Saucony Triumph 22 Introduction
Most brands will use different midsole foams in their racing shoes and their max-cushioned trainers. For example, New Balance uses FuelCell in their racers, Fresh Foam X in their max-cushioned trainers. Adidas uses Lightstrike Pro in their racers, Boost in their max-cushioned trainer. ASICS has FF Turbo+ in their racers, FF Blast+ Eco in their max-cushioned trainer. Only Nike uses ZoomX in both their racers and their max-cushioned trainer.
Saucony uses PWRUN PB (PEBA) in their racers, and they used to use PWRRUN+ in the Triumph, their max-cushioned trainer. This year, PWRUN PB also makes an appearance in the Triumph 22 for the first time. This not only makes it more marketable but it also makes it better value for money because the Triumph 22 costs $160, the same price as last year and $10 cheaper than the Endorphin Speed 4 which also has PWRRUN PB in its midsole.
In the max-cushioned trainer category, the Triumph has been the king of versatility for many years now. While most max-cushioned trainers are only good for slow, easy runs, the Triumph’s energetic midsole made it capable of picking up the pace. Its TPU midsole also made it one of the most durable when it comes to cushioning retention.
My last pair of Triumphs was the 20, which had the same midsole as the 21st version. I enjoyed how much cushioning it had and how agile it felt at the same time. It was a really good long run shoe because it weighed under 10 ounces for a US9.
This year’s Triumph 22 comes in at 10.1 oz (286 g), a slight increase of 0.3 oz (8.5 g). It has the same 37 mm/27 mm stack heights but the heel, midfoot and forefoot are much wider. It has a clean sweep of changes including a new upper, midsole and outsole.
Saucony Triumph 22 First Impressions
My first run in the 22 was a 28 kilometre long run starting off at an easy pace for the first 8 kilometres, followed by 20 kilometres at a steady pace. The ride felt much softer than I expected it to feel because PWRRUN PB is normally not so plush.
It felt much better during the easy portion of the long run because of how soft it felt underfoot. It reminded me more of the other slow, max-cushioned trainers like the Nimbus 26, More v4 and Glycerin 21 which are suited to easy runs only.
The upper felt luxurious but also really thick and warm. My feet felt like they were inside tiny ovens and by the end of the run, a lot of sweat had soaked into the upper.
Saucony Triumph 22 Upper
As is the case with most max-cushioned trainers, the Triumph 22 upper is generously padded so it runs very warm and is more suited to cool climates than warm ones. It has a thick, engineered mesh upper which isn’t all that breathable so during long runs, my feet sweat a lot in it.
It has a thick tongue which is semi-gusseted and it doesn’t slide around during runs because it has wide wings to hold it in place. The collar is well-padded and foot lockdown is very good.
It fits true to size and it has an accommodating fit in the midfoot/forefoot. Runners with wide feet should be fine in the regular version but it also comes in a wide.
Saucony Triumph 22 Sole Unit
This is definitely not the same PWRRUN PB foam that’s in the Endorphin Speed and Pro. It feels “fluffier” so your feet sink down into the midsole more. It also feels noticeably less energetic and less responsive than PWRRUN PB in the other shoes and PWRRUN+ that was in the Triumph 20/21.
If you’re into soft rides, you’ll enjoy the Triumph 22. It now has cushioning softness which is equivalent to the Nimbus 26 from ASICS or the On Cloudeclipse. It’s not quite as squishy as the New Balance 1080v13 but it’s still a very comfortable ride. It’s best suited to slow, easy or recovery runs which are 5:30 minutes per kilometre (8:52 per mile) or slower.
One of the other big differences between this version and previous ones is that the PWRRUN+ insole has been removed and swapped for a soft EVA insole, like in the Triumph 19. The change also makes the ride less bouncy and less energetic because your feet have to work through a spongy layer before they get to the responsive PEBA foam.
With 37 mm of stack height in the heel, the Triumph is a tall shoe but stability is excellent for a neutral trainer. This is due to the wider base, which is 10mm wider in the rearfoot/midfoot and 5 mm wider in the forefoot than the Triumph 21. Overpronators who need a little bit of stability will find that it offers enough support.
There’s plenty of cushioning in the midsole of the Triumph 22 and you can definitely run a full marathon in it if you’re looking for a plush, flexible, non-plated option. Ride transitions are smooth and the gentle forefoot rocker makes it easy to roll through transitions.
The Triumph 22’s outsole is similar to its predecessor with the biggest change being that the transition groove in the centre now extends all the way from the heel to the end of the forefoot. The XT-900 outsole rubber is extremely tough so outsole durability is far higher than the average trainer. My pair is showing minimal outsole wear after 80 kilometres.
Saucony Triumph 22 Conclusions
This year’s Triumph 22 has lost some of the Triumph essence. It feels much softer and isn’t as versatile as previous versions.
I think Saucony purposefully did this because the new Ride 17 with PWRRUN+ has become the cushioned, versatile trainer that you can use for every type of run. The Triumph is now your typical max-cushioned trainer which is only good for slow running.
The Triumph 22 is not a better shoe than the Triumph 21, neither is it worse. It depends on your use case: if you prefer versatility, you’ll prefer the 21, if you prefer plushness and comfort, the 22 is the better shoe. The 22 feels more luxurious because of its plusher ride but it has picked up weight.
The Triumph 22 doesn’t stand out from the crowd as much as in previous years. The Nimbus 26, More v4, Glycerin 21 and Bondi 8 are all max-cushioned trainers for slow running only, just like the Triumph 22. They are all very stable as well.
