The Guide from Saucony has received high marks for consistently being a solid shoe in the brand’s stability lineup, as the mid-cushioned, firmer younger sister of the brand’s Hurricane which employs the softer PWRRUN+ midsole. While neutral running shoes don’t use additional structure, stability shoes like the Guide 14 use the extra technology to help mitigate the effects of overpronation. I only had this issue in the heel though, midfoot and forefoot fit well, and I was able to run no problem in the shoe other than the small annoyance of my heel slipping. Boring looks In the intervening years, the Guide has gone through a number of changes but has remained a reliable stability model which has always delivered a great fit and feel for many runners. Each version has continued to incorporate many of Saucony’s advanced technologies. So fast forward to 2023 and the Guide 16 continues in this vein! The Saucony Guide 14 is fine. Nothing really wrong with it, but also there’s nothing really to get too excited about. It has a purpose and it does it well, period.

Stability shoes are not normally super plush, they tend to have hard, plastic medial posts under the arch, or stiff midsole foams, and the Guide 14 is no exception to this. The 860 has a more streamlined cut and seems to bring me onto my toes more readily than the Guide, with Guide 14 providing a more substantial-feeling base underfoot. On top of the mesh, Saucony added lightweight overlays to provide extra structure. The minimal overlays fan out across the midfoot, which helps the mesh maintain its shape and improves the shoe’s overall secure feeling when you tighten the laces.Covering the Guide is a standard engineered mesh upper. The soft and smooth mesh breathes well, which will keep you cooler on warm days, and it molds around the unique shape of your foot for a better fit. I personally don’t like stiff heels, they don’t work for my foot, and the result is noticeable heel slipping. I was expecting a firmer medial experience through the midfoot transition, but it wasn’t as prominent as I thought it would be,” he says. “Overall, it feels more adaptable than your traditional stability shoe.”

But, if you’re a fan of the Guide line, you’ll get the same reliable stability. Flat- feeling transition, but oh, the upper feels so cozy, even miles into the run. Part of the confident fit comes from the foam padding around the heel cup and collar. Saucony added a soft, memory foam-like pad that creates a plush step-in feel but also gives you a snug, no-slip fit.

Just a note, these laces feel insanely slippery in your fingers, I actually struggled to double-knot them and had to try a few times just because they kept slipping out of my hands.

Guiding your every mile, it's pure performance in a shoe you'll be wearing past your workout. The look is clean, the ride is so smooth - you'll be confident with every stride forward. New Balance’s 860 is also a comparable shoe, with a 10 mm. drop and similar weight, in the half-size larger 860 that my foot needs. The plush shoelaces (that my cat likes playing with while I put the shoe on), anticipate the padded comfort of the rest of the upper.Just as Hurricane is in line with Brooks’ Transcend, so Guide is compatible with Brooks Adrenaline. The Guide 14 gets its stability from a traditional medial post. Anyone who overpronates or who regularly wears stability running shoes will be familiar with the idea behind Saucony’s TPU guidance frame. I like bright shoes though, so if you are from 1984, you may love these shoes and even request a pair of gray laces to mellow them out! Not for night runs This shoe is lighter than Gaviota, yet I rated the latter higher as it is a pointedly solid shoe with a stand-out midsole that is soft yet supportive.

My first run in the shoe actually felt refreshingly light as I had been running in Gaviota 3. I ran some fast-paced intervals amid traces of melting snow from spring! Guide 14 jumped out of the box with a look that matched its later ride; “Hi, I’m a standard shoe of quality build, a bit old fashioned in technology (medial post; I’m lookin’ at you). Since you ran in 90’s Gel-Kayanos for years; I’ll feel like home.”Saucony has made their PWRrun midsole a bit softer in this update but it’s still a stiff shoe without a ton of response or pep. The Saucony Guide is the flagship model of Saucony’s stability range alongside the Hurricane. This new version 14 comes with a modern and sleek design. Pronation is the natural inward roll of your foot as you land and begin the transition to your forefoot, but it can become a problem if you pronate too much. This excessive pronation can prematurely wear out the inside edge (called the medial side) of your shoes, which over time creates an unstable platform to run on.