Saucony Guide 19 Review | No Notes, Stability Done Right

“This might be my new favorite shoe!” – what I thought after my first run/walk in the Saucony Guide 19.

Now, that’s high praise for anything, but considering I have historically never had much luck with Saucony shoes. AND it’s a stability shoe, which rarely makes anyone gush, that’s saying quite a lot.

Saucony says the Guide 19 offers “unparalleled comfort,” and was engineered to provide both maximum cushioning and protection. Sounds like everything you’d want from a workhorse everyday trainer, and my first impressions were certainly in line with that. But did they stand up to the hype as the miles went on? Let’s find out.

This light stability running shoe is well suited for easy and long runs for runners of all paces and distances. It won’t be the fastest shoe in your line up, but it will be durable and carry you through a lot of training miles.

Saucony Guide 19 Overview

The Saucony Guide 19 is not as flashy or sleek as some of Saucony’s more popular models like the Kinvara, Triumph, or Endorphin series. In fact, it’s often confused with it’s neutral counterpart the Saucony Ride 19.

And yet, the lack of flash might be exactly what makes this shoe stand out.

It’s just want you need, taking me back to the early days of running.

Indeed, my first thought upon opening the box was “That’s a big shoe.”Which is funny when you realize it’s only 35mm stack height, compared to that many many 40mm max cushioned shoes out now!

They have a broad base, high sidewalls and relatively lofty stack height. All of this is intended to provide the maximum comfort and slight stability Saucony promises, and it delivers.

That broad-based platform makes up what Saucony refers to as their CenterPath technology, which guides the foot through smooth transitions, while the high sidewalls hug the foot to provide additional support through the heel.

We love that nothing here feels over corrective and there is no firm medial post, meaning you actually feel the cushion underfoot.

My feet are on the narrower side (though my toes prefer a wider forefoot – go figure), so I was afraid that wide base might cause the shoes to feel a little sloppy, but the combination of the higher sidewalls and comfortably, stretchy engineered mesh upper meant my feet felt secure the entire time.

The real star of the show is the PWRRUN foam, which Saucony says is softer and even more responsive in this version of the Guide. In these it was the perfect level of softness, without sacrificing stability and responsiveness.

Coach Amanda: I’m usually not a stability fan, but the Guide 18 grabbed my attention and became an easy go to shoe. I’m happy to report that the Guide 19 stays right in that wheelhouse! This is a well cushioned, but not over done, running shoe for all those daily miles.

The fact that you can FEEL the cushion underfoot is probably what wins me over for this stability shoe. However, those who really need a lot of arch support or true correction won’t find it here.

The very slight stability features to it I actually think are wonderful for many runners hitting long miles. It’s just little comfort to provide some extra support as form might breakdown on longer runs.

The major downside to this stability shoe is one that plagues so many, weight. It’s a basic looking shoe, with a great comfortable feel, but it’s not the easiest for picking up the pace. Definitely look to these as your easy run shoe.

Part of the weight in this model is more rubber coverage on the outsole, which is improving durability.

Saucony Guide 19 Fit

As I mentioned before, despite its fairly wide, broad appearance (even in a regular width), these shoes fit perfectly right out of the box. While there’s still plenty of room for those with slightly wider feet, my narrower feet felt nice and snug with few lace adjustments.

Those who like a lower-profile, super padded heel will like these. I typically prefer a slightly higher heel counter, but my heels didn’t move at all, and I didn’t have any issues with rubbing or blisters. Saucony added more padding to the heel collar on the 19 as compared to the 18, which appears to have been a good thing.

The gusseted tongue was the ideal thickness for me – not too thick, not too thin. It doesn’t come up as high as some, which was fine by me since it didn’t slide to either side, but if you prefer a higher tongue it might not work for you.

Also, though the laces were plenty long enough for me to cinch the shoes up as snugly as I needed to, if you need to do any creative lacing techniques (heel lock, etc.), you might find they come up a little short.

Saucony Guide 19 Feel

I noted earlier that I have historically not had the best luck with Saucony shoes. In the past, I’ve generally found them to feel too squishy and unstable, and typically with too narrow a forefoot.

Maybe I just wasn’t trying the right models, or maybe they’ve come a long way in the years since I last tried them. Either way, the Guide 19 is a vast improvement.

Right off the bat, I noted that the cushioning was the perfect level of softness – just soft enough without being too squishy.

They were also plenty stable, thanks to that broad base of support. That combination of max soft-but-not-too-soft cushioning with a little stability seems to be just what my body needs now, in my new post-partial-knee-replacement life.

Gone are the days of minimalist shoes with little support – my half-titanium knee needs all the stable cushioning it can get.

At 6mm, the drop is 4mm lower than that of the other shoes I’ve been running in lately, but works well with the thickness of the cushioning and broad base, and is consistent with what we’ve been seeing in max stack height shoes.

Since I’m on a gradual run/walk progression, my legs and Achilles had a chance to ease into the lower drop, but if you’ve been consistently running in much higher drop shoes, you may want to stick to shorter runs in these at first to help your body transition.

Coach Amanda: They actually changed the formulation of the foam just a bit for version 19, which makes it feel even softer. I already thought the 18 felt nice but you will feel a bit more plush here. And no worries, this doesn’t change the durability of the shoe!

I’m a HUGE fan of seeing a stability shoe without a 10mm drop. This is going to work well for many athletes who have plenty of ankle flexion and will reduce some knee discomfort.

Similar Shoes to the Saucony Guide 19

We’ve tested a few cushioned stability shoes that feel similar, but different based on the brand fit. 

So, 7 runs later, has the Saucony Guide 19 remained my new favorite shoe? I’m happy to report it has indeed! The Guide 19 has proven to be the perfect choice for easy run/walks in both wet and dry conditions, in air temperatures ranging from the 20s to 60sF – even in sub-freezing weather, the cushioning is still soft enough without being squishy, and the shoe provides just the right amount of stability to keep my stride on track.

What to Read Next?

• See all of our stability running shoe reviews
• Topo Ultrafly 6 Stability Shoe
• Foot strength exercises for runners