By Rick Shandley
Saucony ProGrid Hurricane 11 running shoes logged some miles with us in recent months. Our pair was used for runs on the Huntington Beach bike path; a bike path with Pacific Coast Highway on one side, and the Pacific Ocean on the other. These ProGrid Hurricane 11’s were not worn for casual street use. They were set aside as dedicated running shoes, and they felt great from the start.
Comfort before, during, and immediately after a run, Hurricane 11’s are consistently capable of damping the blows from the pavement and cushioning the feet. Lateral foot support is reliable for a bike path paved with black asphalt and lined with grass islands, palm trees, benches, dirt patches, and endless ocean views. This shoe doesn’t like the sand, or trail-like dirt paths. It’s a street running shoe that offers the state-of-the-art technology and innovation. Saucony ProGrid Hurricane 11’s has an MSRP range between $140 and $100.
At 12.9 ounces, they weigh no more than a pair of 12 ounce Samuel Adams Boston Lagers, and they take you a long way…smiling as you go. Laced up, the Hurricane 11’s stayed snug and light on the feet. Your lungs will show fatigue long before your legs are tired of dealing with these shoes. And the low weight is engineered into all the components from uppers to outsole, but together each component combines to become a suspension system that enshrouds your feet for a couple hours, and then leaves your feet in good shape.
ProGrid is the technology of impact deflection and energy dissipation that cradles your feet and works with the balance of impact damping components as an integrated system. The ProGrid is tub-shaped to come up around your foot to provide full suspension and shock absorption throughout the foot strike. Other contributors to foot comfort and energy absorption start with the multi-component outsole that provides traction, cushion, and fuses with various components like the SRC Impact Zone, Impact Interface, Dual Density SSL (Saucony Super Lite) closed-cell midsole or EVA, and Strobel Board. HRC is the cushioned material type, running the full-length of the foot that is referred to as the Strobel Board.
You can drill into the role each component plays if you like, but for us, the Hurricane 11’s as a complete running shoe pretty much offered the qualities of comfort and performance we were looking for.
On the inside of each shoe is the supportive structure Arch-Lock, like a rib that keeps the middle of your feet snug throughout the lace-up, and the entire run. You might not notice it specifically as a half-collar that cinches the middle of your foot in, but you may notice overall comfort and mid-foot support during the run.
Mesh uppers work well with the more rigid shoe components, but offers good foot ventilation and keeps the weight down. This high-comfort/light-weight theme continues around the shoe collar and down to the sock liner. The sock liners use breathable, open cell, foam to cushion the foot, and absorb shocks upon contact. Antimicrobial technology in the sock liner manages foot odor.
Us fresh air junkie writers and shooters have watched with interest how the antimicrobial technology has made big strides in the outdoor industry for the capacity of being integrated into fabrics and working so efficiently in keeping foot health and foot odor in check. We have some experience with antimicrobial products like Agion Active Wear under-shirts and such, we know it works and is a significant asset to any footbed and shoe upper. Antimicrobial technology seems to have been embraced by the outdoor athletic brands because it works.
Foot abrasions and hot spots to the heel did not exist with the Saucony ProGrid Hurricane 11’s, and it has been about six months of consistently wearing them on weekly runs. For most of the runs, SOLE cushioned athletic socks were worn. The Hurricane 11’s did great whether cushioned socks were worn or not. With cushioned socks, they worked great. With regular nothing socks, these running shoes just want to run, and comfort is almost taken for granted.
This scribe has lived with many new shoe and boot designs in the conditions the product was built for. So when a piece of footwear is going to give you trouble, it will be apparent before long whether or not you are loping around beautiful women dressed in their finest outdoor fashion or slugging away up a trail. At some point quick, you’re going to have to stop walking or running and address the discomfort; even if it is in your own self pity…you must do something about shoes that are not happening. Yet these Saucony shoes are simply, reliably, and always ready and able for the next run. That says tons right there.
If you are running on pavement as part of your overall outdoor exercise, we can recommend the Hurricane 11. Running and the science of running and training for better endurance and overall health is most of us fresh air junkies are into in some form or fashion. Most of us want a reliable piece of equipment or pair of shoes that will do the job and keep us from injuring ourselves unnecessarily. Well, these Saucony ProGrid Hurricane 11 shoes hit the mark.
Saucony ProGrid Hurricane 11 Technology:
UPPER
- Arch-Lock® — Provides snug midfoot fit
- Hydrator Collar Lining — Saucony’s performance apparel fabric that provides next-to-skin comfort and maximizes wicking
- Comfortride Sockliner — Saucony’s exclusive open cell foam sockliner. It is antimicrobial and breathable while providing superior cushioning and ride
- Air Mesh Upper — Provides lightweight breathability
- HRC Strobel Board — Increases cushioning and comfort
MIDSOLE
- Full-Length ProGrid™ with Respon-Tek™ — Saucony’s latest impact deflection technology, ProGrid™, absorbs impact, dissipates shock and provides a seamless transition from heel through forefoot
- Dual Density SSL (Saucony Super Lite) EVA — An advanced EVA blend that maximizes rebound and durability while minimizing weight
- SRC Impact Zone — Provides shock attenuation and sets the foot up for a smooth transition
- Impact Interface — Cushions and isolates heel impact
OUTSOLE
- Blown Rubber — Lighweight flexibile material provides added cushioning while maintaining durability and a smooth ride
- XT-900™ — A carbon rubber outsole material that offers exceptional traction properties without sacrificing durability
