Saucony Zealot ISO

Name: Saucony Zealot ISO
Brand: Saucony
Rating: 4.4 (10 reviews)

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 7.9 oz · 26/22mm stack · 4mm drop

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The Saucony Zealot ISO 3 replaced it

How it ranks

The Saucony Zealot ISO trails most daily trainers in our data. Comfort and durability are its strongest sub-ratings. Value scores well below its other sub-ratings. The rating is based on 10 runner reviews and 2 other rated shoes in the Zealot ISO product line.

Bottom-tier

Overall

Bottom-tier 59

Comfort

Good 83

Durability

Decent 76

Cushioning

Below average 64

Appearance

Below average 60

Value

Bottom-tier 57

Confidence

How settled the rating is against every other rated shoe. A shoe can rate high on confidence with relatively few reviews of its own when its product line has a long record and external ratings from retailer sites agree. Confidence is low when we have few ratings or when runners disagree.

See the product line's history

Confidence

90 High

High 90

Based on

The bars show roughly how much each source contributes to this shoe’s rating. Their influence depends on how many reviews we’ve collected, how many earlier versions are in the product line, and the external ratings available.

Brand rating
Our ratings
External ratings

What runners say

“It's a great shoe for forefoot strikers; it has very good cushion up front but I could imagine it would be too hard in the heel for heel strikers.”

5/5 Full review 45 mpw came from the Saucony Kinvara 5

“The fit is fantastic, with good foot lockdown and heel comfort, along with plenty of room in the forefoot.”

5/5 Full review 45 mpw came from the Saucony Kinvara 5

“Stretchy upper feels nice, but sometimes feels like it doesn't hold midfoot tight enough on trails/uneven surfaces, and foot slides side to side.”

4/5 Full review 65 mpw came from the New Balance 890 v2

“It felt as if the shoe was wrapped over the top of my foot when the shoes were laced up tightly.”

3/5 Full review 15 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Altra Intuition 3.0

“These shoes are light, but feel a little more durable than the Kinvara and Virratta.”

4/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a marathon came from the Saucony Kinvara 4

“Maintaining the lightweight feel of a Kinvara while also feeling very durable.”

5/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Kinvara 5

“I get a lot of hotspots on the bottom of my foot, specifically just behind the ball of my foot on both edges where the sock liner meets the upper.”

5/5 Full review 45 mpw came from the Saucony Kinvara 5

“Wanted a more durable, cushioned version of the Kinvara and this shoe fit the profile perfectly.”

5/5 Full review 80 mpw came from the Saucony Kinvara 5

“The toe box is wide, but the midfoot/arch area has a nice feel.”

4/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a marathon came from the Saucony Kinvara 4

“My heels felt secure and my toes had room to move.”

3/5 Full review 15 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Altra Intuition 3.0

“Had to buy half size bigger than other brands.”

4/5 Full review 65 mpw came from the New Balance 890 v2

“My body needed about 1 month or so to adapt to the lower drop (4mm) so I had minor achiles tendonitis.”

4/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Ravenna 5

“My normal size 10 felt really short”

4/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a marathon came from the Saucony Kinvara 4

“I feel them a bit clunky for speed.”

4/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Ravenna 5

“The downside was how expensive it was.”

4/5 Full review 36 mpw came from the New Balance Fresh Foam 980

“Space for toes to spread in forefoot.”

4/5 Full review 65 mpw came from the New Balance 890 v2

“They are comfortable and make easy runs really easy.”

4/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Ravenna 5

“It is nice and soft and seems pretty durable.”

4/5 Full review 36 mpw came from the New Balance Fresh Foam 980

“They have good grip as well.”

4/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Ravenna 5

Prefer this shoe over another

36% 4/11

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Oct 22.

Pros

Comfort averages 4.7 out of 5 and durability 4.4 across ten reviews.
Averaging 7.9 oz across the men's and women's builds, it is lighter than the 8.9 oz median for daily trainers for sale, and three reviewers call it a more durable Kinvara.
Two reviewers praise the roomy forefoot with a secure heel and midfoot.

Cons

Value averages 3.9 out of 5, the lowest of its dimensions, and one reviewer calls it expensive.
Two reviewers size up half a size because it runs short.
One reviewer's foot slides in the stretchy upper on uneven ground, and another finds it clunky for speed.

Zealot ISO rates 59. This shoe has high confidence. See how we rate shoes.

Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the Saucony Zealot ISO

Each dot is one version of the Zealot ISO, placed by its rating and release year. The gold dot is this shoe.

Rating

40 60 80 100

59 2015 64 2017 61 2017

Release year

We use the reviews of past versions to inform this shoe’s rating. See why.

Zealot ISO 3

2017 · 6 reviews

61 Below average

84 Confidence
Zealot ISO 2

2017 · 7 reviews

64 Below average

79 Confidence
Zealot ISO This shoe

2015 · 10 reviews

59 Bottom-tier

90 Confidence

Runner Ratings

10 ratings

5/5 5

4/5 4

3/5 1

2/5 0

1/5 0

See written reviews Write a review

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight: 7.9 oz
Men's / women's: Men's 8.3 oz · Women's 7.4 oz
Release: 2015
MSRP: $130
Stack: 26/22mm
Drop: 4mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

Excellent Shoe - Saucony Zealot

3/5

Overall

As a beginner runner who primarily worked out in Merrell's I was looking for a shoe that was well cushioned but still provided a firm ride. I tried. a pair of Altra's but my heels felt loose in my shoes and I didn't feel confident running in them for long stretches. The Saucony Zealots fit the bill for my narrow foot. I really liked how it felt as if the shoe was wrapped over the top of my foot when the shoes were laced up tightly (comfortable to me); my heels felt secure and my toes had room to move. I really liked that they were lightweight as well.

Anonymous runner · Oct 17, 2018

15 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Altra Intuition 3.0

Comfort: 4/5
Cushioning: 4/5
Durability: 5/5
Appearance: 4/5
Value: 3/5

5/5

Overall

I've put a lot of miles on this shoe, from easy runs to long runs to speed workouts. The fit is fantastic, with good foot lockdown and heel comfort, along with plenty of room in the forefoot. It's a great shoe for forefoot strikers; it has very good cushion up front but I could imagine it would be too hard in the heel for heel strikers. The only drawback I've found has been that I get a lot of hotspots on the bottom of my foot, specifically just behind the ball of my foot on both edges where the sock liner meets the upper. This may be a personal fit issue, though.

13lukek · Dec 11, 2015

45 mpw came from the Saucony Kinvara 5

Comfort: 4/5
Durability: 5/5
Appearance: 5/5
Value: 4/5

4/5

Overall

They replaced ravennas from my line up. My body needed about 1 month or so to adapt to the lower drop (4mm) so I had minor achiles tendonitis but I get over it with strengthening training. Once adaptation was over they felt really good, they are comfortable and make easy runs really easy. They have good grip as well. I feel them i bit clunky for speed.

ortiz91 · Dec 10, 2015

40 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Ravenna 5

Comfort: 4/5
Durability: 5/5
Appearance: 4/5
Value: 3/5

4/5

Overall

I generally use this shoe for my long runs. It is nice and soft and seems pretty durable. The downside was how expensive it was.

Anonymous runner · Nov 30, 2015

36 mpw came from the New Balance Fresh Foam 980

Comfort: 5/5
Durability: 5/5
Appearance: 2/5
Value: 4/5

4/5

Overall

I was eager to try this shoe after loving the previous versions of the Saucony Kinvara (1-4), but really disliking the kinvara 5. I tried the Zealot on at a Saucony event and found that my normal size 10 felt really short, so when Amazon had them on sale for $85, I purchased the 10.5. It is a bit roomy , but not distractingly so. The toe box is wide, but the midfoot/arch area has a nice feel. These shoes are light, but feel a little more durable than the Kinvara and Virratta (the other Saucony models I run in), which is nice for longer runs and marathon training. I love the look and color combination of the bright blue ones, but the purple/pink ones aren't as pretty...

lizbadley · Jul 23, 2015

35 mpw training for a marathon came from the Saucony Kinvara 4