Canada’s Malindi Elmore places third at the Saucony Endorphin Pro+ launch

Essen, Germany was the setting of Saucony’s Fast Future 10K, which marked the launch of the Saucony Endorphin Pro+ in Europe and the U.S. Canadian Olympian marathoner Malindi Elmore, who is sponsored by Saucony, placed third in the 10K with a time of 33:57. U.S. Mountain running champion Grayson Murphy won the women’s race in 32:54.

A sneak peek at where today’s @saucony Fast Future 10K will go down featuring @jwardy21, @parkerstinson, @MalindiElmore, @racin__grayson, Helen Schlachtenhaufen and other stars.

Watch live on the CITIUS MAG YouTube channel at 2 pm ET: https://t.co/AWQXBoiGiQ pic.twitter.com/xmPUfg7YSD

— CITIUS MAG (@CitiusMag) September 22, 2021

RELATED: Malindi Elmore: Third Time Still a Charm

Elmore said to Chris Chavez in a post-race interview that this was her first hard effort since the Olympic Marathon six weeks ago. “The new Endorphin Pro+ feels great. They made it easier to maintain your pace while navigating around corners.”

In the men’s race, U.S. Olympic marathoner Jared Ward dropped the field to win and dip under 29 minutes (28:58). He said after the race that the cool conditions were perfect for racing, and the event was a great tune-up into his fall training block for the New York Marathon. American Parker Stinson finished fifth in 29:50.

RELATED: SHOE REVIEW: Saucony Endorphin Pro 2

Both races started in the evening, while runners were guided by green pace lights on the ground. The elites were after a cash bonus if they could beat their personal best time for 10K in the new Endorphin Pro+. Elmore finished just shy of a minute over her personal best of 32:44.

The Pro+ is Saucony’s fastest carbon-plated shoe to date, with a barely-there upper to cut down on weight. The Pro+ has the attitude of a track spike in a road shoe, but is built for distance. The Endorphin Pro+ launches in Canada on Monday, Sept. 28.