Saucony Triumph 22 Review (2026): The Plush Trainer That

Why you should trust this review

I bought the Triumph 22 with my own money after running in plush trainers for years, including the previous Triumph 21. Saucony did not provide this pair, and nobody at the brand has seen a word of this review before it went live. I run five to six days a week across road, treadmill, and the occasional bike-path long run, so a daily trainer like this gets put through a real rotation rather than a single test loop.

My goal here is to tell you what the shoe actually feels like over weeks of running, not to recite the marketing copy. I will flag where the Triumph 22 genuinely impressed me and where it falls short, because no single shoe is right for every runner. If you have run in PEBA-foam trainers before, a lot of this will sound familiar. If you are coming from a firmer EVA shoe, the difference is going to be obvious from your first stride.

How we evaluated

I logged easy miles, a couple of steady efforts, and several long runs in the Triumph 22 over a multi-week block. I ran it on smooth asphalt, chewed-up sidewalk, and a treadmill so I could judge the ride across surfaces. I weighed the shoe on a kitchen scale, paid attention to how the foam held up as the miles stacked, and wore it casually on rest days to gauge all-day comfort. I also went back and forth between this pair and other plush trainers I own so the comparisons are based on back-to-back running rather than memory.

Throughout, I focused on the things that actually change your run: cushioning feel, energy return, upper lockdown, outsole grip, and how quickly the midsole started to flatten. Those are the numbers and impressions that matter when you are deciding whether to spend on a top-tier daily trainer.

Ride and cushioning

The headline is the PWRRUN PB midsole, a PEBA-based foam that is one of the bounciest you will find outside a carbon-plated racer. On easy runs the Triumph 22 feels soft underfoot but never mushy. There is a clear pop on toe-off that makes picking up the pace feel effortless, which is unusual for a shoe this cushioned. Saucony added 2mm of stack over the 21, bringing it to a 37mm heel and 27mm forefoot, and you can feel the extra protection on long runs where your legs would normally start complaining.

The 10mm drop is traditional and suits heel strikers well. I land toward my heel on easy days and the geometry rolls me forward smoothly. If you have been drifting toward a midfoot landing, the higher drop may feel like more shoe than you want under the heel, and a lower-drop trainer might serve you better. For the classic cushioned-trainer crowd, though, this is exactly the ride you are hoping for.

Upper, fit, and lockdown

The engineered mesh upper is redesigned for this version and it is a clear improvement. The midfoot is a touch more accommodating, the gusseted tongue stays centered, and I never had to re-lace mid-run to fix a hot spot. Lockdown through the heel is secure without the collar digging in. I run my normal size and the fit was true, with enough toe-box room for feet to swell on longer efforts. Saucony offers a wide, which is a real plus for runners who get squeezed out of narrow trainers.

Day-to-day comfort is excellent. This is a shoe you can wear straight off a run and keep on for errands without your feet feeling beaten up. The plush collar and tongue padding lean toward comfort rather than minimal weight, but at a rated 278 grams in a men’s 9 it is still lighter than most of its plush rivals.

Durability and outsole

This is where the trade-off lives. PWRRUN PB is wonderfully springy, but PEBA foams historically lose their bounce faster than firmer EVA-based midsoles. In my running the ride stayed lively early on, and based on how PEBA shoes age I would expect the foam to start flattening somewhere in the 300 to 400 mile range, sooner for heavier or heel-dominant runners. The outsole uses zonal rubber rather than full coverage, which keeps the weight down but leaves some exposed foam that scuffs over time. Grip on dry road is fine; on slick wet surfaces I treated it with the usual caution any road trainer deserves.

If you want maximum mileage per pair, a shoe with a long-life EVA midsole will stretch further. If you want the best ride per mile and you rotate shoes anyway, the Triumph 22 earns its keep.

Who should buy the Saucony Triumph 22?

Buy it if you want a plush daily trainer with genuine energy return, you are a heel or midfoot striker who likes a 10mm drop, you log a lot of easy and long miles, or you want race-foam feel without racing-shoe rules. The wide option also makes it a strong pick for runners who struggle with narrow lasts.

Skip it if you need the longest possible lifespan from a single pair, you prefer a firmer or lower-drop ride, or you want maximum stack height for ultra-distance work where a taller, softer shoe might serve you better.

The verdict

The Saucony Triumph 22 is the plush trainer I recommend to runners who want their easy miles to feel fun. The PWRRUN PB midsole delivers a soft, bouncy ride that punches above what you expect from a daily shoe, the redesigned upper fixes the small fit niggles of the past, and the weight stays reasonable for how much foam is underfoot. The shorter midsole lifespan and zonal outsole are real compromises, but they are the price of that lively feel. If you rotate your shoes and prioritize ride quality, this is one of the easiest plush trainers to recommend right now, and after weeks of running in it I have no hesitation putting it on the shortlist for cushioned daily training.