- Weight: 315g (UK men’s size 11)
- Stack height: 33mm (heel), 25mm (forefoot)
- Drop: 8mm
- Tester info: 186The New Balance Fresh Foam X 880 v15 gets softer
Pros
- Lightweight for a stability shoe
- Responsive midsole with good firmness and energy return
- The New Balance Fresh Foam X 880 v15 gets softer
Cons
- Health & Injuries
- The New Balance Fresh Foam X 880 v15 gets softer
- Buy - womens
The shoe
It’s fair to say that stability shoes aren’t typically the most exciting. In the era of carbon plates, max cushioning and high-performance midsoles, there’s plenty of fun to be had in running shoes. Firmness, arch support and reinforced heels? Not so much.
But Saucony’s latest stability offering proves that if you’re an overpronator who requires extra support in your running shoes – or even a neutral gait runner looking for a more supportive daily trainer – you can absolutely still get a quick, versatile ride without compromising on those stability features.
The Tempus 2 is the second iteration of Saucony’s niche, support-meets-speed offering. True to its name, it’s a shoe that (on paper at least) is as much geared up for tempo sessions and ‘go-fast’ efforts as it is for logging weekly mileage.
After running 80km in the Saucony Tempus 2, I was surprised to find just how well that rang true. With my London marathon training plan chucking up weekly long and easy runs, plus some testing tempo and interval sessions where I’d need to push the limits of my pace and endurance, I found that it was surprisingly well suited to each format. Here’s how I got on.
How does the Saucony Tempus 2 fit?
I opted for my typical men’s size 11 with the Tempus 2 and had no issues. On first wear, they fit nicely, with no tight spots or overly excessive gaps to report – and that remained so throughout my testing.
The consensus among wearers of the original Tempus is that the 2 is slightly narrower in the forefoot than the first iteration. If you’re someone who typically opts for wide models, there’s no such option here, so bear that in mind if you usually require extra room in the toe box. Personally, I found the shoe to be sufficiently spacious and about average in terms of wiggle room around the toes and at the sides of the feet.
Saucony has also introduced a more substantial upper on the Tempus 2 than that on the original. The new engineered mesh wraps the feet nicely, giving a supportive, locked-in feel that doesn’t feel overly cushioned or restrictive. But it’s not the most breathable. I did find it to be a little warm during longer efforts – although I wouldn’t consider that to be a dealbreaker.
The heel collar and tongue are padded, but not overly so. The heel clip is nice and stiff and extends both up the achilles and around the sides of the heel, offering a good amount of support and stability.
For me, overall, the feel of the shoe strikes a nice balance between comfort and support, while still somehow maintaining a minimalist construction that allows my feet to move naturally.
What’s it like to run in the Saucony Tempus 2?
According to the scales, the Tempus 2 weigh 315g per shoe (in men’s size 11). That's pretty hefty for an everyday trainer, but you’re always going to have to sacrifice some weight in exchange for the extra support features needed to correct overpronation. That said, despite that extra weight, the Tempus 2 feels lightweight underfoot and I had no problem picking up the cadence on faster efforts.
As for the overall ride, the midsole consists of a combination of Saucony’s energetic PWRRUN PB foam and the more rigid, high-density, asymmetrical PWRRUN frame. This combo gives the shoe a firm and balanced underfoot feel, particularly at the forefoot, and extra support in the arches.
The stiffness and rigidity at the midfoot and forefoot is what gives the shoe its responsiveness. A bend test demonstrates just how responsive the midsole is, offering a noticeable level forward propulsion and, in turn, giving the shoe its energetic and lively feel.
As for stability, the medial arch support at the inner heels corrects overpronation and reduces that lateral role — but not overly so. I didn’t experience any discomfort elsewhere, which indicates that Saucony hasn't overdone it here. The stiffness of the heel gives structure and balance, without sacrificing too much in terms of speed.
Underneath, the lugged outsole pattern gives the shoes a sufficient amount of traction when I wore it on dry and wet(ish) pavement (it’s barely rained in weeks). The coverage is good, apart from at the inner heel where there’s no rubber underneath the arch support. Over time, you might find this wears away quicker than elsewhere on the outsole, but I didn’t find it to be a problem during my testing.
RW verdict
There are relatively few shoes that do what the Tempus 2 sets out to achieve. In this instance, I think Saucony has nailed the brief. The Tempus 2 hits all the markers in terms of stability, while also lending particularly well to sessions with a variety of speeds and quicker efforts thanks to that midsole combo and responsive feel. In short, this is a lightweight shoe that’s excellent for overpronators wanting to run fast.
