Saucony Cortana 3

Name: Saucony Cortana 3
Brand: Saucony
Rating: 4.4 (8 reviews)

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 9.5 oz · 4mm drop · 23/19mm stack

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The Saucony Cortana 4 replaced it

How it ranks

The Saucony Cortana 3 sits about average for daily trainers in our data. Comfort and looks are its strongest sub-ratings. Value scores well below its other sub-ratings. The rating rests on 8 runner reviews and 1 other rated shoe in the Cortana product line. Another 4 reviews would set the confidence on this shoe's own reviews.

Decent

79/100

Overall

Decent 79

Comfort

Good 85

Appearance

Decent 79

Cushioning

Decent 76

Durability

Bottom-tier 59

Value

Bottom-tier 50

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 will score low when we have few ratings or when runners disagree.

See the product line's history

Confidence

66/100

Moderate 66

What runners say

“No other shoe can survive 20 mile long runs and in the same week be responsive enough for intervals on the track.”

4/5 Full review 100 mpw training for a marathon

“Outsole wore through and upper ripped at 150 miles.”

4/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a half marathon

“Incredibly comfortable for non-speed work days—cushy ride and relaxing feel on your foot.”

5/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a half marathon

“Rotating between two pairs helped provide a natural footstrike and a healthy season.”

4/5 Full review 100 mpw training for a marathon

“Wish it had more interior cushioning and was less plasticky.”

4/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon

“Rotated almost exclusively for the past 3 years.”

5/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a half marathon

“Cushioned and yet responsive and fast.”

4/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a half marathon

“When tied tight can feel uncomfortable.”

4/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon

“Comfortable and relatively light.”

5/5 Full review 40 mpw 1,043 miles in this shoe training for a half marathon

“More support than Nike Frees.”

4/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon

Prefer this shoe over another

25% 1/4

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Sep 14.

Pros

Reviewers find it comfortable and cushioned for easy, relaxed daily miles.
One reviewer says it survives 20-mile long runs and is still responsive enough for intervals in the same week.

Cons

Value draws the lowest ratings of any dimension at 3.3 out of 5, and one reviewer calls it very expensive.
One reviewer had the outsole wear through and the upper rip at 150 miles.
One reviewer finds it plasticky and wants more interior cushioning.

Cortana 3 rates 79. This shoe has moderate certainty. See how we rate shoes.

Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the Saucony Cortana

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

Rating

40 60 80 100

79 2014 72 2014

Release year

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

Cortana 4

2014 · 1 review

72 Decent

8 Confidence
Cortana 3 This shoe

2014 · 8 reviews

79 Decent

66 Confidence

Reader Ratings

8 ratings

5/5 3

4/5 5

3/5 0

2/5 0

1/5 0

See written reviews Write a review

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight: 9.5 oz
Release: 2014
MSRP: $150
Stack Height: 23mm heel - 19mm toe
Drop Height: 4mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

Reader review

4/5

Overall

shb13 · Apr 6, 2015

60 mpw training for a half marathon

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

Reader review

4/5

Overall

Anonymous runner · Sep 20, 2014

80 mpw training for a half marathon

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

Reader review

5/5

Overall

I have been rotating this shoe and the Kinvara almost exclusively for the past 3 years. I love them and hope this anti-minimalist movement doesnt force these types of shoes out as they are perfect for my style of running.

EddieMurphy6 · Sep 19, 2014

50 mpw training for a half marathon

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

Reader review

5/5

Overall

Loved this shoe. Comfortable and relatively light. Went with the Mirage to try something different and cheaper. Wish i would have stuck with the Cortana.

Anonymous runner · Sep 17, 2014

40 mpw 1,043 miles in this shoe training for a half marathon

Comfort: 5/5
Durability: 4/5
Appearance: 3/5
Value: 2/5

Reader review

5/5

Overall

Incredibly comfortable for non-speed work days where you want a cushy ride and a relaxing feel on your foot. I train in neutral light trainers and flats for my quality work, then put on Saucony Cortana's on all other days for easy runs/second runs. I find them great on roads and trails here in Colorado. Highly recommend as a trainer shoe.

Panther Pit · Sep 9, 2014

40 mpw training for a half marathon