Saucony Kinvara Pro - Initial thoughts…

Sportlink Store Manager, Karen Davies had the opportunity to re the Saucony Kinvara Pro when it first came out. Here is her review….

I will be the first to admit that I no longer have the speed that enabled me to fly down the wing of a rugby pitch, leaving other international players behind me! Nowadays I plod along, more interested in miles than tries. I was worried that I couldn't do the shoe justice, but as soon as I started to run, I knew I was going to enjoy them.

The fit of the Kinvara Pro was true to size. I wear 6.5, and these were perfect. There was plenty of room in the toe box and the height was enough to accommodate my toes in a medium cushioned sock. The lacing was snug and secure. There were no hot spots under the tongue, and the heel counter did a great job of keeping my foot from moving about at the back. 

Once I was into my stride, I was aware of the SpeedRoll technology urging me forward. It’s was as if the shoe wanted me to go faster. The 3/4 carbon plate wasn’t intrusive. I’ve never run in a carbon plated shoe before, but I didn’t find it in the way. There was a nice amount of flexion in the midsole which I found comfortable for my running style.

The combination of the PWRRUN+ sock liner, PWRRUN PB super foam , 3/4 carbon plate and PWRRUN foam gave me an extremely comfortable, yet very responsive experience. The Kinvara Pro has a stack height of 42mm at the heel and 34mm in the forefoot, giving an offset of 8mm. I was a bit concerned that such a high stack height would make the shoe unstable, but I needn’t have worried. The presence of the firmer PWRRUN foam underneath the much softer PWRRUN PB foam gave the shoe stability. The only thing that did happen was me occasionally scuffing the underneath of the shoe because I wasn’t used to the increased amount of foam under my mid foot. Still, it made me pick my feet up a bit more!

I did a nice route on the pavement and a little on some mucky paths. The outsole grip coped with each perfectly. I felt very confident in these super trainers. 

I’m definitely going to add the Saucony Kinvara Pros to my shoe rotation. I’d be happy to use them as a daily trainer and as a race day shoe. I felt like I was flying in them - I even got 2 segment pb’s in Strava!

Check out our stock of Saucony Kinvara Pro and Saucony Kinvara 14 here