The Saucony Endorphin Azura is a plateless daily shoe for people who want to run both jogs and fast days with 1 pair. The deciding point is stacking the same-named foam as the race shoes, PWRRUN PB, up to a 40mm heel. Released in 2026, JPY 23,100, 240g, 8mm drop.
The Shoe Nerd's top pick
The Azura is a shoe that dropped the plate and added foam in its place. Compared with the plated sibling Speed 5, the heel is 4mm thicker and the price JPY 6,600 lower. The weight rose only 3g. It works out as the plate's money going into foam thickness. For me, who has thought "no plate is needed for daily training, but I want the bouncy foam," it is a dead-center design.
Key points
- The sole is 40/32mm. 4mm thicker and 15g lighter than the daily Ride 19, which uses the same foam
- Price per 1mm of thickness is about JPY 578. The plated Speed 5 is about JPY 825
- Men's 240g, women's 212g. Neither states a size condition
Endorphin Azura official numbers | 240g, 40/32mm, 8mm drop, JPY 23,100
The Endorphin Azura is a buy for people who want to run jogs and fast days with 1 plateless pair. The deciding point is stacking the springy foam, in place of the plate, up to a 40mm heel.
"Endorphin" was the name of Saucony's plated shoes. Under that name, a shoe without a plate came out.
Marubeni Consumer Link, which handles Saucony in Japan, put out a release on Feb 19, 2026. We line up that release with the figures on the official Japan product page.
| Item | Endorphin Azura |
|---|---|
| Release | On sale (announcement of Feb 19, 2026) |
| Price (tax included) | JPY 23,100 |
| Weight (men's) | 240g |
| Weight (women's) | 212g |
| Stack height | Heel 40mm / front 32mm |
| Drop | 8mm |
| Width | 1 standard type (home-market official page) |
| Sizes | Men's 25cm and up / women's 21.5 to 28.5cm |
| Plate | None |
| Foam | PWRRUN PB (heel to toe) |
| Outsole rubber | XT-900 (carbon rubber) |
| Colors | 6 men's colorways, 4 women's |
The name comes from the race shoe "Azura" Saucony once made, per the announcement. The category is a newly made "Fast & Light." The product page's use field is "EVERYDAY TRAINING."
Image: Rakuten Ichiba
Saucony Endorphin Azura
Lowest price on Rakuten is JPY 23,100 (as of 10/13), ranging up to JPY 62,860 depending on the shop. Prices change daily. Shoes are best tried on in the evening, when your feet swell, with your usual socks. Fit varies by brand, so check the return and exchange terms on the shop page before you buy.
RecommendedSee it on Super Sports XEBIOSee it on Rakuten IchibaSee it on Yahoo! Shopping JapanSpeed 5 compared | a first generation, so compare with the plated sibling in place of a previous generation
The Azura is the first generation, released in 2026, with no previous generation. So I line it up with the closest sibling, the Speed 5. It uses the same foam, PWRRUN PB, and the difference is whether there is a plate.
PWRRUN PB, per the product page, is a "beaded super foam." It is a foam made by expanding and setting small pellets, and Saucony uses a foam of this name in the sole of the race-oriented Pro 5 too.
| Speed 5 | Azura | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plate | Nylon | None | — |
| Heel stack | 36mm | 40mm | +4mm |
| Forefoot stack | 28mm | 32mm | +4mm |
| Drop | 8mm | 8mm | 0 |
| Weight (men's) | 237g | 240g | +3g |
| Price | JPY 29,700 | JPY 23,100 | −JPY 6,600 |
| Price per 1mm of thickness | JPY 825 | About JPY 578 | About −30% |
With the plate removed, the weight rose 3g (240 − 237). Because the foam is 4mm thicker at both heel and front (40 − 36, 32 − 28). Foam was added where the plate's share of weight dropped, and net, the weight landed nearly the same.
The price fell JPY 6,600. As price per 1mm of thickness, the Speed 5 is JPY 825 and the Azura about JPY 578. That works out to buying the same-named foam's thickness 30% cheaper.
What moves a shoe with no plate forward?
The announcement's answer is 2 things: the foam's own spring and a sole shape called SPEEDROLL.
SPEEDROLL is a shape with the toe side curved upward (a rocker). The announcement explains it rolls forward using the foot's natural motion. It creates the same aim as a plated shoe by the sole shape alone.
In my view, running 500km a month, a plate is gear for days set aside for racing. So what I look at first in a daily shoe's spec table is not the plate material but how far the foam is stacked without a plate. 40mm is a number that matches Saucony's own race-oriented Elite 3 (39.5mm).
Siblings compared | Speed 5, Ride 19, Kinvara 16
Scroll the table sideways →
| Model | Weight | Sole (heel / front) | Official price | Who should pick which |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Azura | 240g | 40 / 32mm | JPY 23,100 | Plateless, 1 pair for jogs and fast days |
| Speed 5 | 237g | 36 / 28mm | JPY 29,700 | Train with a plate and use it in races too |
| Ride 19 | 255g | 36 / 28mm | JPY 20,900 | Mainly slow days. Keep the price down |
| Kinvara 16 | 206g | 28 / 24mm | JPY 19,800 | Like thin, light shoes. 4mm drop |
The easily missed one is the relationship with the Ride 19. The Ride's foam is also PWRRUN PB, and the Azura is 4mm thicker (40 − 36) and 15g lighter (255 − 240). The price gap is JPY 2,200 (23,100 − 20,900).
- Take the same shoe out for jog days and pace-raising days → Azura
- Want to use the same shoe in races too, and get used to a plate's feel → Speed 5
- Do not make fast days. Want a sturdy standard → Ride 19
- Not fond of thick soles → better not the Azura. The Kinvara 16 is 12mm thinner (40 − 28) and 34g lighter (240 − 206)
- A softer shoe just for slow, long days → Triumph 24
Image: Rakuten Ichiba
Saucony Endorphin Speed 5
The lowest price on Rakuten was JPY 17,820 (as of 10/13). It ranges up to JPY 47,430 depending on the shop. Prices move daily. Try shoes on in the evening, when your feet swell, with your usual socks. Fit differs by brand, so read the shop's return and exchange terms before you buy.
RecommendedSee it on Rakuten IchibaSee it on Yahoo! Shopping JapanWhat I like
First, the clean-cut trade-off is pleasant. It dropped the plate and, with what that freed, added 4mm of foam, increasing the thickness that catches landing. The price fell JPY 6,600, and all 3 can be confirmed in numbers.
Next, the rank of the foam. PWRRUN PB is the foam of that name also used in the sole of the JPY 37,400 race-oriented Pro 5. It is stacked across the whole sole, heel to toe, at 40mm thick. It is a shoe that brought a higher model's material down into a form usable daily without a plate.
It is good that the sole rubber is XT-900 too. It is a material Saucony calls "premium carbon rubber," the same as the Triumph 24. Rather than cutting rubber for lightness, it takes durability as a shoe you wear every day.
I will praise the wide women's sizes too. On the Japan official page, they run from 21.5cm to 28.5cm. A range that reaches both small and large feet.
And that its position among siblings is clear. Lighter and thicker than the Ride 19, cheaper and thicker than the Speed 5. In a spot that easily becomes "neither here nor there," it beats both on 2 numbers.
Things to watch
Other makers have strong rivals. The adidas Adizero EVO SL I read in this site's article on 10 shoes by use is also plateless, at 224g (27cm), 38.5/32mm, JPY 19,800. The Azura is 16g heavier (240 − 224) and JPY 3,300 more (23,100 − 19,800). On numbers alone the EVO SL is lighter and cheaper, and what the Azura beats it on is 1.5mm of heel (40 − 38.5).
It is a first generation, so there is no previous generation to compare. It is a shoe where the tactic of buying last year's model cheap is not available.
The width lineup was only 1 standard type on the home-market official page.
Who is it for?
- Good fit: want to cover daily training with 1 pair. The same shoe for jogs and pace runs
- Good fit: want a springy foam of the same line as the race shoes, without a plate
- Good fit: used to shoes with a drop around 8mm
If you put a thin sole, lightness, price or a choice of widths first, there are other ways to choose. If you have no complaint about the Speed 5, wearing it out first is still in time.
Price and where to buy
| Model | Official price | Rakuten price range |
|---|---|---|
| Endorphin Azura | JPY 23,100 | JPY 23,100–62,860 |
| Endorphin Speed 5 | JPY 29,700 | JPY 17,820–47,430 |
| Ride 19 | JPY 20,900 | JPY 13,999–63,980 |
Per the announcement, the places that sell it are the directly operated store in Harajuku, the official online store and some retailers.
Watch the color names. The Japan official store lists limited colors at the same price named "MARATHON" and "SPACE COWBOY." The announcement had a color variant called "HI OCTANE" too. All are the same Azura inside; only the color is what you choose.
Image: Rakuten Ichiba
Saucony Endorphin Azura
Lowest price on Rakuten is JPY 23,100 (as of 10/13), ranging up to JPY 62,860 depending on the shop. Prices change daily. Shoes are best tried on in the evening, when your feet swell, with your usual socks. Fit varies by brand, so check the return and exchange terms on the shop page before you buy.
RecommendedSee it on Super Sports XEBIOSee it on Rakuten IchibaSee it on Yahoo! Shopping Japan
Image: Rakuten Ichiba
Saucony Ride 19
Lowest price on Rakuten is JPY 13,999 (as of 10/13), ranging up to JPY 63,980 depending on the shop. Prices change daily. Shoes are best tried on in the evening, when your feet swell, with your usual socks. Fit varies by brand, so check the return and exchange terms on the shop page before you buy.
RecommendedSee it on Rakuten IchibaSee it on Yahoo! Shopping JapanFAQ
How does the Endorphin Azura fit? Is there a wide?
There is no wide; width is 1 standard type (the home-market official page). Sizes start at 25cm for men's and run 21.5 to 28.5cm for women's. Men's and women's sizes overlap (25 to 28.5cm), so someone in between can choose from both colors.
How do the Endorphin Azura and the Speed 5 differ?
The difference is whether there is a plate, and the foam is the same PWRRUN PB. The Azura has no plate, a heel 4mm thicker and a price JPY 6,600 lower, with weight nearly the same at 240g and 237g.
Why does the Endorphin Azura move forward with no plate?
It is designed to move by the foam's spring and a sole shape called SPEEDROLL. The foam is the same PWRRUN PB as the plated siblings. Saucony made a new category for fast shoes without plates, "Fast & Light," and released the Azura as its first.
Can the Endorphin Azura be used in races?
You can, but it is an "EVERYDAY TRAINING" daily training shoe. For race day, there are 3: the Speed 5, Pro 5 and Elite 3. The maker is not forbidding entering races in the Azura, but shoes built for racing exist separately.
Gear in this article
Ads and images: Rakuten IchibaSources
- Marubeni Consumer Link announcement (Feb 19, 2026): Endorphin Azura
- Saucony Japan official: Endorphin Azura (men's)
- Saucony Japan official: Endorphin Azura (women's)
- Saucony home-market official: Endorphin Azura
- Saucony announcement (Jun 1, 2026): Endorphin Elite 3 (mentions new 2026 Endorphins)
- Saucony official Japan site: Endorphin Speed 5
- Saucony Japan official: Ride 19
- Saucony Japan official: Kinvara 16
