Saucony Zealot Shoe General Info

The Zealot replaces the Cortana line as the highly cushioned low drop model in Saucony’s lineup. It maintains the low drops but ups the level of cushioning, with a 24/28mm stack height.

It uses Saucony’s latest technologies to maximize the cushioning but not the weight, and the results where very apparent.

Putting the shoes on for the first time the upper is plush and stretchy, with the external supports holding your feet down in just the right places.

The cushioning had the most ideal level of softness of any shoe I’ve worn for easy running. And the colour way was adequately obnoxious for a pair of running shoes.

Also of note is the fit, they conformed well around my feet while in the past I found most Sauconys too tight in the toe box.

Saucony Zealot Sole Info

The new POWERGRID+ foam composes the voluptuous midsole. They’re claiming it will last longer while being lighter and offering better cushioning, compared to the POWERGRID previously used in similar shoes such as the Cortana line.

While I’m not familiar with the POWERGRID foam they previously used, I have worn countless running shoes with varying sole materials, and the POWERGRID+ material blew me away.

Even running in the miserable sub zero Fahrenheit temperatures of late, they’ve managed to maintain a surprising level of suppleness, not a common feat.

And even with the fair mass of material underfoot, the shoe manages to maintain a reasonable level of flexibility underfoot.

The outsole, however, doesn’t even approach the plane of awesomeness found in the midsole. That’s not to say its poor, however, rather merely adequate.

Traction was present on dry roads and decreased steadily as the roads got damp and cold. They do seem to generously thick and fairly durable, though, likely to match the extra durability build into the midsole.

Saucony Zealot Upper Info

The upper on this shoe is a perfect fit for the sole unit it rides on. The ISO fit system consists of a soft, stretchy inner bootie with an overlay “cage” locking the foot down into the shoe well enough for anything short of races or hard intervals.

The soft inner layer makes shoe a pleasure to wear sockless when the weather takes a break from its current frigidness.

The upper also drains and dries out fairly quickly. And as a final finishing touch, the flat laces have a little bit of stretch built in, which helps the shoe stay conformed to the foot throughout the gait cycle.

Saucony Zealot Conclusions

These are honestly the first pair of shoes I’ve come across which I can recommend with any major reservations to almost any neutral runner looking for a cushioned daily trainer.

Even if you think they may be a bit much, at least try them on, you might find yourself falling in love.

We thank the nice people at Saucony for sending us a pair of Zealot to test. This did not influence the outcome of the review, written after running more than 50 miles in them.