- Weight: 221g (women's), 269g (men's)
- Heel/toe drop: 6mm
- Type: Stability
The shoe
Saucony's Guide 16 is a daily stability shoe – providing support for runners with mild to moderate overpronation. It's a true workhorse – designed for munching up daily miles – thanks to a thick stack of PWRRUN cushioning, plenty of structure and a plush comfy interior. Our deputy digital editor, Jenny Bozon, has been putting the Guide 16 through its paces over the last month – here's what she thought of the shoe.
What's the Saucony Guide 16 like to run in?
A hollow-tech frame positioned along the midfoot and heel provides support beneath the foot
As a runner who overpronates, I tend to wear support/stability shoes for the bulk of my miles, and have found the Guide 16 suits me really well. I've run around 60km in the shoe so far during a range of sessions, including long runs, recovery runs, interval sessions and a few tempo runs.
The pronation control, provided by the Hollow Tech support frame positioned along the sidewalls at the heel and forefoot, is excellent.
Essentially, this is a lighter and less intrusive version of a medial post, and although I could sometimes notice it preventing the excessive inward rolling of my feet – particularly during the latter part of my runs where my gait tends to worsen due to fatigue – I didn't find it invasive.
Another element of the shoe which helps to provide stability is the heel counter – which is stiff and sturdy, so keeps the achilles firmly supported. You've got also got an elasticated strap around the back of the shoe to create a secure heel hold. As someone who is prone to achilles tendon niggles, I was big fan of the structure and support these elements provided, and had no achilles flare-ups during testing.
I also love how light the Guide 16 is for a stability shoe, which made it really enjoyable to run in. At 221g, it's around 50g lighter than the Asics Gel-Kayano 29 (another stability shoe) and lighter than many neutral shoes, for example the Nike Pegasus 40 and Adidas Ultraboost Light (both 240g).
While I certainly wouldn't describe it as a fast shoe, because of how light it is I didn't find it cumbersome and sluggish to wear during long runs or even during more up-tempo sessions. That said, I felt most comfortable wearing these during slower-paced sessions, including easy mid-week recovery miles, and that's because of the PWRRUN foam midsole cushioning which, unfortunately, I felt does lack responsiveness.
It's quite a firm foam but not overly so that it feels unforgiving. However, it does lack the spring needed to really pick up the pace during faster sessions, so I found myself needing to exert more energy during my interval repeats than I would have wearing something more poppy. I have the same gripe with the Gel-Kayano's cushioning.
But I'd argue the Guide 16 suits me better than the Kayano overall. It has a 6mm drop, compared to the Kayano's 13mm drop, so feels quite different on the run. The lower drop helps to promote more of a midfoot vs heelstrike and also seemed to put less load on my knees during long runs. As mentioned, it's also a lighter shoe so feels a bit more nippy and nimble.
How is the Saucony Guide 16 different to the Guide 15?
The Guide 16 features a new PWRRUN+ sockliner, which is essentially a more padded, plush and soft interior, providing wonderful pull-on comfort – the shoe's interior actually feels quite similar to the uber-comfy On Cloudsurfer 7.
It’s got more PWRRUN midsole foam than the Guide 15 and a softer and more flexible duel-layered mesh upper. It's also a smidge lighter, shedding 12g on the Guide 15.
Beneath the shoe the outsole appears unchanged. It has the same tread pattern – comprising two types of rubber – a softer blown rubber on the forefoot and a firmer rubber at the midfoot and heel for added durability. This provided excellent traction and, so far, is showing no signs of wear.
What is the fit like?
I found the shoe fit true to size and contoured my foot perfectly. The toebox is quite roomy – arguably more so than the previous iteration – and this was great for me, as I do suffer with bunions so appreciate the extra space for my big toes to wiggle.
RW verdict
If you’re someone who overpronates and needs a trusty stability shoe to do the bulk of your miles in, the Guide 16 is a solid option. While on the firmer side, the cushioning is generous and well balanced, the shoe delivers excellent pronation control and feels light and nimble on the run. You get slipper-like comfort as soon as you put them on – and they remain just as comfy from the first mile to the last. They're not a particularly responsive shoe – so aren't well suited to running short and fast distances – but are great for long miles and easy runs, especially if you're injury-prone, and need that extra bit of structure and support from your shoes.
