This Stability Shoe Changed My Mind About Stability Shoes

We love it when one of our favorite shoes gets an upgrade. So when the new Saucony Hurricane 26 landed on the doorstep with new foam and lighter weight, I was excited.

Saucony has been revamping their foams on a few shoes and it is making an already good thing better, we have seen the IncrediLux foam on the Triumph 24 as well. Better cushion, more bounce, same great frame.

Last year I got the opportunity to try the Saucony Hurricane 25. And while my first impressions were mixed, I found it was a shoe I kept reaching for over and over again.

I knew what to expect with the size of the stack when I opened the box. But wait, was this bigger? and more light weight?

Let’s jump in on why the Hurricane 26 isn’t moving from our ‘best of’ lists.

Saucony Hurricane 26 Overview

The Saucony Hurricane 26 is one of the best max-cushioned stability shoes available today. Rather than feeling bulky or overly corrective, it delivers a smooth, energetic ride that works for everything from easy daily miles to long training runs.

Saucony has updated the shoe with its new IncrediLux foam, giving it a noticeably softer and more responsive feel while cutting down on weight compared to previous versions.

The IncrediLux foam is an ATPU foam or more commonly known as supercritical foam that is engineered with supercritical gas to expand the material. If you want to nerd out some more on foams, check out this article.

The result is a shoe that feels much more responsive without sacrificing the support and stability we are familiar with from the Hurricane line.

The dual-density midsole and CenterPath geometry provide gentle guidance instead of intrusive stability, making the Hurricane 26 a great choice for runners with some overpronation or anyone who appreciates a little extra support on tired legs.

The cushioning is deep and plush, yet the shoe maintains a surprisingly efficient rocker that helps keep transitions smooth.

The engineered mesh upper is comfortable and secure. It feels much more breathable than the 25, yet with all the padding it still feels a bit warm.

Durability also appears to be excellent thanks to the XT-900 rubber outsole. The only downside? It’s loud. This is not a trail shoe, yet I feel like I sound like a fat tire bike. Needless to say, I feel comfortable with the traction.

They also have a tendency to squeak. Something in the foam, not sure exactly. But I can fortunately report, that has disappeared the more I’ve run in them.

Will these be for everyone? No. That’s ok, there is no one perfect shoe for everyone. This is a LOT of shoe. But they also feel amazing and will be great for those nice easy miles, long miles, or joint friendly recovery miles.

Coach Amanda: I don’t need stability, but I have worn the heck out of the Hurricane 25 as a walking shoe and recovery day run shoe. Which meant I did a “pretty please” send me the 26 request because I needed to know if it was just as good.

I was cool with the amount of cushion in the 25 and maybe preferred it to not have changed, but this is still a fun shoe. Oddly enough as I was testing the Saucony Paramount Max, a more expensive super trainer, I kept thinking it felt a whole lot like the Hurricane…like a lot, a lot.

I love a neutral stability shoe. And I love some cushion that doesn’t alter my gait. That’s probably why this ends up on so many of our lists, which is funny because my go to shoe is the much more subtle Saucony Kinvara.

I love this white colorway with a little touch of purple and hot pink. Subtle, yet fun. Especially with the pop of the hot pink outsole.

Though I am feeling like Saucony is taking a little blast from the past. Tim noted it as well in his review of the Paramount Max that the look is very retro.

Saucony Hurricane 26 Fit

Fit is very true to size. The toebox is roomy enough for my toes to splay out, while the midfoot and heel are comfortably fit.

It is worth a note, even though it wasn’t an issue for me, that the toebox does have a somewhat aggressive taper to it. If you are a foot shaped toebox fan, like an Altra or Topo, these will not be your shoe.

The midfoot and heel are nice and locked in. Nothing ever felt too tight or rubbing. I had that same Cinderella fit from the previous model.

Fortunately the heel has a good fit with an extra edge higher up near the heel collar. The laces would be too short to do a true heel lock lacing.

The tongue is thickly padded and gusseted. Once I put it on and give it gentle tug, it stays put. There is a small interesting detail of a little pull tab at the top that feels more decorative that useful.

The tongue also does feel a bit too long, but with all the cushion, it does not seem to get in the way of anything.

Saucony Hurricane 26 Feel

When talking about these shoes with some runner friends, we agreed, we like pillows for shoes on our feet. Which made me think of a great comparison.

Yes, I want pillows for shoes, but I want memory foam pillows. Not down feather pillows that squish and fall flat. These are the memory foam pillows. Soft, supportive, and will bounce back quickly.

I am coming back from a total knee replacement so have really appreciated the CenterPath geometry along with the extra wide base. I feel extremely supported and stable without being overly corrected.

The stack height can seem daunting. While it is not the moon boot of the Nike Vomero Premium (another delightful max cushion that I love) 41 mm is pretty up there. The nice wide base evens things out though. In fact, its wider than the previous model.

I thought it was just a trick of the eye so I had to pull out my pair of 25s and compare. Its not by much, maybe a millimeter or two.

The texture and thickness of the upper is updated from the 25 and feels a bit more breathable. We are entering the hot humid months here in Minnesota and while it is better, the material is still pretty thick so my feet did get warm quickly. Not a terrible trade-off for the comfort though in my opinion.

All right let’s talk about some stability running shoes that are similar to give you some perspective:

Buy Saucony Hurricane 26

What to read next?

• How to Choose the Right Running Shoes
• Best Running and Recovery Tools
• How Many Steps Are in a Marathon

The post This Stability Shoe Changed My Mind About Stability Shoes appeared first on RunToTheFinish.

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