Best For

Welcome to the new era of non-traditional stability running shoes. The Saucony Tempus is a brand new, revolutionary approach for the stability rotation. Most runners have a little bit of pronation or supination in their footstrike. Thankfully, running shoe companies are starting to innovate for stability runners, not just neutral runners. This shoe will work as a daily trainer, long run, and even a race day shoe to boot for the ½ & full marathon distances. I would absolutely race in this shoe. The innovation lies in the contoured PWRRUN/PWRRUN PB midsole combo, we’ll get to that in a minute, but first a few necessaries:

What’s always a let down with stability running shoes, especially those with “maximum” structure built in via “roll bars” or “shanks,” just sounds scary…. is the weight of the beasts. In my size you’re often looking at 9+ ounces, no bueno. But have no fear, the Saucony Tempus, with some gentle stability crafted into that midsole, is showing off at a very exciting 8.2 ounces (233 g) in my size. In fact, I can’t recall another stability running shoe that dips under 8 ounces in my size (correct me in the comments below). For the drop you’re looking at 8mm, a little on the higher side but it works well for keeping you up on your toes when those running legs start to hit the wall. With that kind of stack in the midsole, I would absolutely take the Saucony Tempus out for a long run. 

Upper

Sporting some breathable mesh and a semi-gusset, the Tempus upper wraps very comfortably on top of the foot, no issues with the tongue drifting around in the 50 miles of testing. Saucony takes a very unique approach to that toebox stitch pattern, very high on the breathability scale. And if you prefer a little strength in that heel counter construction and overall heel pocket lockdown, then the Tempus will work for you. For good measure Saucony tops off the heel counter with a nice pull tab to help you get that shoe on and off of your tired feet.

Midsole

Moving down into the “newness” of the Saucony Tempus, the midsole, aka the heart of a running shoe. PWRRUN PB runs throughout the midsole from heel to toe, which is lightweight and generously returns energy back to your stride. The brilliance of the Saucony Tempus is the dual density approach (think Hoka Mach 5 type innovation), because wrapping around the midfoot is the more dense and stabilizing PWRRUN foam (see durometer below). Think of this two foam approach as a nice hug around the midfoot to keep your feet and overall biomechanics moving straight forward without overpronation or supination. I could keep going, but I’ll stop with this: the geometric shaping of the midsole allows for a sinking in feeling into the footbed, creating less lateral movement within the shoe. Saucony, you just pushed the ball down the court in a big way for the stability runners around the world! Nice work. 

Shall we go on?

Yes!

Outsole

XT-900 rubber on the outsole, yes please! That’s what you get in the Tempus. But the entire outsole is not plastered with the stuff. I would feel 100% confident at 5:30/mile pace on wet pavement and sharp corners in a local 10k or ½ marathon; think tune up race where you want to protect your legs. Since the Tempus has PWRRUN PB in that midsole, I would absolutely take it to a starting line, not for a peak race but just to stretch the legs out against some local competition.

Would I Buy This Shoe Again?

One of the most common running shoe questions I receive from runners who need or even prefer a little stability from the midsole is, “what is the best stability running shoe for racing?” Well, now I have my answer, the Saucony Tempus, which I predict will be hard to find by the end of the year. Snag a pair while you can!