Nike Vaporfly 4 vs Saucony Endorphin Elite 3: Which Super Shoe for Race Day?

Both of these are carbon-plated racing super shoes built to shave seconds off a run split, but they take different routes to get there — and the gap in price and weight is big enough to matter when you’re choosing between them for your next triathlon.

Spec Comparison

UK price: Vaporfly 4 — £210 (men’s) / £162 (women’s). Endorphin Elite 3 — £300.
Weight: Vaporfly 4 — approximately 165g (men’s UK8). Endorphin Elite 3 — 207g (men’s 9) / 184g (women’s 8).
Drop: Vaporfly 4 — 6mm (reduced from the Vaporfly 3). Endorphin Elite 3 — 8mm, on a 39.5mm heel / 31.5mm forefoot stack.
Midsole and plate: Vaporfly 4 — Nike’s lightest, most responsive foam compound to date with a Flyplate carbon insert. Endorphin Elite 3 — a full 40mm stack of Saucony’s IncrediRUN foam with a new slotted carbon plate, replacing the PWRRUN HG setup used in the Elite 2.
Upper: Vaporfly 4 — woven mesh that doesn’t retain water, a genuinely useful trait for a T2 run leg that starts in a wet sock.

Nike Vaporfly 4: Best For

The Vaporfly 4 is lighter, cheaper, and its non-absorbent upper is a small but real advantage for triathletes running straight off the bike in wet feet. It’s the more accessible of the two on price, and Nike’s super-shoe line has the longest race-day track record of any brand on this list.

Check Nike Vaporfly 4 (men’s) on Amazon · women’s on Amazon

Saucony Endorphin Elite 3: Best For

The Elite 3’s taller stack and reworked plate are aimed at runners who want maximum cushioning alongside the propulsion — useful if you’re racing off the bike on tired legs over an Olympic-distance or 70.3 run leg rather than a standalone marathon. It costs £90 more than the Vaporfly 4 and carries roughly 40g of extra weight per shoe, a trade-off some racers will happily make for the extra protection.

Check Saucony Endorphin Elite 3 on Saucony UK — no Amazon UK listing has surfaced for the Elite 3 yet.

Verdict

Choose the Vaporfly 4 if weight and price matter most, or if you’re running off the bike in wet kit. Choose the Endorphin Elite 3 if you want the tallest, most cushioned plated shoe you can get and don’t mind paying for it.