Saucony Guide 19 running shoe review – opinion, price, comparison, who it’s recommended for

Who the Saucony Guide 19 running shoe is recommended for

• Recommended if you need milder, non-aggressive stability.
• Recommended if you mainly do slow or moderately paced road runs.
• Recommended if you want a comfortable shoe even for longer workouts.
• Recommended if a wider base and more secure foot hold are important to you.
• Recommended if you would also use it for walking or all-day wear in addition to running.

Who the Saucony Guide 19 running shoe is NOT recommended for

• Not recommended if you are looking for a fast, dynamic shoe that is also suitable for racing.
• Not recommended if you expect strong energy return from the midsole.
• Not recommended if you prefer a very airy, lightweight upper.
• Not recommended if you are looking for a more cushioned model for ultra distances.

Saucony Guide 19 running shoe upper

The Saucony Guide 19 running shoe upper is made of a softer mesh material with average breathability. The upper is clearly about comfort rather than performance. The thickness not only has a positive effect on comfort, but also on durability, as it makes the upper tougher and more hard-wearing. The upper is flexible enough to adapt well to the shape of the foot, but structured enough to provide good foot hold.

The upper fits true to size in length, there is plenty of room in the toe area, but the midfoot holds the foot securely. At the heel it also feels snugger than at the toes because of the more generous padding, but it is not narrow and holds the foot well. The outsole wraps high onto the upper, especially on the inner side, to improve stability. In addition to the regular width, the Saucony Guide 19 running shoe is also available in wide and extra-wide versions.

The tongue is medium width, medium thickness and comfortable, and it is attached on both sides, so it does not slide sideways while running. The tongue protects perfectly against lace bite, and the laces themselves are slightly thicker and flatter than average.

The heel collar is rigid, as is common with stability running shoes, but not extremely rigid, and thanks to its generous padding it holds the foot comfortably and securely.

The proprietary SRS inner insole is not glued into the shoe, it is removable, and it provides a soft, pleasant step-in feel.

Saucony Guide 19 running shoe midsole

The Saucony Guide 19 running shoe midsole is made entirely of PWRRUN foam, just like the midsoles of the previous versions, but this foam has been reworked, making it softer and a bit more flexible, though as a result it has lost a bit of its dynamism. On landing, you can clearly feel that this is a softer foam, and the transitions are smoother, but on toe-off you can also feel that it does not rebound as quickly or as strongly. The Guide product line is not about fast runs, but much more about longer, lower-intensity runs, so I do not think this is a problem or a step back.

The shoe’s stability is still provided by Center Path technology, the essence of which is that the tall sidewalls and the asymmetrical sole geometry try to keep the lower leg perpendicular so that it does not collapse inward and pronate. The Guide 19 midsole is not aggressively stable, it is wider than average and wraps more around the upper, so it achieves stability naturally without support elements.

The Guide 19 midsole has a 6 mm drop, which feels lower if you land on your heel, because the softer foam compresses more. For heel strikers who are used to a higher drop, it may feel a little flatter than average. The Guide 19 midsole does not belong to the very thick midsoles anyway, it is 35 mm high at the heel. The combination of average height and above-average width also serves better stability.

Because of its above-average width, the shoe’s torsional stiffness is also higher than average, but it is not annoyingly stiff and does not feel rigid even at lower intensity.

The midsole is clearly optimized for lower-intensity, even longer runs, for easy but even longer training sessions. If you are the type of runner for whom a slower run can be restorative, you will also be able to use it excellently for that, or for walking and all-day wear.

Saucony Guide 19 running shoe outsole

The Saucony Guide 19 running shoe outsole is made from Saucony’s proprietary carbon rubber called XT-900. Thanks to the carbon rubber, this is a harder rubber compound that provides better wear resistance. Since harder rubber compounds offer less grip, Saucony compensates for this by having the outsole cover a larger area of the midsole, allowing it to make contact with the ground over a larger surface.

The grip of the Saucony Guide 19 is good on dry surfaces, while on wet surfaces it is not outstanding, but it is satisfactory.

The outsole is segmented, so it does not overly stiffen the midsole. It has clearly visible transverse and longitudinal segmentation as well, so that the midsole remains more flexible and more elastic. There is much more rubber coverage on the shoe than on previous versions, so the shoe is expected to be much more durable as well.

What is it like to run in the Saucony Guide 19 running shoe?

Cushioning and midsole

The midsole of the Saucony Guide 19 running shoe is not tall, it is 35 mm at the heel, so its cushioning is also moderate. The midsole is made of the reworked, softer-tuned PWRRUN foam, which has moderate dynamism. The drop of the midsole is 6 mm, but because it is softer and compresses more, it feels flatter when landing on the heel.

Stability and guidance

The Saucony Guide 19 running shoe is a stability shoe, but you do not feel its stability strongly. The stability comes from the fact that the geometry is wide relative to the height of the midsole, and the foam wraps up around the upper. It does not counteract the inward-leaning, pronating lower leg, but instead tries to keep it centered and perpendicular.

Upper and comfort

The upper of the Saucony Guide 19 running shoe is clearly optimized for comfort rather than performance. Its upper is thicker, more padded, and it holds the foot securely. Its midsole is soft and comfortable, but also stable, which is especially useful on longer runs, or even for all-day wear.

Ground contact and grip

The drop of the Saucony Guide 19 running shoe is a little lower than average, which favors runners who land more on the forefoot, but since the midsole is soft, if you land on your heel you will still find it comfortable. The wide midsole with greater torsional stiffness guides the roll-through in a stable way. The outsole covers the midsole over a large area, so despite being made from a harder rubber, it has good grip on dry surfaces and average grip on wet surfaces.

Pace and dynamism

Compared to previous versions, the midsole of the Saucony Guide 19 running shoe has been tuned softer, which improves the feeling of comfort but slightly reduces performance. Saucony never intended the Guide running shoes for fast runs, and that has not changed in this new version 19 either. You can run shorter faster sections in it, but fundamentally this is not what the shoe is for.

What changed compared to the previous version? Saucony Guide 19 running shoe vs Saucony Guide 18.

The upper of the Saucony Guide 19 running shoe has become a little thicker, softer and better padded. This improves the shoe’s comfort, but increases its weight and reduces its breathability. Neither change is major, but both are noticeable compared to the previous Saucony Guide 18 running shoe.

If you only looked at the midsole specs, it would seem practically unchanged, with the same name and the same dimensions. But Saucony fine-tuned the PWRRUN foam, and compared to the previous version, the midsole of the Saucony Guide 19 has become softer, with slightly less rebound and lower energy return.

The most striking difference on the Guide 19 compared to the previous Guide 18 is on the outsole. The shoe received much greater outsole coverage, improving on the flaw of previous versions where you could wear into the midsole. The segmented outsole supports movement in more directions, the grip is better, and the shoe has also become more wear-resistant and more durable. The enlarged outsole also increases the shoe’s weight, but I think it was worth it.

Saucony Guide 19 running shoe alternatives – comparison

If you are looking for a lighter, not heavily cushioned stability running shoe like the Saucony Guide 19, there are plenty of alternatives to choose from:

• Hoka Arahi 8 – a similar mild stability approach with a wide base, but with PEBA-based foam that is much more dynamic
• ASICS GT-2000 14 – more classic, more structured stability
• Brooks Adrenaline GTS 25 – the best-known competitor in this segment, with GuideRails technology and a similar price
• New Balance Fresh Foam 860v14 – a bit more stability, also available in a wide version
• Nike Structure 26 – a bit heavier, and you can feel the support more in it, but it is in a similar price category

It is also worth noting that Saucony has two other stability shoes:

• Saucony Hurricane 25 – more stability and higher cushioning, a taller midsole, but in the same “soft, non-intrusive” approach, for longer runs
• Saucony Tempus 2 – for those who want a faster, more versatile shoe while retaining stability

Is there a difference between the men’s and women’s Saucony Guide 19 running shoe?

There is no construction difference between the men’s and women’s Saucony Guide 19 running shoe. Obviously, the color selection and size range are different, and the women’s Saucony Guide 19 is lighter at 252 grams, but that is due to sizing, since this weight refers to size 38,5, while the men’s version weighs 275 grams in size 42,5.