For years the Saucony Triumph occupied an awkward middle ground, a max-cushion daily trainer that struggled to distinguish itself from the cheaper Ride sitting alongside it. With the Triumph 24, released on 1 June, Saucony has given the line a genuine identity. A new midsole compound called IncrediLUX is the centrepiece of the redesign, and it transforms how the shoe feels underfoot without pushing the price beyond the established 170 pound mark.
IncrediLUX is a lightweight A-TPU based foam, highly compliant but with enough rebound to stop the ride feeling dead on slower runs. The numbers tell part of the story: the Triumph 24 carries a generous 43mm stack height yet weighs around 8.8 ounces in a men's nine, a notable trim for a shoe in this category. The result is a cushioned platform that no longer feels like ballast, and reviewers across the board have remarked that this is the first Triumph that reads as a true premium trainer rather than a heavier sibling to the Ride.
On the road the shoe is most at home eating up easy miles, recovery days and long runs, where the soft compliance of the foam takes the sting out of repetitive impact. More surprising is its range. Despite being marketed as a plush cruiser, testers found it responsive enough to handle tempo efforts and even half-marathon racing at a pinch, a versatility that was never the Triumph's calling card before. The breathable upper drew consistent praise too, locking the foot down with a true-to-size fit and no reported hotspots.
It is not a shoe for everyone. Runners who prefer a firm, propulsive platform will find the softness overwhelming, and the XT-900 outsole rubber struggled for grip on wet concrete and stone in testing, a caveat worth noting for anyone running through a damp British summer. At 170 pounds it also sits at the upper end of the daily-trainer bracket, where competition from rival brands is fierce and several plated super-trainers now hover at a similar price.
Even so, the Triumph 24 represents the most convincing version of the franchise in years. By committing to a softer, lighter direction and giving the shoe a foam worth talking about, Saucony has answered the long-standing criticism that the Triumph lacked a reason to exist. Neutral runners chasing a lightweight max-cushion option for the bulk of their weekly mileage now have a strong reason to put it on the shortlist.