Revision as of 07:15, 25 September 2015

The Saucony Cortana‏‎‏‎ 4 is a shoe for those looking for something that's just slightly less over engineered than conventional running shoes like the Asics GT 2000. This means it can be used as a stepping stone to better shoes that offer more cushioning for the same weight, or less weight for the same cushioning. Compared with a traditional shoe like the Asics GT 2000 and an optimal shoe like the Asics Gel Hyper Speed, the Cortana is much closer to the GT 2000 than the Hyper Speed, where a shoe like the Saucony Kinvara is closer to the Hyper Speed. If you can accept the Cortana in its role as a transitional shoe, then it works well and is nicely designed. It's only when you compare it with what a running shoe should be that it looks rather grim. I've rated it as "worth considering." (I use The Science of Running Shoes as the basis of how I test running shoes and what you should look for in a running shoe.)

Saucony Cortana 4 top	Saucony Cortana 4 bottom
Saucony Cortana 4 inside	Saucony Cortana 4 outside

1 Characteristics

• Why you’d buy it. If you want a better shoe than a traditional running shoe, but only want to make a small change, the Cortana is a solid choice. I'd recommend trying out the Saucony Kinvara first, and only go for the Cortana if the Kinvara is too much of a change from what you're used to.
• Cushioning . As you'd expect from a transitional shoe, the Cortana‏‎‏‎ has poor cushioning for its weight. In fact, it's cushioning is worse than shoes that are vastly lighter. This is because the Cortana uses harder foam in an attempt to reduce Pronation. The cushioning is so limited that I'm not sure you get all the running economy benefits of a cushioned shoe, making the Cortana slower than you might expect.
• Drop. The Cortana‏‎ has 5mm of drop when loaded, which is more than I'd like, but not unreasonable for a transitional shoe. This represents a nice midway point between the typical 10mm drop you might see in a traditional shoe and the low drop of a good shoe.
• Structure. The Cortana‏‎ uses two densities of foam in an effort to reduce Pronation. The firmer foam is on the inside forward edge of the heel, as well as cupping the heel slightly all around. This cupping is reinforced with a harder plastic layer, seen as an orange line in the middle of the outside view of the shoe.
• Flexibility. The Cortana‏‎‏‎ has mediocre flexibility in spite of the groves in the midsole and the gaps in the outsole. Unlike the Nike LunarSpider‏‎, the lack of flexibility in the Cortana does not provide much spring, and just dampens the toe off.
• Outsole. The Cortana‏‎‏‎ has two densities of firmer rubber outsole over a good portion of the contact areas.
• Shape. The Cortana‏‎‏‎ is not designed around a human foot, with a toe box that presses on the toes. I cut open the toe box to prevent blisters and allow my foot to move, which largely corrects the problem. (I recommend cutting open the toe box of virtually all running shoes, with the exception of a few shoes like some Altra shoes. When you have some worn out shoes, you should try cutting open the toe box. I've found that it's a big improvement, allowing my toes to move naturally and engage for toe off, as well as reducing the possibility of blisters.)
• Upper. The upper is inflexible and mostly seamless. It's quite breathable in the forefoot, with a little padding around the rear of the foot, and lots of soft padding around the ankle opening.
• Tongue. The Cortana‏‎‏‎ has a traditional tongue that is has a tab to attach it to the laces, with nice soft padding.
• Lacing. The Cortana‏‎‏‎ has flat laces that worked well and I never had them come undone. They are also slightly elastic which improves the perceived comfort a bit.
• Heel Counter. The Cortana‏‎‏‎ has surprisingly soft heel counter that is placed on the outside of the shoe. It's ineffectual, but harmless.

Please support this site This review was made possible by readers like you buying products via my links. I buy all the products I review through normal retail channels, which allows me to create unbiased reviews free from the influence of reciprocity, or the need to keep vendors happy. It also ensures I don't get "reviewer specials" that are better than the retail versions. Buy Saucony Cortana at Zappos Buy Saucony Cortana at Road Runner Sports Buy Saucony Cortana at Kelly's Running Warehouse Buy Saucony Cortana at Charlotte Ultra Running Company

2 Cushioning and Shoes

It's intuitively obvious that the cushioning in a shoe will reduce the impact on your body when running. However, The Science of Running Shoes indicates that the reality is rather more complex. While slight cushioning may reduce the effort needed to run by improving your Running Economy, most scientific research indicates that more cushioning does further improve Running Economy. In addition, cushioning does not generally reduce impact and may actually increase it. This is counterintuitive, but is likely to be due to the way a runners mind and body adapts to softer cushioning. Unfortunately, the scientific evidence is far from complete and it's hard to give clear recommendations. I believe that some runners will prefer more cushioning, while others prefer less, and typically those running further have a fondness for greater cushioning. I also believe that a shoe should be as light as possible, and a shoe should justify its weight with the cushioning it provides. My advice is to decide what level of cushioning you're looking for, and then find the lightest shoes that also fit well and are comfortable.

3 Visualizing the Attributes of the Saucony Cortana

How Saucony Cortana compares showing rearfoot cushioning against the performance penalty of its weight. Upper right is better.	How Saucony Cortana compares showing forefoot cushioning against the performance penalty of its weight. Upper right is better.
How Saucony Cortana compares showing the price against the benefit (cushioning/performance penalty). Upper left is better.	How Saucony Cortana compares showing the loaded drop against the benefit (cushioning/performance penalty). Upper left is better.

4 Comparisons

Here are some direct comparisons with its potential competition.

4.1 Saucony Cortana and Saucony Kinvara

Both the Cortana and the Saucony Kinvara are transitional shoes, falling part way between the traditional, over engineered shoes like the Asics GT 2000, and simpler, more effective designs. On this scale the Cortana is closer to the traditional shoes than the Kinvara. The Cortana has multiple densities of foam in an attempt to interfere with foot movement which makes it both heavier and less well cushioned. Therefore the Kinvara is a better shoe, but the Cortana might be useful if you want to move to something slightly better than a traditional shoe without making too many changes.

Saucony Cortana 4 top	Saucony Cortana 4 bottom	Saucony Cortana 4 inside	Saucony Cortana 4 outside
Top	Bottom	Inside	Outside

4.2 Saucony Cortana‏‎‏‎ and Asics Gel Hyper Speed

The Asics Gel Hyper Speed is not only a lot lighter than the Cortana, it's a lot better cushioned. The Cortana has a little more padding, but there's little difference in comfort. You might select the Cortana as part of your transition to better shoes, while the Hyper Speed is where you should be aiming to end up.

Saucony Cortana 4 top	Saucony Cortana 4 bottom	Saucony Cortana 4 inside	Saucony Cortana 4 outside
Asics Gel Hyper Speed 6 top	Asics Gel Hyper Speed 6 bottom	Asics Gel Hyper Speed 6 inside	Asics Gel Hyper Speed 6 outside

4.3 Saucony Cortana‏‎‏‎ and New Balance RC5000

The New Balance RC5000 only weighs about a third as much as the Cortana, but provides more heel cushioning and nearly as much in the forefoot. The two shoes feel radically different, as the Cortana has thick, firm padding where the RC5000 has thin soft padding, so they produce similar results in different ways. If you're considering the Cortana, the RC5000 is probably not something you should think about, but it does highlight how much better it's possible to make a shoe.

Saucony Cortana 4 top	Saucony Cortana 4 bottom	Saucony Cortana 4 inside	Saucony Cortana 4 outside
New Balance MRC 5000 top	New Balance MRC 5000 bottom	New Balance MRC 5000 inside	New Balance MRC 5000 outside

4.4 Saucony Cortana‏‎‏‎ and Asics GT 2000

The Asics GT 2000 is benchmark "normal running shoe", and this makes is particularly relevant for the Cortana. The two shoes are relatively similar, with the Cortana being slightly more flexible, slightly lighter, but slightly less well cushioned. These small differences feel quite significant when you have one of each on each foot. The Cortana is a slightly better shoe than the GT 2000, though I'd suggest you also look at the Saucony Kinvara as a better transitional shoe.

Saucony Cortana 4 top	Saucony Cortana 4 bottom	Saucony Cortana 4 inside	Saucony Cortana 4 outside
Asics GT2000 top	Asics GT2000 bottom	Asics GT2000 inside	Asics GT2000 outside

5 A Comparison with other Recommended Shoes

If you're looking for "the best of the best" running shoe, here are my top picks. Of course, the answer will depend a little on what you're looking for, so I have recommendations for various categories. Best All Round Shoe. The Altra Escalante is my current all-round favorite. It has plenty of cushioning for its weight, it has a very springy midsole, it lasts well, and it has a shape that's closer to the shape of a human foot than most shoes. It's a great shoe for any runner, including those Starting to run. It's also a fairly easy shoe to find due to its popularity. Best Maximalist Shoe: If you want something massively cushioned, then I'd recommend the Saucony Kinvara 8. It's remarkably light and remarkably cushioned, beating Hoka at their own game. Best Optimal Shoe: For those looking to trade cushioning for speed, the Nike Zoom Streak LT 3 was my top pick, but the latest version (LT 4) falls short of it's predecessor. There are lots of great optimal running shoes, which provide just enough cushioning with light weight and minimal frills, but all have their weak spots. Probably the best option at the moment is the Altra Vanish-R, which offers great cushioning for just over 5oz/150g. Fastest Shoe: If you really want speed, then check out the Nike Vaporfly 4%. It's light, massively cushioned, and has a carbon fiber plate. Nothing comes close, not even the now defunct New Balance RC5000‏‎ or New Balance RC5000v2‏‎. There are a number of caveats; it's really expensive, it's really hard to find, and there's a significant injury risk. Best Minimalist Shoe: Merrell Trail Glove. I recommend the trail glove for road running in spite of the 'trail' moniker. It's not a fast shoe by any means, but it's comfortable and will last well. All Terrain Shoe. For trail running, I've become a fan of Altra, and I think their best shoe is the the Altra Timp, though the Altra Lone Peak is really close. Honorable Mention: It's not really a running shoe, but the Vivobarefoot Ra is comfortable, minimalist and can more or less pass as a dress shoe. I've worn mine to weddings with a suit and they've not looked out of place. You can run in the Ra, but the leather means it doesn't breathe well.

For a more detailed on running shoes see the Recommendations for Best Running Shoes. This table lists the key attributes of What to Look for in Running Shoes. For more detailed information, on the shoes see detailed shoe comparison.

It's not a running shoe, but I love the Hoka Tor Ultra hiking boot and I've tested the Altra Lone Peak Boot, the Hoka Tor Speed 2, and the Inov-8 Roclite 325 hiking boots
Older shoe reviews: Saucony Hattori Review, Mizuno Cursoris Review, Skechers GO Bionic 2 Review, Hoka Clifton Review, Saucony Virrata 2 Review, Brooks PureCadence 3 Review, Brooks PureConnect 3 Review, Brooks PureFlow 3 Review, Skechers GO Bionic 2 Review, New Balance 980 Review, Brooks Transcend 2 Review, Hoka Huaka Review, Patagonia EVERlong Review, Asics 33-DFA Review, Hoka Conquest Review, Saucony Cortana Review, Puma Faas 100 R Review, Saucony Fastwitch Review, Nike Free Review, Asics Gel Lyte 33 Review, Skechers GOmeb Speed Review, Skechers GOrun Ultra Road Review, Nike LunaRacer Review, Altra Paradigm Review.