Saucony Kinvaras

I haven't done a product review in a while so when I decided to try out Saucony's new and innovative Kinvara, I thought I'd throw my 2c into the hat. Advertised as a minimalist shoe (something I'm not too sure about as it seems to be packed full of technology) what it does do is allow the wearer to run in a more natural way. By natural I mean as one would run if they were running barefoot.

A lot has been made of barefoot running recently, I've read a bit on the topic and having suffered numerous injuries it interested me. The ethos is, put very simply, that heavily cushioned shoes make us run in a way we would not if we ran barefoot, this places emphasis on the wrong muscles, puts forces in the wrong places etc and causes injuries.

The theory made sense, after all, weren't marathons from the turn of the century until the 1940s run in plimsoles and Dunlop Green Flash? Hardly the most cushioned of shoes. My only problem was that many of the shoes available were designed to promote a forefoot/midfoot strike (Newtons being the most well know). I felt this defeated the purpose somewhat. I didn't want a shoe that promoted anything, I wanted a shoe that allowed my feet and legs to do what they wanted.

I first saw the Kinvara at Roth and had a quick look but noting the Challenge Roth 2010 branding on the side I was a little put off. I'm not a man for living in the past and didn't want a shoe that would remind me of a past race when my focus was on future races. When I returned the UK I decided to order a pair (without branding) and give them a go. My biggest catalyst for making the decision was that after the disintegration of my training shoes in France I decided I may as well switch to racing flats with Roth so close. I found I was so much quicker in flats and that I finished my long runs feeling much less stress on the legs. Obviously the weight of the shoe makes a difference but 200g is not THAT much. Ultimately, after some treadmill comparisons, I noted that I my strike in the flats was completely different, much more midfoot, under the knee instead of over-striding, and my turnover was 2-4 strikes/minute faster. All good news. The Kinvara seemed to offer this but with the added bonus of a little bit of cushioning. My Saucony A3 flats are great but the ride is a little harsh for everyday use.

My first impressions were positive, the fit was feather light and very comfy, the thin mesh uppers great in warmer weather, although probably not suitable during winter if get a repeat of 2009-10. My first run was a tempo brick of about 8 miles and I loved the feel. They gently coerced me onto my midfoot, encouraging a strike just under my knee and giving me a higher turnover. I felt they helped me recruit the back of the leg much more than other shoes and I felt the energy of each stride was carried over into the next rather than being absorbed by the road, or my knees. There was a greater stress on my hamstrings (possibly a result of the hard ride) but sitting here 14 hours later I'm suffering no DOMS or undue tightness. There were points where I had to focus more than I normal, especially when I fatigued in the last 10 minutes or so, but this is not surprising given the slight change in running style.

I have a tough track session tomorrow so we'll see how they fair with some really speed, well, speedy for an Ironman anyway.