Tim Mosbacher is a staple in the Missoula running community. He is currently trying to run a marathon in every state and because of this runs thousands of miles every year. He recently tested out the brand new Saucony Triumph ISO 4, the first version with a complete Everun Midsole and shared his thoughts.
I have run in over 50 pairs of shoes in the last ten years. I wonder if the cost of those shoes was cheaper than a gym membership. All but one pair were acquired through the Runner’s Edge (I earned a pair of shoes when I won the Bozeman Half Marathon). Many I have loved, some I have tolerated, and some I was miserable in. It is always hard to predict when trying them on in the store what my experience with a shoe will be. Shoe companies also make it difficult when they tweak their shoes every year. By looking at the chart at left, it is easy to tell that Brooks shoes and my running seem to go well together.
|
Brand
Brooks
Mizuno
Adidas
Saucony
Hoka
New Balance
Karhu
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Shoes
33
10
3
3
3
1
1
|
Mileage
~13,500
~4,400
~2,300
~1,300
~1,000
~250
~400
|
Even though I favor Brooks shoes, I try to run some miles every week in different brands or styles of shoes. These past few months I have been giving the New Balance 860 a trial (and loving it) as well as assessing the newly released Saucony Triumph ISO 4. The rest of this review will focus on the Triumph.
I have worn two other pairs of Saucony before, both being Saucony Exodus trail shoes. Saucony has a good fit. They are just comfortable the minute you put your feet into them. The Triumph is no different. The heel area of the shoe is extremely comfortable and ultra-padded. It does feel like it runs slightly lower in height (much like Adidas) than many of my Brooks shoes.
Saucony boasts of an ISOFIT which consists of a glove like fit once you insert your foot into the shoe. The tongue has comfortable padding and is part of the shoe. The shoe has an 8mm drop compared to the 10mm drop of most of my other shoes. The EVERRUN sole is soft, providing a smooth ride.
The Triumph is a comfortable, padded shoe. This added padding provides comfort, yet adds weight. At nearly 11 ounces, it is a heavy shoe. Despite this weight, it feels light. The shoe feels like it propels you forward. I have worn it during interval workouts and have enjoyed the shoe. I cannot say this about my favorite heavy shoe, the Brooks Glycerin. I would never wear the Glycerin on an interval workout.
The Triumph runs large. I traditionally purchase a shoe that is a size 9.5. In the Triumph I wear a 9. The shoe runs a little narrower than what I normally am comfortable with. It took a couple of runs before I could get the lacing adjusted correctly for the width of my foot. This led to some discomfort on those initial runs, but the soreness has gone away as the adjustments have been corrected.
Go into Runner’s Edge and try on a pair of the new Saucony Triumphs. Tell them Tim sent you.
