Shoe Review: Saucony Kinvara 2

Saucony Kinvara 2

The Saucony Kinvara 2, one of my two newest minimalist runnng shoes, is a fantastic go between for the runner interested in transitioning to barefoot running.  The first thing you might notice is the flashy color. Yes, I am somewhat of a flashy style runner.  But then again, I don't know many distance runners who aren't flashy.  We are a different breed.  But that is a different topic for a different post.

I first learned of the Saucony Kinvara 2 from Runblogger in May when I was looking for a couple pairs of shoes to help me convert from the modern running shoe to a more minimal style shoe.  As you can see from the picture, there is a layer of mesh beneath a thin layer of what I can only describe as a very thin translucent plastic of some kind.  Both of these features help reduce the overall weight of the shoe, which, for my size 14s, is just under 10oz, much lighter than my old Asics size 14s at 16oz.  The heel drop is at 4mm, allowing the runner to use more of a mid-foot strike rather than a heel-toe strike.  The heel drop is basically the difference in height of the heel and the toe.  The closer to zero, the more the shoe allows the runner to run naturally and take the heel out of the running equation (more on that in a future post).

The sole of the Kinvara is like something I have never seen before.  The midfoot to toe part of the shoe has rubber triangles, which extend slightly past the EVA sole (the white part).  EVA is basically a lightweight polymer.  The toe has a small piece of rubber for less wear on the shoe at toe off.  The heel has these same triangles, but also has a bit more rubber that wraps around the outside of the heel.

These shoes are meant to be worn with no socks.  One of the nicest features about the shoe is the added padding around the back of the ankle in the Achilles tendon area.  It more or less wraps the shoe around the ankle, adding comfort to an area that could get some blisters running with no socks.

The ride of the shoe is very nice.  The shoe has enough padding to protect my feet from the asphalt and rocks.  The toebox provides ample room for your toes to splay, rather than squished together.  The low heel drop has also helped me make changes to my gait, allowing me to land on the outside of my midfoot and roll in from small toe to big toe and push off.  Rarely do I land on the heel in these shoes, which is probably good seeing how there is little padding in the heel.  The only downside to the shoe that I can see in the future is the EVA foam wearing out more quickly around the edges.

Nice shine!

Overall, I would recommend this shoe to anyone looking for a lightweight, everyday trainer.  The shoe can be used for short to long runs.  Whether you are a minimalist fan or not, this shoe will work for anybody.