Comments: Last time I owned a saucony was about 3 years ago and I did not enjoy it a lot. I later realized that I wore the wrong shoes due to my feet type and the way of running. I later ran with Asics and loved them. Recently I read a lot of barefoot stuff and decide to try forefoot/midfoot strike. I got Mizuno Ronin and loved them, however I do not think I should use them for running everyday. Later I got saucony kinvara 2 from runningwarehouse.com and you know what? I order two more in different colors right after I ran them the first week. They are light, comfortable, responsive, and of course, they look great! I've run my first pair for about 3 weeks and had about 75 miles on them. Still love them and I never had a blister. Call me crazy, but I am thinking of ordering two more colors soon.
From: George, New York, NY, USA
Comments: This was my first pair of Sauconys since college, in the late 70's. I tried them, to have a racing shoe for 5k's. Wow, loved the shoe!!! Got them Friday, ran in them Saturday...what a difference! It allowed good form and strike without having to think about...ran a PR (of course the shoes did not do that..lol) The greatest part of this story for me is the missing foot fatigue and bone ache. It is the first time in years that I have raced and did not have 2 or 3 days of aches in the bone of my feet Love them!!!
From: Cordell, Salisbury, NC, USA
Comments: Extremely comfortable shoe, makes the 4mm drop feel very natural, almost perfect, but for running I found them to be too soft, with very little energy return, and they felt "big" on my feet. Also noticed wear on the outsole alarmingly early. The quest continues...
From: Victor, Leesburg VA, USA
Comments: I have logged 500mi on my first pair of Kinvara 2s and I am very happy with them. I am on the website now buying my second pair. The outsole lasted very well for me - all of the triangular lugs are still there. The upper lasted as well, except for small tears (~1 cm)on both shoes just in front of the Saucony logos on the outside near the little toe. This is where the fabric bulges when the shoe flexes. No problem, just used some super glue and the problem was solved.
I love the fit of these shoes, and the lacing is simple and effective. I prefer these to my other pair with which I alternate -- Nike Free v2.0. The Nikes have a wider heel which slips more and a very frustrating asymmetric lacing pattern which drives me nuts. I do prefer the firmer cushioning in the Frees for faster runs. These shoes offer a very small 4mm heel-toe drop (even less than the Nike Frees) but are still cushioned enough for every day use.
Overall, I highly recommend.
From: Justin, Cleveland, OH USA
Comments: Only a few complaints. The heel seemed too cushy and made the shoe feel heavier because of the strike. They got extremely hot in the summer. While they felt light, they were actually kinda large and unwieldy on my feet. They are non-functional at 500 miles(nearly everything on the upper that could rip has). I would recommend this shoe, but there are better out there.
From: Joe, Hendersonville, TN, USA
Comments: I switched to these shoes looking for a good trainer to help me transition to being a mid-foot striker. These really put your foot in a more natural position to strike mid-foot. I've been in them about a month, working up the mileage and really concentrating on form. Except for the sore calf muscles (to be expected when switching from traditional running shoes with a 12mm heel to toe drop) I've been relatively pain free. I was injured in the late spring of last year with an unknown diagnosis (the podiatrist, who is a marathon runner, was stumped). I've had foot pain ever since then. But now, after switching to the Kinvara 2, that pain is mostly non-existent. I've already dropped more than 2 mins off of my personal record for a 5K in only 1 month! I love these shoes and won't run in anything else now.
From: Rodney, Sarasota, FL, USA
Comments: Kinvara 2's are great! Have run about 400 miles in first pair starting to show wear though, still alternate with 2nd pair. Plenty of cushion for a marathon and although a little mushy and soft they are fine for faster workouts.
From: Brad, Brownstown, IN
Comments: I work at a shoe store and have heard the Saucony reps speak on this shoe and he could not be more right. I tried this shoe on the day he came in and I have been running in them ever since. It is such a lightweight and breathable shoe. It is a little soft, but for longer runs that doesnt seem to be a problem. I recommend it to anybody.
From: Anonymous, Fayetteville, GA
Comments: Excellent shoe. The only uninjured Fall season I have ever had was in these shoes. I just wish the middle was a little more durable or the traction triangles were made of longer lasting material. About 550 miles in mine before they started to bug.
From: Joseph, Forest Grove, Oregon, United States
Comments: The Kivara has been my primary training/racing shoe this year. I have logged over 1,000 miles in Kinvaras including 4 marathons, 2 half marathons, and part of an ultra marathon. Overall they are a very good shoe for runners looking to go with a comfortable lower drop option. There have been a few issues I did observe. First I needed to go a half size larger since that seemed to fit a little smaller than my other trainers. Also I supinate so the small toe side of my shoes takes a beating and the soft EVA foam has poor durability. After ~100 miles the pinky toe side of my shoes would show noticeable wear but thanks to a nifty shoe epoxy called free sole, I would build that area up periodically and that would allow me to get about 500 miles out of a pair. Also these are a very cushy soft shoe and although they are excellent for marathons I find that shorter races, fast tempo runs, and track workouts that these shoes are to soft and somewhat unstable. I would probably opt for a racing flat or a harder shoe for higher speeds. As a previous runner who was used to the standard 12mm drop, thick sole foam/gelled to death shoes, the Kinvaras really helped me improve my running form and technique. This is a great shoe that will reward efficient runners and further encourage good form yet is capable enough for the beginning runner to enjoy.
From: Nick, Portage, MI USA
Comments: Comfortable shoe, but the sole felt too mushy for me. I think they run a bit narrow. I'm officially a size 8, but the 8 was too tight so I tried the 8.5, which fit really well. I returned these (thank you runningwarehouse for the great free returns!) because it was overly cushioned for me. I am a mid-foot stiker, looking for a good shoe for tempo runs. I don't like a ton of cushioning for these runs because it seems to interfere with my stride when I get going fast. I went with the Mizuno Ronin 3's instead. The Kinvara 2 felt really comfortable and would probably be good for someone just starting to run with a midfoot strike.
From: Dano, Santa Monica, CA
Comments: No better than a Nike Free run as far as a transition shoe. WAY too cushioned for an kind of speed. Also the cushioning is extremely soft so it wears very fast and you lose a lot of energy through the dampening. There are much better transition models on the market than this shoe (e.g. Inov-8 220's/30's/33's or Newtons) because they feature better energy-return cushioning (firmer) and offer more necessary feedback from your feet. -- That said, it's still leaps and bounds better than their abomination Hurricane and like models.
From: Marty, Milwaukee, WI
Comments: These shoes are amazing! I previously wore traditional "neutral" shoes and what a difference these have made. I no longer deal with backaches or sore knees after long runs. Work into them gradually, I experienced tight/sore calves the first long run.
From: Jim, Alturas, CA
Comments: The Kinavara is my "go to" training shoe. I do regular 10 mile training runs in these @ 7:30/mile pace and they hold up well. My Kinavara V1 survived training for 3 marathons which is a lot more life than I got from either Newton or Zoot - I'm expecting the same level of life from V2, I honestly cannot tell any difference between V1 and V2. I really like the excellent ventilation of these shoes and the price cannot be beat. This shoe is a "must have" in my opinion, I run 20 miles a week minimum.
From: Derik, Charlottesville, VA, USA
Comments: Almost exactly like the kinvara 1. the kinvara 2 is built on the same last and has pretty much the same feel as the first one, the only difference being a slightly more fitted forefoot. It's not uncomfortable, but its certainly noticeable. Personally, I like the fit a little better than that of the kinvara 1 even though I do have wide feet. So far I have put close to 300 miles on them and they are holding up well--only 1 tiny little tear in the upper fabric.
From: Chen, Massachusetts
Comments: These are fantastic shoes! I was really nervous about purchasing these shoes as I was a frequent user of the standard neutral shoes such as the Cumulus, Ghost and Wave Rider and feared that a more minimalist shoe would wear on my legs and joints. I couldn't have been more wrong as any nagging knee and foot pain has significantly diminished since making the switch. They really allow for a much more consistent mid foot strike as opposed to the standard neutral shoes mentioned above. I'm currently on my second pair and log roughly 70 miles a week.
From: Boothbay, ME
Comments: Very comfortable shoe. Lightweight but still felt like there was some cushioning. At first the arch support seemed uncomfortable but after a few minutes it was not noticeable. I did notice that there is less heel drop than my Free Runs so you may want to ease into these. I did a 10 miler on my second run with them and I could tell the difference. My only quibble is that I need to wear socks with these shoes as the upper material did wear on the top of my middle toe. No big deal but irritating.
From: To, Lincoln, NE USA
Comments: My only complaint with the Kinvara is that the toe box of the shoe is not wide enough for me. My toes feel cramped together like in a racing shoe and are not able to spread out when I push off, which causes me muscles to tire more quickly than with other minimalist shoes I've used.
From: Todd, San Antonio, TX, USA
Comments: Love the feel more cushioning in forefoot than green silence. With the forward landing first for me the better cushioning is a pleasure.
From: Art, Norwich, CT, USA
Comments: Great shoe like the Kinvara 1. I am only commenting because I wanted to add that shoe fitter states to get a 1/2 size larger than your Kinvara 1's (It told me to get a 12.5 in Kinvara 2. I am a 12 in Kinvara 1). This was not true for me. Kinvara 1 and 2 have the exact same fit. I think their measurement of the Kinvara 1 is off.
From: Gino, Dayton, OH, USA
Comments: I have just run the Lima's Marathon. Amazing shoes!!!!!
From: Fernando, Lima, PE
