Saucony ProGrid Guide 5 Shoes

Let’s start with the obvious stuff. It’s lighter. Pick the shoe up and compared to the Guide 4 it’s around 40g lighter. That’s around 15% so it’s a significant difference. The Guide 5 puts you closer to the ground so whilst it’s more responsive and encourages you onto your midfoot and forefoot, crucially the foot is always in a more stable position. These two points are the holy grail of running shoes. More cushioned, and more stable, without being bulky! Saucony have developed this positioning of the foot ahead of any other manufacturer with the Guide 5 and the Triumph 9 leading the way.


The Guide has become one of the most important shoes in the running industry as it fits into the category that so many runners need. The fifth version takes the Guide a leap into the future by utilising the “Geometry of Strong”, the research Saucony have completed throughout their minimalism project. Because of this change in foot position, the new version is also more flexible, responsive and the cushioning is more dynamic.


The Guide 5 also uses Saucony’s exclusive IBR+ outsole giving more grip and durability than any other outsole on the market. We know other companies have got this coming, but Saucony have it first! IBR+ is 40% lower density (and therefore lighter) than standard blown runner and it’s also 50% more energy absorbing (which to us runners means it’s 50% more cushioned).


Finally, the Strobel board (that’s the red cushioning you see when you lift the sockliner of a Saucony shoe has been DOUBLED in thickness to increase the cushioning even more!