saucony as mid range shoes, slightly heavy but good quality. Odly their more expensive off road shoes don’t stack it against other brand equivalents

See the running thread for a whole world of shoe geekery.

Technique is important, but plenty of people (me included) can run quite quickly and quite far with little or no thought about it.

I don’t know much about the Saucony range but in general for a newer runner I would always suggest a neutral shoe from a big name unless you know you’re a heavy pronator(there’s links online about ways of knowing this), so of those you say the Triumph. Saucony tend to me fairly wide and have quite roomy toe boxes which may or may not suit, they’re also a touch heavy but do last.

Other options to look at are Nike (React Miler or Pegasus), ASICS (Cumulus) or Brooks (Ghost). Keep your eye on the Reebok website as well, the Floatride Energy 3 is a great shoe, well cushioned and can be had cheaply too. All have slightly different fits, so in a world where you can’t try things on, I’d suggest buying a few pairs and wearing them round the house, just send back the ones you don’t feel are comfortable. I’ve done this recently and have bought 6 pairs in the last month, of which 5 have gone back.

Cushioning is an interesting one, I don’t get on well with max cushioning shoes, but have friends who swear by them. The New Balance 1080 or the ASICS Novablast for instance are both hugely cushioned and can really protect the legs but can feel unstable and a bit “dead”.

After two years of running, I’ve just ordered my first pair of dedicated running shoes.

Asics Roadhawk FWIW, though I’m not recommending them as they are still in transit to me. But they seem well-regarded, are described as neutral and were available for £50.

Cheers for the feedback so far all. Reading up a bit more, sounds like of the Saucony range I should steer more towards the Triumph or the Endorphin Shift, the reviews for both look good. I’m not to arsed by speed. I’m 29 and pretty fit, but I’m not going to be looking to be doing mega miles or going for 6 minute miles either! I just want something comfortable to take the stress off my hips and knees that’ll last well. Hoping to try the Triumph soon, checked just now and Endorphin isn’t in stock yet. Any other feedback would be much appreciated though!

I used to get pains in my shins and ankles if I ran more than 3 days in a row. I recently ran 7 miles a day, 30 days in a row in Hoka Bondi’s with no pain whatsoever. I think they’re about the most cushioned shoe on the market, I love them, but guess it’s a personal thing whether they’d work for you.

The Endorphin Shift is a very different shoe, with a rocker plate that assists when running with a forefoot strike that could feel unwieldy for a heel striker. If your current shoes are heavily worn on the heels rather than the front then they probably wont suit you.

I’ve got a pair recently, having favoured the lesser padded shoes like the Saucony Kinvara for faster runs and the mid-level cushioned Guide or Ride for longer runs, so its the most padded shoe I’ve ever used. Whilst the additional padding makes the pavement feel much smoother and my legs slightly less tired after a long run this is partially offset by the noticeable increase in weight.

I don’t think they would have been suitable for me in my first few years of running as it took me a while to get my running form into the correct shape of high cadence, forefoot contact and push off.

Cheers Stu, excellent help! I do feel like I run heel heavy, so the Endorphin sounds like a miss too. Will give the Triumph’s a try and see how they feel, reviews I’ve read seem to suggest they’re good for beginners

Just got the Saucony Ride13 for £85 as 14 is imminent but virtually the same. Done a 9 mile Friday & 10 mile Monday, so far very comfy for a steady runner like me, nothing to dislike in my first ever pair of Saucony.