Thor Kirleis

Saucony ProGrid Triumph 7

RUN – Neutral
• Premier cushioning shoe for the neutral runner
• Ultimate blend of cushioning for a responsive ride
• Excellent transition from heel strike to toe-off
• Weight: 12.3 oz

Having not run in a pair of Saucony shoes since the early 1990’s (no kidding!), I was curious to give Saucony another try. Back then Saucony was mostly a newcomer struggling to make it in the running shoe market; since then, it has grown into a top-flight performance shoe maker.

I am glad I have been given the opportunity to come back because after trialing a pair of Triumph 7’s and even a set of lightening Fastwitch 4’s, I am converted – and this coming from a guy who has run exclusively in Adidas, Asics, and Nike.

Construction

First thing I noticed upon taking the Saucony ProGrid Triumph 7’s out of the box was how each shoe was constructed. Materials, stitching, and design flow seem high quality – above that of their counterparts. These are so well put together that they make my previous running shoes look like they were slapped together haphazardly and with shoddy threads. I feel like I’ve been missing out all these years for having been away from Saucony.

Fit

Slipping my feet into the Triumph 7’s caused me to pause. With the Natural Arch-Lock patented technology, my feet seemed to lock into the shoes, almost as if something was locking the shoes at the arches. It was an odd sensation to me because although the shoe felt secure to my foot, there was no feeling of the shoe gripping me, as if it might be too small. But I kept thinking it was. And with this feeling I wondered it would survive the test of training miles. But still, there was no discomfort, nothing rubbing or tight or gripping. I realized that it was a slightly different feeling than the Adidas, Asics, and Nike’s I was used to.

All of my concerns dissipated on my first test run. The Arch-Lock felt natural. The shoe stays secure – not snug, not too easy, just right, locked into the arch. No pressure, no rub… perfect. I was impressed!

Feel

For a training shoe with lots of cushion, this shoe is far more stable than what I was expecting. The shoe provides excellent cushioning, and the added stability affords a quick transition from heal strike to toe-off. Because of this trait, the shoe rides more like a performance trainer rather than a shoe-of-all-trades plodder. This shoe keeps you raised high yet feels stable and ready to run hard.

Performance

The Triumph 7’s seem to cover a category unto themselves. They are billed as a premier cushioning shoe for a neutral runner, and that would be correct; but they also perform far faster than their weight. Although these shoes weigh in at a healthy 12.3 oz, they perform lighter due to the built in technologies. The cushioning is ample to support long runs, while the shoe is stable with each foot fall to prevent movement. The Arch-Lock and quick transition from heal strike to toe-off make this shoe even better for quality long runs when you have to run tempo. The cushioning will ensure you aren’t beat up while the technologies help you get up on your toes for that fast running.

Uses

As mentioned in the Performance section, I find myself using the Triumph 7’s for long runs in which I know I’ll be running hard. In fact, I even use these on tempo runs of middling distances, especially on hillier courses. Because the cushioning is superb, and the stable shoe with quick transitioning make running “on top of your feet” easy to keep the tempo going. In the same manner, they are great for energy back when powering over smaller rollers, because you can get and stay way up on your feet.

For long runs in which the only goal is to plod along with friends to share in company, although I could use the Triumph 7’s, they are too good, filled with too much performance, to waste.

This entry was posted on Monday, March 1st, 2010 at 8:44 pm and is filed under Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.