June Shoe Drops: Saucony Goes Big, Puma Pulls the Plate
June is the biggest shoe month of the summer, and this one delivered. Here’s what’s worth knowing, and the one trend underneath all of it.
June is the biggest shoe month of the summer, and this one delivered. Saucony dropped the Endorphin Elite 3 ($290) and the Triumph 24 on June 1, Puma’s plateless Deviate Pure Nitro landed June 4 at $150, and the Asics GT-1000 15 ($115) is out now. The Asics Novablast 6 follows in July.
Here’s what’s worth knowing, and the one trend underneath all of it.
The drops
Saucony Endorphin Elite 3.The headline. 7.2 ounces, roughly 40mm of Saucony’s ultra-soft IncrediRUN foam, carbon plate, aggressive rocker. This line has been all over the place (version one was firm, version two was a marshmallow), and version three reportedly keeps the softness while adding stability under the heel. At $290 it’s a race day tool, full stop. Buy it for the start line, not for Tuesday.
Saucony Triumph 24. The dependable max-cushion daily, refreshed June 1. Less exciting, more useful.
Puma Deviate Pure Nitro.The interesting one. Out June 4 at $150: a tall slab of Puma’s evolved NITROFOAM with no plate inside, 7.8 ounces, aimed straight at the Adidas Evo SL and Asics Superblast 3. Most of a super trainer’s bounce at an everyday trainer price. More on why that matters in a second.
Asics GT-1000 15. Stability daily at $115, which in 2026 pricing almost reads like a typo.
Still coming: Novablast 6 in July, and the rumor mill says an Alphafly 4 could land this fall.
The actual story: plates are becoming optional
Foams have gotten so good that brands are starting to pull the carbon plate out and the shoe still feels fast. That’s the whole plateless super trainer category: big bouncy stack, no stiff plate, friendlier price, and a ride that works for more strides.
For hybrid athletes specifically, this is the category to watch. A plated shoe on legs that squatted yesterday is a lot of load through the calves and achilles. In our experience, a forgiving plateless trainer is the easier daily when you’re stacking lifting and running in the same week. Save the plate for race day.
Speaking of race day, if you need somewhere to point all this new foam, our open entry race picks have options with no lottery and no qualifier.
A running shoe with a tall stack of high-end racing foam but no carbon plate. You get most of the bounce of a super shoe with a more natural, less rigid ride, usually at a lower price.
The Saucony Endorphin Elite 3 and Triumph 24 (both June 1), Puma's plateless Deviate Pure Nitro (June 4, $150), and the Asics GT-1000 15. The Asics Novablast 6 follows in July.
If you race a few times a year and want every advantage on the start line, maybe. As a daily trainer, no. It's built for race pace, and the price reflects that.
