November 26th, 2010
It’s no secret, my favorite running shoes are the Kinvaras by Saucony. I’ve been asked a few times what kind of wear I get from them – a few people have said they seem to wear out faster than their other shoes. Not so for me. While my Mizuno Inspires and Elixirs got crispier in the forefoot as they neared 400mi, the Kinvaras continue to feel good and show very little wear & tear on the outside. That said, I’m a petite woman, so a 170lb. guy will likely have a different experience.
The pink pair has 430 miles on them and the blue pair conveniently has half of that, 222 miles, which makes for a handy comparison.
Click ‘em for detail.
Heel
Midsole
Forefoot. Please excuse the green goose shit stain.
Because Jeremy asked...Operation Toe Freedom continues to work wonderfully - right pinky toe is happy. For the record, there is nothing weird with my little toe, but for this particular shoe I wear a smaller size than usual and my right little toe was rubbing against the trim strip, thus the surgery.
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Thanks for the update! I was curious how the Kinvaras would hold up compared to other shoes. Didn’t you have to do some minor shoe surgery on the Pink pair? Did that work out OK, or was that a different pair of shoes?
The pink pair looks like they’ve had some fun miles put on them!
Good question! I just added another photo with Operation Toe Freedom displayed. And yes, many fun miles.
Just got caught up on your Operation Toe Freedom/Shoe Surgery posts. I’ve tucked all sorts of goofy homemade sponge donuts and heel lifts into my shoes over the past few years, but have never considered actually operating on the shoe. Brilliant!
It’s amazing what a difference it can make as far as unwearable vs. comfortable. You just gotta be brave and careful with the scissors.
I have actually looked at those in the shop quite a few times because they seem stylish, good to know they perform well too !—lol on the geese shit
Lmao on the geese shit.Lindsey likes to trail that in our apartment
Steph and Linds, I’m usually real good at avoiding their poop, but the other day I wasn’t paying attention and went right into a blob.
Interesting pics, Flo. I see what you mean about the Kinvara uppers showing the dirt. I was looking at the wear pattern in the larger versions of the photos. The heel wear is not much different from my current pair of Brooks Launches. The back edge of the heel is unworn, but the contact area is a little forward and to the inner side. Your forefoot seems to wear less than mine. I wonder if I’m rotating my foot on takeoff or something. Hmmm…
I do have that one spot on the outer side of the heel but it’s much smaller than I’d expect considering how much dorsiflexion I do – it always looks like I’m heel tromping in photos. Maybe the difference in forefoot wear (besides gait differences) is due to our weight difference? I’d love to see a similar photo set if you get inspired to make a post like this.
Thanks Flo. I’m going to try a pair of these, so hope they’re wide enough. Probably won’t last as well on a petite 164lb bloke, but who cares? They helped Rinus to a 6-minute half PB — got to be worth at least a minute over 5k
Despite my little toe thing, they seem wider than my other shoes so I hope they work for you! They honestly feel like slippers. I turned my friend Kat onto them and she swore the first race she did in them showed a marked improvement (she’d been wearing some really heavy shoes).
Btw, where do you get your shoes? If perchance you order them from US online stores, I have a team discount code for Runningwarehouse that’ll get you 15% off. It’s RW40PLUSD
We have a good local running shop, but I have a friend who buys shoes at RWH. I’d try them on here first — maybe get a second pair from RWH. The high Aussie $ makes shoes from the US pretty cheap. Thanks!
i remember operation toe freedom haah! i’ve been debating doing the same thing but for my big toe. it’s developing quite a callus that’s sore. but i’m scared to take the sheers to ‘em
those shoes definitely sound like a worthwhile investment. i think that the fact that you’re petite helps you get the miles on them, i’m pretty sure that’s why i can wear my shoes for as long as i do
Sorry to hear you have a hotspot on your toe, hope it settles down for you. Otherwise, snip snip!
love mine. but what usually sends me to a new pair of running shoes (well – jogging for me)is the breakdown of the interior. how’s that aspect?
Running, honey. I know you run – don’t try and fight it.
The only thing I ever notice in the interior is what I mentioned with the Mizunos, getting flatter and harder in the forefoot and that’s usually something I really only notice if I wear a fresher shoe on the other foot to compare. The Kinvaras are so well padded in the forefoot though, that I haven’t noticed any real compression yet.
I’ve got a brand new pair of these puppies I have yet to try. I had them out this morning but still feel a little beat up from the marathon last week (and my LR yesterday), so I took a rest day. I am throwing them on tomorrow – glad to hear you like ‘em.