{"id":466,"date":"2025-01-23T13:17:50","date_gmt":"2025-01-23T13:17:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/d-410.com\/f2fwp\/?p=466"},"modified":"2025-01-23T14:03:58","modified_gmt":"2025-01-23T14:03:58","slug":"amazon-saucony-shoes-real-or-bootleg","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/d-410.com\/f2fwp\/2025\/01\/23\/amazon-saucony-shoes-real-or-bootleg\/","title":{"rendered":"Amazon Saucony Shoes, Real or Bootleg?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Product Review: Questionable Authenticity of Saucony Shoes on Amazon<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’m still not entirely sure if these are official Saucony shoes or not. Here’s the deal: the first six pairs of Sauconys I purchased were all from Amazon, and while I haven’t had any major issues with them, something feels off.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

-Don A.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Back in 2018, after injuring myself at the gym (I was going twice a day and was a bit addicted), I became concerned that I would gain all of my weight back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, I started looking for alternative exercises since my bicep and elbow injury ruled out any major upper body routines. That\u2019s when I started running around the neighborhood and eventually joined a Sunday run group. Just new to running and not knowing any better, I was running in old Adidas shoes. Much like many new runners, I thought, “I can\u2019t do this; it hurts my knees and ankles.” <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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This is when I started to get educated by other runners about the importance of quality running shoes. Someone suggested I go to a running shop, get my feet measured, and invest in better shoes. Being somewhat poor at the time, I knew I couldn\u2019t afford $200 running shoes, so I did what we all do\u2014I went on Amazon. “Hey, look! I can get last year\u2019s shoes and save money!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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My First Pair, Going from Adidas To Saucony 2018 ( Amazon)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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I put about 250 miles on these (Amazon)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Back in 2018, I purchased a pair of Saucony Unisex-Adult Excursion TR11 Running Shoes<\/strong> to complete my first Savage Race. They were fantastic. I had no issues with them whatsoever, and they held up incredibly well through some pretty extreme conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, I continued to wear those same shoes for the next four years, during which I completed four more Savage Races and two Rugged Maniacs. The comfort, durability, and performance of that pair at the time seemed fine and I never had a single complaint. They provided excellent support and traction, which is why I stuck with Saucony for so long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Amazon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

In 2022<\/strong>, I made a career change and started a new job that gave me the financial freedom to stop relying on Amazon so I transitioned from bargain hunting on Amazon to shopping at the “sales table” at my local running shop. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I started buying $175 shoes for $85, but these were straight from a trusted retailer. My first pair from the local shop was a game-changer. For the first time, I didn\u2019t experience the foot and ankle pain during the first mile of my run\u2014a discomfort I had just assumed was normal. Yet, it still hadn\u2019t occurred to me that there must be something wrong with my Amazon shoes<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Store Bought<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Store Bought<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Amazon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Amazon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On April 23rd, 2024, I signed up for my first 7-mile trail race. Knowing my old trail shoes from my OCR days were long overdue for retirement, I turned to Amazon to buy a new pair since I couldn\u2019t find any on the sales table at my local running store. I ordered the Saucony TR15s, and when they arrived, everything changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As I examined them in my office, something immediately caught my attention: the insoles. Inside the shoes were bright yellow, flat insoles. This stood out because, with my recent store-bought Saucony shoes, I had noticed a significant difference\u2014the insoles were always ergonomic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They were contoured to support the arch of the foot and often featured branding like Saucony or tech terms like iFoam. These yellow insoles, by contrast, were completely flat and cut-to-fit, lacking any branding or structure.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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I couldn\u2019t shake the feeling that something was off. So, I started thinking back to all the Saucony shoes I had purchased from Amazon over the years. The pattern was undeniable. Curious and wanting confirmation, I posted photos of the TR15s and their insoles in my local SAF Run Group Facebook page,<\/a> asking if anyone with store-bought Saucony shoes had flat, blank insoles like these. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The response was overwhelming\u2014103 comments later, it was clear I wasn\u2019t imagining things. People started sharing photos of their store-bought Saucony insoles, and with a few exception, they were all labeled, ergonomic, and supportive. This was in stark contrast to every pair of Saucony shoes I\u2019d bought from Amazon.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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I then had a flashback to a few years ago when I bought my daughter a pair of Saucony trail running shoes that were on sale at a major shoe superchain store. Curious about my recent discovery, I asked her to grab her shoes so I could take a closer look. She gave me a look like I was nuts but humored me and brought them over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sure enough, her trail running shoes had printed, semi-ergonomic insoles\u2014exactly what I had come to expect from store-bought Saucony shoes. They were nothing like the blank, generic insoles I had received in my Amazon purchases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I hated these shoes, threw them away at 63 miles. (Amazon)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Amazon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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