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

Sturdy minimalist shoe. More support than my Nike Frees. Wish it had a little more interior cushioning and was less plasticky. When tied tight can feel a tad uncomfortable.

pjdorsey87 · Aug 29, 2014

35 mpw training for a half marathon

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

Reader review

4/5

Overall

Personally, I see this as my ultimate go to shoe. No other shoe I have found can survive 20 mile long runs and in the same week be responsive enough for intervals on the track. Coming from a high mileage program in college, the necessity for a durable yet comfortable shoe is quite clear. Last summer alone I was on a training program that had me running 120, 100, 80 mile weeks in order to prepare for XC season. Rotating between two pairs of the Cortana's helped provide me with a natural footstrike and a healthy season. I work at a running specialty store and have tried a great deal of shoes in my time here. I happened to find your survey and thought I'd weigh in. Love your website guys!

valascus · Aug 28, 2014

100 mpw training for a marathon