Saucony Men's Triumph 18 Trail Running Shoe

Product Information

This running shoe by Saucony is said to impress with its light, comfortable cushioning. The PWRRUN+ cushioning technology is based on a midsole made of TPU. It is a synthetic plastic known for its elastic, flexible, and durable properties. The compressed TPU beads increase energy return when running, making it particularly reactive. At 274 g, the cushioning is 20 g lighter than its predecessor. The Speed-Roll technology, which is also used in other Saucony models, shifts the body's centre of gravity and brings the hips into a more active running position. It lets you roll forward and thus ensures a more efficient run. Offers a Lot of Grip and Comfort The PWRRUN+ midsole (8mm drop) material has made a splash in 2019/20. It’s like a magic power. It isn’t your grandmother’s EVA midsole. It’s PU based and reports 3x higher durability– more flexible, less sensitive to temperature changes, and lighter to boot. Think about it as a lighter BOOST foam, but don’t get it mixed up with PWRRUN PB that you find in the Endorphin Speed and PRO. That stuff is even lighter and has Peba as an ingredient. Saucony says PWRRUN+ gives the runner the best of six aspects of cushioning – impact absorption, stride response, pressure reduction, energy return, durability, and weight.

Jacob: The Triumph 18 employs a full-coverage, consistent density high abrasion carbon XT-900 rubber with key decoupling including a deep channel underneath the midfoot and beginning of heel. The depth of the channel perhaps also contributes to why Sam noted the heel feels softer, as the cutout makes it easier to compress the foam. Tipping the scale at 11.1 oz (315g), the TRiumph 18 is 0.3 oz (10g) more than the Triumph 17, and 1.3 oz (36g) more than an average running shoe. Good for rainy daysThe Triumph series was never a soft shoe but the Triumph 17 was the first Saucony shoe to feature their Pwwrun+ TPU midsole and the ride became much plusher and livelier. THOMAS: Saucony is killing it this year. The quality and breadth of their lineup is as good as any Saucony has ever produced over the years and as good as any competitor. The Triumph fits the traditional daily trainer mold with a nice midsole upgrade. I imagine the runner that wants a bread and butter trainer will enjoy this shoe. All of the yellow rubber from heel to forefoot appears to be of the same firmness with the green medial piece, for a touch of support firmer. Note also in the picture above that the midfoot cut out to the medial side in the T18 is narrower while its center cavity is also narrower but deeper. In combination with the darker green firmer rubber now at mid foot, replacing crystal rubber, we have a more stable flatter feel at mid foot, less arch pressure and I think a slightly smoother transition if not quite as snappy as T17’s. Again the focus on comfort and cushion through and through here. We don’t know the real reason why Saucony did this but we can only guess that they now want the Triumph to have a mid-year instead of an end-of-year launch.

The XT-900 carbon rubber has proven to be very effective on the Triumph 18, as well as on the majority of the brand’s road shoes. It was therefore logically renewed identically on the Triumph 19. The Saucony Triumph 18 has become an easy day, highly cushioned trainer. It’s also bellied up to the buffet line a few too many times– my size 10.5 weighs in at 12.5 oz./355 grams. As much as I loathe heavy shoes, I still have a soft spot for a couple of trainers that are well designed and can handle the high mileage pounding some runners can dish out. Is the Triumph 18 one of those trainers? Let’s find out. Saucony says that the Triumph 18 has been retooled for a faster feel. It has a new midsole design and an upper which is more streamlined and less padded.Sam: The outsole replaces the 17’s extensive forefoot to midfoot slippery and I found soft and mushy crystal rubber (orange below) with fairly firm high abrasion carbon rubber with no horizontal cut outs to the midsole as before but with longitudinal ones. At the rear, the heel counter is rigid and padded, while the heel collar provides a snug fit for a soft foothold. The gusseted tongue is less padded than on the previous version (presumably to shave some more weight), but it doesn’t impact the comfort. Nothing but praise for this. After running more than 70 miles in the shoe, we found no signs of wear! We do expect the shoe to be able to log more than 500 miles for sure!

Ok, after all the praise for this outstanding upper is it too much of a good thing adding to weight and making the shoe less breathable and heavier? I think so. The Omni 19 a support/stability shoe has a similar holding but lighter upper with a less substantial bootie. It is yet more comfortable and breathable. Bottom line, the Triumph 18 has a great upper but maybe more than the stable underfoot platform actually needs. I felt somewhat the same about the Ride 13. Bring on the next generation thinner mesh of the Shift, at pretty much the same shoe price point. Runners love the shoe’s new aesthetic, which is stylish and has some fun touches (yellow laces, mind you!). They also appreciate the brand’s efforts to use more environmentally friendly materials.

Lots of brands market their trainers as max-cushioned and use terms such as “pillowy soft” and “cloud-like” but in reality, the ride isn’t soft at all. Sam: The T18 is yet more cushioned, slightly more stable, especially at the heel, heavier and has a smoother transition but gets nudged beyond the daily trainer category by its weight where the T17 sat on the upper end of weight for me into the easy days realm. I do not miss the crystal rubber even if the T17 has a teeny touch more response. The new Triumph upper while on the warm side is superior in all respects: heel hold, not as snug arch hold, and toe box vertical volume. The Triumph 18 is of course clearly a highly cushioned road shoe and given its characteristics, one focused on top to bottom on comfort, and not speed or versatility. It succeeds in its mission and very well indeed. It would be too much shoe and weight for my preferences as a daily trainer but for easy days when you don’t want to think too much about form it is a fine option. For heavier runners, new runners, those on the edge of needing some pronation control and max cushion fans, the combination of secure (maybe overly so) comfortable upper, stable platform, and expected durability makes it a top choice if you are not too shoe weight conscious. Because everyone getting on board with making the world a better place, Saucony has made this style vegan and designed it with recycled materials.

A max-cushioned shoe should be soft. Soft enough to provide cloud-like comfort and protection for distances over 30 kilometres. Jacob runs a mix of roads and trails in the Portland, Maine area. He has been running every day for over two years and averages 50-60 miles per week. Jacob has run several marathons and shorter (≤ 50km) ultras and mountain races in the past two seasons, with a PR of 2:51 in the marathon. In addition to running, he surfs, rides (mountain/gravel/road), and nordic skis. He is 25 years old, 6 ft / 182 cm tall and about 155 lbs / 70 kg. Also, this shoe is not light. My W7.5 came in at 9.6 ounces (272 grams). That’s entirely too heavy for a neutral daily trainer these days, even one with a lot of cushion. Shop Triumph 18 – Men Shop Triumph 18 – Women Saucony Triumph 18 ConclusionThe biggest competitor to this shoe comes from within Saucony itself, the Endorphin Shift. If I were the one choosing, I would go with the Shift. It isn’t that much lighter, but I like the Speedroll setup of the midsole. The closest comparable trainer to the Triumph 18 would be the adidas Ultraboost PB. I live for the weekend, so long runs in a comfortable shoe is all I ask for. Well, that and a happy hour with an up martini in my hand. I think this is a great shoe. It’s not WOW!!! But it’s comfortable, stable, consistent, and feels great on your feet. Walking around I agree with Jacob there is no sense of mush or over softness but for sure this is a soft shoe. I am sure that full coverage outsole plays a big role in keeping the underfoot out of the realm of oversoft pillow