I received a trial pair of Saucony Triumph ISO running shoes for review on this blog.   I almost passed up this offer since I prefer a lighter, minimalist style, but thought I’d give these cushioned shoes a try.  I’m glad I did, read on…

Description of these shoes from the Saucony website:

  • Delivers the plushest, most cushioned running experience we have ever created
  • ISOFIT upper morphs to your foot for a sock-like feel, providing superiour comfort and allowing the shoe to move in harmony with the foot
  • PWRGRID+ provides 20% more cushioning than the previous version for enhanced impact, protection & improved durability

How do they fit?

They fit true to size.  I ordered a size 10 and they fit me well.    I have low arches and Saucony shoes always feel very comfortable on my feet.

Overall Thoughts:

I normally prefer a lighter shoe that lets me “feel the ground”.  However, my boot camp workouts – which include a great deal of plyometrics – were giving me some knee and hip pain.  So, I thought the extra cushioning might be a good idea.  And I was right.  I love these shoes, not only for boot camp, but also for running!

Detailed Review and Pictures:

They arrived in the mail and I opened the box.  I love the colors.  When I get free stuff, I never get to choose color, only size.    But, I really love these vibrant colors:  “Twilight / Oxygen / Citron” is the official color name.

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Here I am trying them on for size with my flannel pajamas.  They go well together, don’t you think?

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Road Running Testing

My usual long run shoes are Mizuno Wave Inspire, which are classified as a lightweight stability shoe. Here are a couple pictures comparing the Mizuno Wave Inspire to the Saucony Triumph ISO. (And, yes, my Mizunos are old!)

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I’ve worn the new Saucony Triumph ISO shoes running on asphalt several times, for a total of about 25 miles.    Even though these shoes have much more cushioning than I am used to, they still felt responsive and I was able to maintain my “midfoot landing” running style.    I notice a big improvement in how running downhill feels – much easier on the knees for sure!  And I had less joint pain after longer runs.

The only thing I did notice on an 8 mile run was a little soreness in my bunion on the left foot.   My right foot felt great, it’s just my left foot that is sensitive to this.   The reinforcing bands on these shoes in that specific area of the mesh upper (see orange arrow in photo below) is made a little firmer than other shoes I wear, so that spot didn’t stretch to give my bones the extra room they need.    Since most people don’t have this problem, it won’t impact you at all.  I just have wide feet , and my left foot has this annoying bunion problem.   This might make me limit these shoes to medium length runs between 6 and 8 miles.   Unless I can figure out a way to prestretch that spot, or cut a little relief hole there.  Most of my shoes have such a hole already, just by normal wear and tear.  I don’t think that firm webbing is going to stretch on it’s own.

Note: thinking more on this later, it could also be the lack of stability in these shoes that bother that bunion.  I’m not really sure.  Anyway, this is a problem with my left foot, and only on longer runs.  

Note 2: thinking more, I don’t think it is due to lack of stability. My Kinvaras are also a nuetral shoe and have not ever felt any bunion pain wearing those. (love the Kinvaras).   I really like these Triumphs too, so may try to cut a slit in that reinforcing band so I can make these my long run shoes.   Still deciding on that, I’ll post again if I do.

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Boot Camp Testing

Wearing them to boot camp workouts was perfect!   Boot camp is a very high intensity workout that involves alot of sprinting and plyometrics.   My hips and knees take a beating during these workouts, and generally hurt the day afterwards.   The extra cushioning that these shoes provide helped alleviate this post workout soreness.  And I did not feel any different during the running sprints.

The only thing I do need to get used to is the wider footbed.  As compared to my lighter shoes, the footbed is 1/4″ wider.  So,  I found myself hitting the edge of the shoe against the blocks, and tripping a bit on some of the jumping activities.   I think this is just a matter of me getting used to the new dimensions I am working with in these shoes.  I definitely plan on wearing these for Boot camp workout to save my joints!

Snow Day Testing

Oooo, this was a fun day.   We had 6 inches of snow here in North Carolina.  We don’t usually get that much snow and I love running in it!

I ran twice, each time about 4 miles.  The first day was a slippery slush like mess on the roads and sidewalks.   I also ran on some trails, where I made fresh tracks in fluffy snow.   It was glorious, and these shoes handled the slick conditions well.  Being brand new, they had good tread.   And one thing I like about a slick snowy run is the practice of a midstrike foot landing and lifting the foot off the ground without pushing off.  If you do that wrong, you slip.   If done right, no slipping!

The second snow day run was in deep snow.  I took some pictures so you can see how deep it was.

The shoes performed really well.   The temperature had risen and some snow started to melt in spots forming big puddles.   I sloshed right through them getting my feet all wet.   I was pleasantly surprised that they did not get waterlogged and feel heavy afterwards.    Love these shoes for snow running!

Deep fluffy snow!

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New shoes are comfy!

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Making an angel

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General impressions

These shoes are great!  I will definitely wear them for boot camp and medium length runs.    In general, Saucony shoes fit true to size and feel great on my feet.

Happy Training

Disclaimer:  I got these shoes for free in exchange for reviewing them on my blog.    Even so, my review is an honest impression of what I think of these shoes!