Ride 17

I have run nearly 200 km in the Saucony Ride 17, including runs of 20, 22 and 23 km. If someone asked me what a textbook daily trainer looks like, I would just point to this shoe. The upper gets full marks. The heel counter and padding give a moderate lock, not too stiff and not too loose. The midfoot is snug like a sock, and the forefoot is wide on a very broad platform, so landings feel stable and transitions are smooth. In my US 9 it fit true to size, with a thumb's width of space at the toe, and breathability was amazing. In 200 km I never had a problem with the upper. The PWRRUN+ midsole is the special part. It is a TPU foam, balanced, not overly soft and not overly firm. At 7:30, 6:00 and 5:00/km I could still feel the softness, plushness and energy return. It does not go flat on long runs, and you do not need to be a heavy runner to feel it. Stack is about 35 mm at the heel and 27 mm at the forefoot, an 8 mm drop. The outsole still looks new after 200 km, and I expect at least 800 km from it. Traction is fine in normal conditions and slightly above average in the wet. The minor issues: it is not a speed shoe for running under 4:30/km, and the toe box is spacious, which people with narrow feet may not like. The bigger issue is availability. It is on only a few online stores, and authenticity is a worry, so buy through the official distributors and check the return policy. It suits slow, intermediate and experienced runners alike for slow runs, long runs and recovery. It sat at retail price for a long time, but I recently saw it at ₹6,000–7,000 on Ajio and Flipkart. At that price, with 800 km of durability, it is value for money.