Saucony Guide 14 Review
The Saucony Guide 14 is a daily mileage stability trainer from Saucony that has been around and refined for a long time. The shoe features an updated upper to make the shoe more streamlined, feel lighter on foot and continues to utilize PWRUN cushioning as seen in the Kinvara and Ride models.
Specifications (per Running Warehouse)
Weight: 10.5 ounces (Men's Size 9)
Stack Height: 32.5mm heel, 24.5mm forefoot
Drop: 8mm
Classification: Structured Cushioning, Stability Trainer
RUNNING SHOE SUMMARY
David: The Saucony Guide 14 is a moderate stability daily training shoe featuring a relatively firm yet protective ride that will keep you going for miles. The geometry of the shoe is done pretty well and you will feel nice transitions throughout the ride similar to the neutral model of the Ride, but with posting and formal stability components.
Matt: The Saucony Guide 14 is a traditional moderate stability shoe with a firmer, stable and slightly snappy ride once the shoe breaks in. The heel bevel has been improved providing a better transition and a new refined upper keeps things secure. Those who enjoy the Guide will find a slightly snugger fit and a shoe that likes to lock into a consistent pace.
FIT
David: The Saucony Guide 14 utilizes the FORMFIT system to create the upper. For me the upper did a good job overall of hugging the foot throughout without having any regions be too wide or narrow. The heel is normal width with a moderately cushioned and padded heel collar. The upper is a little thicker than the Kinvara with more overlays but overall works well. The tongue is thicker as well and connected to the upper on both the medial and lateral sides. I did have some rubbing from the logo overlay along the lateral aspect of the foot at the flex point just past the lacing. The toe guard is integrated well in the forefoot with no rubbing. There is a slight guiderail effect from the upper along the lateral aspect as well. Overall the upper is really good, but could potentially be thinned a little and the overlays meshed a little more seamlessly along the lateral/anterior aspect of the shoe.
David: The Saucony Guide 14 rides like a traditional stability training shoe with some modern tweaks. The posting is integrated very well in the rearfoot through the midfoot and couples well with the slightly firmer PWRUN midsole. The result is a protective yet firm ride throughout that moves well with geometry. Similar to the Ride model the Guide also has deeper flex grooves integrated into the outsole that help with flexibility throughout, especially in the forefoot. At daily paces the transitions feel nice throughout. The shoe also has pretty decent posterior lateral heel bevel integrated into the shoe as well. I enjoyed the bevel on the Hurricane 23 more than this one, but it still does a pretty good job of getting the initial contact at the heel smoothly and quickly into the midfoot stance phases of gait well. The posting is definitely noticeable, but feels integrated well for a stability shoe. All in all it rides fairly well. The descriptive terms I would use are firm, protective, smooth.
STABILITY
David: The Saucony Guide 14 is moderate stability shoe by design. The shoe does a good job with geometry to create a slight rocker effect throughout the shoe without overdoing it by any means. The posting is integrated from the rearfoot through the midfoot along the medial/inside of the foot and is a good firmness to interact with the midsole. The platform is widened at the bottom of the shoe and creates more surface area. The flex grooves throughout do give the shoe a little bit more play, but it isn't bad and should respond pretty nicely at normal daily paces.
SPEED
David: The Saucony Guide 14 is definitely best used as a daily trainer. If you need to pick the pace up PWRRUN does a decent job of responding, but the way the shoe is constructed it feels best in a nice smooth rhythm on normal days and easy days.
David: The durability of the Saucony Guide 14 is pretty good. The outsole definitely has some abrasion and some wear, but there is quite a bit of rubber to burn through. The midsole of PWRRUN always seems to last well and shouldn't have any issue there. I would expect a normal 300-400 miles out of the Guide 14.
Today I wanted to take a look at what footwear categories refer to when talking about certain levels of stability. Adjectives we see a great deal are light, moderate, maximum, or even motion control levels of stability. The aims of the shoes are to create certain aspects of either rigidity or guidance to the natural pathway that someone runs through in order to have a more fluid gait cycle. This can be done through many ways including geometry, specifically through the usage of the last, platform, heel bevel, toe spring, etc. The upper can also play a role in this, with lockdown security throughout the foot and how it handles in hard turns or unstable demands potentially influencing the foot from the top. The traditional method of creating stability is through posting in the midsole, a thickened portion of material (the Guide 14 uses a TPU guidance frame) that creates rigidity in the medial aspect of foot anywhere from the heel to the forefoot. The Guide 14 does a great job of incorporating both traditional and modern aspects of stability. The posting extends from the rearfoot through the midfoot, but if you look from the bottom of the shoe it even extends a little towards the midline of the foot and is integrated with the midsole. The platform is also widened and utilized for more cross sectional area. When companies create a category of light vs max stability they are usually incorporating different amounts of known stability components. One shoe like the New Balance Fuel Cell Prism (REVIEW) may run similar to a neutral shoe but still have a posting for those that need a hint of stability, whereas some other shoes incorporate a lot of different components and guide rails to attempt to guide the foot down a certain pathway. The ultimate decision depends on the runner themselves as some people may feel like a light stability shoe is more stable than a max stability shoe for their own given mechanics. The subjective description of stability is frequently different for each individual and is another reason why each person deserves a unique approach to determining stability needs.
David: Saucony did a good job with the Guide 14! For me the upper was the only thing that really gave me a little bit of discomfort in longer efforts. The tongue and upper were a little thick distally and had the Saucony logo overlay mesh pretty close to the flex point in the forefoot region. There I would have a little irritation to my foot, but overall I'm happy with the Guide 14. I think the bevel could be improved a little as well in the heel, especially with how well the bevel in the Hurricane 23 is integrated (REVIEW).
WHO THIS SHOE IS FOR (Conclusion)
David: The Saucony Guide 14 is a daily training moderate stability shoe for those who like a consistent and protective ride that isn't overly soft. The geometry of the shoe does a good job of moving through transition points throughout the gait cycle smooth without being "slappy" or awkward anywhere. There is forefoot flexibility and flex grooves integrated and the shoe feels best at consistent controlled daily training efforts.
GRADING
David
Fit 9.25/10 (Thick tongue/upper at laces, overlay caused some irritation at flex point)
Ride 9.5/10 (Smooth throughout the heel, midfoot, and forefoot at daily efforts)
Stability 9.5/10 (Moderate stability throughout, good solid stability in heel and midfoot)
Speed 8.75/10 (Best at daily paces but can pick up the pace a little bit if it has to)
Durability 9/10 (Normal durability to slightly better than average, should last most people well)
Total Score: 92% (M: IP/10 D: 9.2/10 N: IP/10 )
Thanks for reading!
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Saucony Guide 14 | Running Warehouse
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TESTER PROFILES:
Dr. Matthew Klein is a 140 lb male with notable PRs of 14:45 for 5k and 2:32:44 for the full marathon. He typically runs 70-100 miles per week and trains at a variety of paces from 8min per mile recovery runs to 4:40 per mile 1k repeats. He prefers firmer and responsive shoes with snug heels and medium to wide toe boxes. He is particular to less cushioned shoes and close to the ground shoes, but can handle a little cushion when he gets beat up.
Dr. David Salas is a 135 lb male with notable PRs ranging from 3:54 in the 1500m to 1:08:36 for half marathon. He typically runs 60 to 70 miles per week and trains from about 7:30 recovery runs to fast shorter efforts at 4:30 pace. He normally prefers neutral shoes with a firmer ride, but is completely open to other types of shoes. He is a footwear enthusiast at heart and will always appreciate a high quality shoe when it comes around. For updates on training or testing, IG handle: @docsofrundavid
Dr. Brown is a 155 lb male with notable PRs of 18:18 5K, 39:25 10K, 1:29:01 half marathon, and 3:54 marathon. He typically runs between 20-40 miles per week at a variety of paces from 7:30-8:30 min/mile for recovery runs to 6-6:45 min/mile for tempo runs. He typically prefers shoes that provide some cushioning underfoot but still maintain a more firm and responsive feel. Current goals for 2020 are to break the 1.5 hour half marathon and 3:30 marathon. IG handle: @nate.docsofrunning
Editor's Note: As always, the views presented on this website belong to myself or the selected few who contribute to these posts. This website should not and does not serve as a replacement for seeking medical care. If you are currently injured or concerned about an injury, please see your local running physical therapist. If you are in the Los Angeles area, I am currently taking clients for running evaluations.
Matthew Klein, PT DPT OCS FAAOMPT
Doctor of Physical Therapy
Doctor of Physical Therapy
Board Certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist
Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapists
Nathan Brown PT DPT MS
Doctor of Physical Therapy
Masters in Anatomy and Clinical Health Science
Movement Performance Institute Certified in Advanced Functional Biomechanics
David Salas PT DPT CSCS
Doctor of Physical Therapy
Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
***Disclaimer:
These shoes were provided free of charge in exchange for a review. We
thank the people at Saucony for sending us a pair. This in no way affected
the honesty of this review. We put at least 35-50 miles on trainers and 10-25 miles on racing flats prior to reviewing them. Currently we have (in progress) miles (Matt), (In progress) miles (Nathan) and 38 miles (David) on our pairs. Our views are based on our extensive history in the footwear industry and years testing and developing footwear. If you are a footwear rep looking for footwear reviews or consultations on development, we are currently looking to partner with companies to assist, discuss and promote footwear models. Partnership will not affect the honesty of our reviews.
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