Saucony Triumph 19 Review
By Contributor David Salas and Guest Reviewer Andrea Myers
Andrea: The Saucony Triumph 19 is a cushioned, neutral trainer that feels lighter than its stated weight of 9.1 oz (W size 8). The Triumph line is known for its cushioning, and the new 19 is one ounce lighter and has a more breathable mesh upper as compared to the 18. I was excited to receive this shoe for my first guest review here at DOR. My current go-to daily trainer is the New Balance Beacon v3 and I loved early versions of the Kinvara for easy miles and intervals. I was interested to see how the Triumph 19 would compare.
Specifications (per Running Warehouse)
Weight: 10.2 oz / 290 g (men's size 9) 9.1 oz / 259 g (women's size 8)
Stack Height: 32.5 mm / 24.5 mm
Drop: 8 mm
Classification: Premium Daily Trainer
(laces swapped out)
RUNNING SHOE SUMMARY
David: The Saucony Triumph 19 is a highly cushioned neutral trainer for those that like a "premium" experience. The midsole is soft and responsive, though does carry some weight. The Triumph 19 does strip down the upper from previous models to bring this daily workhorse a more natural feeling weight on foot.
Andrea: The Saucony Triumph 19 is a moderately cushioned, neutral daily trainer. It performs best at slower paces and the PWRRUN+ cushioning is ideal for tired legs. The shoe can handle fast strides, but feels flat at prolonged faster paces. This shoe is ideal for neutral runners or underpronators who need a cushioned shoe for easy miles.
FIT (LENGTH / WIDTH / COMFORT)
David: The Triumph 19 fits true to size in my normal 9.5 but does fit a tad long. The width is normal throughout the heel and midfoot. The toe box is wide enough for toe splay. The upper still yields a premium feel to it, but is stripped down a little from the 18. The upper feels like a hybrid between the original Endorphin Speed and the Triumph 18. The tongue and heel are very padded and feel very cushioned when locking the laces down. The mesh is lightweight but reinforced well throughout. The heel counter wraps around the heel and down the medial and lateral aspect of the calcaneus. The hold on the foot throughout is done well and is nice and cushioned while still shaving down some weight. There are also some sidewalls present throughout that further this nice hold and help with the ride and stability a little as well.
Andrea: My women’s size 9.5 fit true to size as compared to non-Endorphin Saucony models (I size up to 10 in the Endorphin line). The mono-mesh upper is flexible but comfortably secures the foot without hotspots or friction. I tend to get painful calluses at the medial aspect of my 1st IP joints (inside of the big toe) if the upper does not have some give to it, and the Triumph did not cause any issues. The mesh is very breathable and my feet were never hot, even in 90 degree temperatures. The forefoot is wider than average, but not as wide as the Beacon v3. The heel collar has a medium rise and did not cause any Achilles irritation. The heel counter is padded internally, but is fairly rigid externally. The gusseted tongue is padded without feeling overly thick and does not create any irritation at the anterior ankle. The shoelaces are elastic rope laces, which I replaced with non-elastic flat laces after one run. I found the rope laces to be too thick and the elastic prevented the laces from firmly securing my foot.
PERFORMANCE (RIDE / SPEED)
David: The Saucony Triumph 19 was much more enjoyable for me than the 18. The 19 felt more natural on foot (the 18 was very heavy) thanks to the lighter upper. The midsole and outsole remain the same throughout. The bevel of the heel is done well and the outsole has cutouts in convenient places to make the shoe flexible and rigid in comfortable areas. PWRUN+ still yields a highly protective ride throughout while also providing some responsiveness. The shoe certainly feels better at daily paces though. I've done some harder strides and paces in this shoe and I find it is just a little too much for for those purposes. The outsole is trusty and I have been able to take this in various different terrains. I did find that the midfoot to forefoot transition could come off a little "slappy" and I think some of that might be because of the break of the outsole through the midfoot region of the shoe. Otherwise it is a solid neutral cushioned trainer.
Andrea: The key feature of the Triumph 19 is its cushioning. It is not a particularly responsive shoe or one that I would want to use for any speed work. This will be a great easy day shoe in the midst of marathon training or after a hard workout or race. I used them for several sessions of 100m strides at the end of easy runs and while they could pick up the pace, they did not help me pick it up like other daily trainers (Kinvara and Beacon in particular). They do not feel like an 8mm drop shoe, likely because I land on my midfoot. Other 8mm drop shoes make me feel like I have to land on my heel for them to roll properly. I did find that this shoe caused me to land further back on my midfoot as compared to the Beacon or the Endorphin series, which was not uncomfortable, but made me feel like I had to work harder to get from initial contact to mid-stance.
I was able to test the Triumph immediately after the remnants of Tropical Storm Elsa came through Connecticut, and I was impressed by the traction on wet pavement, grass, and mud. After 35 miles, there is nearly no wear on the outsole. These shoes will likely last 300+ miles before needing replacement, as long as the cushioning holds up.
STABILITY
David: The Saucony Triumph has certainly improved in stability with the new upper. The Triumph has never been a stability specific shoe, for it has a softer platform and no formal stability measures. The PWRUN+ midsole leans on the softer end and does make the shoe ride a little less stable by default. The shoe does have a more dialed in upper though which secures lockdown and keeps the foot on the platform much better. The full contact outsole also helps keep some rigidity and stability throughout. The heel counter also seems to do a good job of stabilizing at the calcaneus while not being overbearing in any way since it is padded very well.
Andrea: The Triumph 19 is a true neutral shoe. It does not have any traditional stability features, but the external heel counter mildly stabilizes the heel and the XT-900 full coverage outsole reduces torsional and longitudinal flexibility. As someone who does not tolerate any pronation control, I appreciate that this shoe allowed my foot to do what it wants to do while providing ample cushioning.
THOUGHTS AS A DPT / FOOTWEAR SCIENCE
Andrea: Runners should spend the majority of their time training at an easy pace. Dr. Stephen Seiler, a professor of sport science at the University of Agder, has determined the 80/20 rule for endurance athletes (80% of training volume should be at low intensity and 20% should be at high intensity). For a marathoner doing 60-70 miles/week, that means 48-56 miles/week at low intensity. During higher volume training blocks, I find that I benefit from using different models of shoes for my easy days. Doing so changes the stresses that my body experiences in addition to providing cushioning and support for fatigued legs. It can be greatly beneficial for runners to have multiple pairs of shoes that they rotate throughout the week. A 2015 study by Marlisoux et al found that runners who used more than one pair of shoes over a 22 week period had a 39% lower risk of injury as compared to runners who only ran in 1 pair of shoes. This may mean having daily trainers with slightly different drop, geometry, or level of cushioning. For me, the Triumph will be a great shoe for easy runs the day after a long interval day or for cooling down after a race or hard workout.
References:
Seiler, Stephen. (2010). What is Best Practice for Training Intensity and Duration Distribution in Endurance Athletes?. International journal of sports physiology and performance. 5. 276-91. 10.1123/ijspp.5.3.276.
Malisoux, L., Ramesh, J., Mann, R., Seil, R., Urhausen, A., & Theisen, D. (2015). Can parallel use of different running shoes decrease running-related injury risk?. Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports, 25(1), 110–115. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.12154
RECOMMENDATIONS
David: The Saucony Triumph 19 is my favorite Triumph so far. I do think the midfoot to forefoot transition could be cleaned up though. The heel to midfoot transition is very smooth, but then due to the break in the outsole the forefoot seems to slap more than I would like it to. The upper could probably shortened a tad to make it true to size.
Andrea: My top recommendation is to replace the laces with flat, non-elastic laces. The current laces are too thick and stretchy, which affect the fit and the security of the shoe. I would not have enjoyed this shoe as much as I did if I ran with the original laces. If Saucony is looking to further reduce weight, the padding in the tongue and the heel collar could be reduced without affecting comfort. The forefoot could be made slightly wider to allow for greater toe splay.
WHO THIS SHOE IS FOR (Conclusion)
David: The Saucony Triumph 19 is a premium cushioned neutral trainer for those looking for a highly plush ride with plenty of durability. The Triumph traditionally has been a heavier model to run with but does shave down a good amount of weight through the upper in the 19. For those looking for a plush workhorse with a padded yet locked down upper this could be an option worth looking into.
Andrea: This shoe is for runners looking for a neutral, moderately cushioned daily trainer. Midfoot or forefoot strikers who typically prefer 4-6mm drop will find this shoe comfortable, but may find that initial contact occurs further back on the midfoot. Heel strikers will also find this shoe very cushioned and comfortable. This shoe is not for runners who need stability features. It is best for easy runs and feels flat and unresponsive at faster paces. The extremely durable outsole and lightweight cushioning makes this shoe worth the $150 price tag.
GRADING (SHOE CATEGORY)
David
Fit: A- (My favorite Triumph upper so far, but it does run a tad long)
Performance: B+ (Best at daily paces and easy paces, not much versatility, midsole is comfortable and durable during efforts)
Stability: B+ (PWRUN+ not the most stable midsole but full contact outsole and dialed in upper helps)
DPT/Footwear Science: B (Upper refinements and sidewalls are good, though the outsole with a deep flex groove through the midfoot does not seem to do great for the transition)
Personal: B (I'm really happy this model shaved some weight down. It still carries some weight but feels much more natural now. Overall I like the shoe, but it is still a tad heavy and "slappy" in the forefoot for me.)
Overall: B+ (A solid option for the premium daily trainer in the neutral category. Some stability and transition elements could be refined but overall a good option out there.)
Andrea
Fit: A- (great overall fit except for shoelace issue)
Performance: B+ (limited use to easy runs due to flat feeling at higher speeds)
Stability: B (this is not a shoe for runners who overpronate, but works well as a neutral shoe) DPT/Footwear Science: A- (for a neutral shoe, checks all of the right boxes. It allows the foot to do what it wants to do)
DPT/Footwear Science: A- (for a neutral shoe, checks all of the right boxes. It allows the foot to do what it wants to do)
Personal: A- (This will be in my easy day rotation, will be great cooldown shoes, but will not be my first choice for easy days with strides)
Overall: A- (A great option for runners looking for a neutral, cushioned shoe for easy days, but not great for faster speeds)
SHOP | SUPPORT DOR
Shop the Saucony Triumph 19 at Running Warehouse here. Using the link to grab a pair helps support Doctors of Running. Thanks!
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TESTER PROFILES
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
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.
***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 systematically put each type of shoe through certain runs prior to review. For trainers and performance trainers, we take them on daily runs, workouts, recovery runs and a long run prior to review (often accumulating anywhere from 20-50 miles in the process). For racing flats we ensure that we have completed intervals, a tempo or steady state run run as well as a warm up and cool down in each pair prior to review. This systematic process is to ensure that we have experience with each shoe in a large variety of conditions to provide expansive and thorough reviews for the public and for companies. 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.