1. The Triumph is like the best hotel mattresses: soft and springy but not mushy. Articulated outsole lugs and a five-layer sandwich of foam, rubber, and thermoplastic in the heel absorb the impact of each foot strike while retaining a remarkable responsiveness. And thanks to its forward-leaning tilt, the Triumph rolls uninhibited through its gait at any speed.
2. With the plush interior and pillowy tongue, running in this shoe is “like walking barefoot on shag carpeting,” remarked one tester. It’s snug, too, courtesy of flat laces (that never came untied) and a rubber arch band that stabilizes the midfoot without clamping. The extra security translates into speed—tempo runs were a breeze in this moderate-mileage trainer.
3. A surprisingly reactive thermoplastic plate transforms heel-strike energy into toe-off spring. And though it’s not especially light for a neutral shoe, the Triumph feels surprisingly smooth and buoyant on the fly. Our testers chalked that up to its gram-conscious design, e.g., the use of denser midsole parts only where absolutely necessary.
11.5 oz; saucony.com