Saucony keeps busting out the hits with their popular range of running shoes. The Triumph series is a favourite with athletes and recreational runners alike and is constantly being updated and improved. Join us in our Saucony Triumph 18 Running Shoe Review as we put this latest model through its paces to let you know if it’s a buy or a pass.
Disclaimer – I purchased this these shoes with my own money and have not been paid by anyone to make this review. This is my honest, independent opinion.
Why Saucony?
Saucony (sock-a-knee) has been around since 1898, to say they have a bit of experience in manufacturing running shoes would be a bit of an understatement.
Domiciled in the USA, Saucony has developed an extensive portfolio of trainers for all running disciplines. Track, road, trail, there’s a Saucony shoe for just about every use case.
There are some big-name athletes in the running world using Saucony products such as Molly Huddle and Jared Ward for example. From top name athletes to recreational runners alike, there’s something in the Saucony range for everyone.
Saucony Triumph Series
The Triumph series has been around for quite a few years now, as evidenced by this, its 18th iteration.
As Saucony’s entrant in the ‘max cushion’ category of running shoes, this model is primarily designed for runners who prefer, or need, a shoe with a softer ride. Consequently, Saucony has packed extra protective foam into the midsole resulting in a slightly higher stack height than the average running shoe, but furnishing it with that lovely cushioned ride we are looking for.
Trainers with extra cushioning are especially appreciated by long-distance runners. All those long kilometres and the resulting stress on joints and ligaments from the constant pounding is what the Triumph is attempting to mitigate.
Specs
Here are the specs for the Triumph from the Saucony website –
PWRRUN+ midsole cushioning provides more flexibility, durability, and springiness in a foam that’s 25% lighter
New midsole geometry makes for a snappier ride
New blown rubber outsole makes for a snappier ride and increases durability and traction
TRIFLEX design makes for quick transitions and enhances flexibility
Engineered mesh upper with 3D Print overlays provides strategic flexibility and structure
FORMFIT system provides a luxurious custom-like fit
Category: Neutral Offset: 8mm
Who Is It For?
The Triumph series shoes have gained a reputation for providing long-distance runners with enough protective cushioning without feeling heavy and slow.
You want to mitigate the jarring effects on your joints but you don’t want to compromise speed and agility. This is where the Triumph shoes have traditionally proven their value.
Over the years, I have used many examples of the Saucony Triumph and I would say that they are versatile enough to be used in most daily training applications with the possible exception of sprinting. Additionally, they are excellent for runners who train on hard surfaces such as concrete paths or roads, given the extra cushioning.
First Impressions
Unboxing
The Triumphs were delivered in a basic cardboard box, the shoes had paper stuffing to maintain their form during shipment and were wrapped in a single sheet of paper.
All packaging is made from recycled material. No wasteful and unnecessary plastic packaging here, kudos to Saucony for that.
The bottom of the box has a handy pace chart in miles and kilometres, and also a grid to record your personal records. Nice touch Saucony.
The company has offered up some very colourful designs of their products lately, I chose the black ones with some striking colour accents. These look amazing. Additionally, there are usually at least two or three other colour combinations to choose from.
The shoes arrive already laced up and ready to throw on and test out.
How Does It Feel Out Of The Box?
Out of the box, the Triumphs felt quite luxurious. The padding around the heel collar, the padded tongue and the insole are all soft and mould around the feet beautifully. None of these elements felt too soft or mushy.
Walking around the room after putting them on for the first time gave the impression of a snug and comfortable fit. There wasn’t any movement of the feet inside the shoe, the upper moulded to the shape of the feet and there is an overall feeling of cohesiveness.
The toe box had plenty of room, my toes didn’t feel cramped. The laces were quite thick and stretchy but locked the feet into the shoe comfortably and securely.
Something that was very apparent when putting on these shoes for the first time was that the cushioning in the midsole didn’t really seem that soft. Consequently, there was certainly no mushiness to it which is a relief, overly soft shoes can cause all manner of biomechanics issues in runners.
I would say, from this brief first try-on, that Saucony has nailed the perfect amount of cushioning in the midsole, but how does it perform in a run? Let’s see.
First Run
Normally I would wear in a new pair of running shoes with a nice easy run of about 7 kilometres, just to get a feel for the shoe and make sure there are no rubbing or chafing points. However, on this occasion, the first run was a hard one-hour session with my run club.
There was a warm-up run on concrete paths, some dirt track running, sprints on bitumen, grass running, time trials on concrete and stair running…lots of stairs. It was a solid session and gave me a great opportunity to evaluate the new Triumphs right out of the box and into a substantial workout.
Let’s now take a look at how each component part of the Triumphs performed in this first run scenario.
Comfort
These shoes are supremely comfortable. Every component of the shoe that is a possible rubbing touchpoint is designed with padding material that not only protects the foot but securely locks the foot into position. As a result, there is no movement of the foot in the shoe.
If you have chosen the correct size, you will notice a little tightness squeezing your foot into the shoe, but once in and laced up, it feels as if the shoe has securely moulded to the shape of your foot in a very snug and reassuring way.
Heading off on the warm-up, I immediately noticed the springy comfort of the cushioning. The shoes also felt light on the feet and provided a lively, smooth and engaging run. A positive start.
Cushioning
Extra cushioning is what the Triumph series is all about.
Getting this right is tricky for running shoe manufacturers, too much and too soft and the shoes will ultimately feel mushy and isolate you from the running surface. If the cushioning is not soft enough, all you end up with is extra stack height for no real benefit.
So how did Saucony do with the Triumphs?
I would say that Saucony has got this about right.
Definitely not too soft, my feet were not wallowing around in the shoe. The foam is compliant enough to absorb some of the jarring effects of foot strike but also firm enough to provide that surface contact feedback we require.
Other Design Characteristics
The Upper
The design of the upper provides a wrap-around feeling, locking the foot into the shoe. Saucony’s ‘engineered mesh’ upper consists of two layers of material. The inner layer is very comfortable across the foot and the outer layer provides a durable protecting surface.
During this first run, I found no issues with the way the upper worked. The two layers worked well together and provided a flexible, snug fit. Additionally, there were no uncomfortable seams or joints and breathability was ok. However, there might be an issue in hot weather if the dual-layer doesn’t allow heat to escape easily.
Lacing
The laces are a thick, soft and slightly elastic round design. I love these. They gave an extra level of suppleness to the fit, allowing the foot to naturally flex during the transition from heel to toe.
Combined with the beautifully padded tongue, the lacing system worked very well.
Toe Box
With the semi-rigid mudguards and toe tip supporting the upper across the toes, there was never a sense of the feet being cramped inside the toe box.
The width was fine for my feet but there is a wide version available for those runners requiring more room in the toe box.
Heel and Collar
This is an area in running shoes that can cause problems for a lot of runners. The heel needs to be locked down so that the Achilles is not constantly moving up and down against the heel collar causing rubbing and ultimately, blisters.
In this regard, I have always found Saucony trainers top-notch. The collar is always beautifully padded, the lower heel area locates the heel comfortably, and the insole provides excellent cushioning.
In this first-run scenario, the heel and collar design worked well.
Insole
Nicely moulded and very comfortable, the insole provided a cushy layer between the midsole and the feet.
Midsole
Despite the thicker foam in the mid-sole I still felt engaged with the running surface. I didn’t have a sense of isolation from the running surface which can often result in not being able to accurately place the foot on the track. This is particularly important when running stairs, it’s so important to be able to feel the surface in order not to misstep or trip on the stairs.
The midsole is really the nuts and bolts of what the Triumph is all about. Saucony’s PWRRUN+ midsole foam is both light and springy. The cushioning it provides is first-class. The transition from heel strike to toe launch is both smooth and responsive, it adds a certain ‘spring in your step’.
In this first-run, I found the Triumphs worked well for every exercise we did and for every surface we ran on.
Outsole
The outsole had plenty of grip. The rubber used seemed soft enough to grip the surface and, if past experience is anything to go by, will be very durable and wear well.
At one point during the run, we had a shower of rain, just enough to make the running surface slightly wet, the Triumphs did not become slippery in these conditions. However, I did not have a chance to test them in very wet conditions.
In terms of stability, the Triumphs felt secure in the way they made contact with the ground. There was no apparent unsteadiness, they seemed well balanced.
Second Run
For the second run I wanted to test the Triumphs on a longer workout.
A cold mid-winter, early Sunday morning run of 13 kilometres seemed like just the ticket for a second run test.
Longer runs are where trainers with extra cushioning are theoretically most beneficial. The idea is to soften the jarring effect on the joints and ligaments of foot strike on the ground over a long distance.
On this second run, it was really apparent to me that the cushioning in the Triumphs was in no way too soft. Heading off on the run they felt firm under foot yet springy and responsive.
I have tested other max-cushion shoes where the foam is too soft and the stack height is too high. As a result, they just become tiring to run in. I’m happy to report no such problems with Triumphs 18’s.
There is no doubt the cushioning worked well, I felt fresh after the run. There were no chafing areas or any other design problem areas that I could detect.
The Triumphs will now be my go-to shoe for longer runs.
Styles and Colours
Styles and colours vary from country to country. Additionally, Saucony will quite often introduce special editions of their products such as the famous Dunkin’ Donuts release or various marathon editions such as Boston, NYC and Tokyo marathons releases.
Here are the current colourways for the Triumph 18 available in Australia right now from the website.
Saucony are quite innovative in design style and colour use. It’s not hard to find a style that you like in their range.
Like most running shoe manufacturers, Saucony is constantly developing new products, introducing new materials and updating its portfolio of models. I have noticed that the Triumph model, for example, is updated annually as advancements in design and materials used are introduced. Each iteration will feature new colours and styles for you to choose from.
Pricing
The Triumphs are normally priced at $229.99 in Australia, ￡145 in the UK and $150 in the US. The Australian pricing is very reasonable when you take into account the exchange rate and the fact that all taxes (GST) are built into the retail price. Saucony is not gouging its Aussie customers, which is nice to see.
At $229.99 for a top tier running shoe, this appears to be very good value. With shoes from other companies now regularly breaking through the $300 mark here in Australia, the Triumphs represent an opportunity to pick up a high-end product without paying crazy prices.
Tip: You can often pick up superseded models from Saucony at very good discounts. Check the website for discounts and sales.
Where Can You Buy It
Around the world you can usually buy direct from Saucony on their website and of course, running shoe specialty stores.
Here in Australia you can buy from –
Is It Good Quality?
What constitutes a quality running shoe?
First and foremost they must be able to withstand the incredible stresses placed upon them by supporting so much weight and the constant pounding over their lifetime. The stitching and glueing must hold together, there must be no fraying of materials and the outsoles must be durable enough to not prematurely or unevenly wear.
Saucony has a good reputation in this regard. I have personally owned many Saucony products over the years and in every case, they have proven to be extremely durable, long-lasting and serviceable for the 800 to 1000k expected of a running shoe.
Looking at the Triumph 18’s, they seem to continue this pattern of being well put together and constructed from quality materials. There are no rough edges, glue runs, poor stitching or any other obvious faults.
At this early stage of testing, I am confident the Triumphs are a quality product.
Pro’s and Con’s
Pro’s
- Effective cushioning
- Excellent long-distance running shoe
- Effective as an everyday trainer
- Stable and smooth transition from heel to toe
- Springy cushioning propels you forward as you run
- Excellent protective cushioning around the heel and heel collar
- Outsole rubber provides plenty of grip
- Stack height not too excessive
- Wide, stable footprint
- Secure all-around fit
- Very good quality
- Good value for money
Con’s
- Slightly heavier than its predecessor but by no means heavy
- Not the best choice for speed work
- Suspect the upper won’t provide enough ventilation in warm weather due to the dual-layer design.
- No other obvious cons.
Final Verdict | Should You Buy It
I never have any problem recommending Saucony products.
The company produces a shoe for every use case. From sprinting to trail and everything in-between, you will find something in the Saucony range to suit your needs. Be sure to also check out our review of the Saucony Guide running shoe.
Quality is never an issue with Saucony products and they are very innovative with design and production materials.
As for the Triumph 18’s, I am happy to report that as a max-cushion shoe they are a great choice. They provide the promised extra cushioning without compromising the usability of the shoe as a daily driver. As a long-run shoe, the Triumphs, as always, will be a great choice.
I hope this Saucony Triumph 18 review has been helpful with your trainer choices. Please let us know in the comments if you have had any experience with Saucony shoes, and particularly the Triumphs and what you thought of them.
Happy running
Steve.
