SAUCONY SPACE COWBOY: THE CARBON-PLATED WILD WEST

There are collabs we’d rather never have known about, and there are those that grab our attention. Saucony knows how to make successful capsules, and the brand has done it again: chrome, cowhide, saddle stitching, fringes and studs. On paper, it was a risky bet. It ended up on our feet.

Five pairs for a space western

The Space Cowboy collection has five models: the ProGrid Triumph 4, ProGrid V2 and 586i on the lifestyle side, and the Endorphin Azura and Endorphin Elite 3 on the performance side.

The best of the lifestyle pairs is the ProGrid V2. But you need to be a cowboy with real confidence in your style to wear it. On our side, Yann Spillmann rode off with it: we can't wait to see how he'll pull it off.

Endorphin Azura and Elite 3: the western performance edition

We obviously focused on the two performance models. And we’re thrilled they turned out so well, because we really wanted to wear them.

The Endorphin Azura is the entry point to the Endorphin range, Saucony’s performance line. It's the all-rounder, designed for everyday use but with some bite. We'd already tested it here. In the Space Cowboy version, it's mostly white mesh, with black, chrome and brown accents, and cowhide wrapping around its sole.

The Endorphin Elite 3 is the racing stallion. Carbon-plated, generous foam, made for race days and hard sessions. Here, black mesh, brown suede-like details around the collar and tongue, and above all a cowhide strip over a silver, mirror-effect sole. It's the strongest contrast in the collection, and it's clearly our favourite. An aesthetic very different from that of usual running shoes, with their fluorescent, flashy codes, and it's refreshing.

We did it in a group: our 60-second western

We put them straight into action, in our own western: one minute, a group interval session. We called it We did it in a group.

Some space cowboys came for an hour’s run. Everyone was sweating by the end of the warm-up, and nobody asked to stop. Because it's always better in a group. Especially if you're untalented.

It's a tribute to the addictive nature of running, and the unsettling love we end up having for our training group. After sweating together kilometre after kilometre, you end up loving this sport, and those who share it with you, without always knowing why. No other reason than loving it, unreasonably.

We did it in a group. And it’s good for the heart.

Discover the Saucony Space Cowboy collection

Video and photos: @mattcxr