Type: Neutral
Price: £200
Weight: 269g (M), 240g (W)
Drop: 8mm (42mm/34mm)
The shoe
Saucony are billing the brand new Kinvara Pro as a running shoe that brings 'a lightweight and breezy feel to your everyday training' and actually, we think that's spot on. But goodness, that name is confusing. Because if you blacked out the branding, and passed us this shoe, made us run in it, and asked us to guess what it was, we can honestly say that the word 'Kinvara' would never in a million years have featured.
Anyone who was a fan of the Kinvaras of old – and they had many fans – will know them as a low-profile lightweight road racer. The Kinvara in its non-Pro form is now on its 14th iteration (see our review) and for most of those models, it has been something more akin to a cushioned racing flat, or a racing flat with a kinder midsole. Of course, in recent years there has been a trend towards more maximal midsoles, and the Kinvara 14 looks nothing like those old styles either. So clearly there is a trend towards 'maxing up' the whole line.
Indeed, the Kinvara Pro has more cushioning than your average sofa – and the enormous stack height of 42mm in the heel is actually over the legal limit for racing, according to World Athletics rules, so this is definitely a shoe for training purposes only.
What is the Saucony Kinvara Pro like to run in?
It's been a long time since we tried a shoe that feels like a genuine all-rounder – something you can run fast or run slow in and get the same lovely pep out of both. That's where these shoes really shine. They are something of a chameleon shoe. The 3/4 plate and gentle rock towards toe-off that the curved midsole shape brings make them feel good during a track speed session, yet also have a lovely bouncy kind-on-tired-legs feel during the next day's long run. And unlike some plated shoes, you don't have to work too hard to get that snappy transition, so they feel good even at slower paces. Durability wise, they also look a good investment – this is an early review, but after 40 miles in them, any wear is invisible to the eye.
That said, our other tester felt that the added weight – 269g in a men’s and 240g in a women’s – mean the Kinvara Pro might feel a bit heavy for some during intervals sessions or for up-tempo running. Where everyone agreed, however, is the comfort, which is fantastic. RW experienced no hotspots or blisters while wearing the shoe on some 10 milers, and would have no reservations about reaching for these on even longer runs.
How does the Kinvara Pro fit?
The shoe fits true-to-size and there’s plenty of room in the forefoot to allow toes to splay. There’s a plush tongue - this sits surprisingly far up the foot, in fact, which feels slightly strange when you first put them on but adds to the comfort on the run. The precise lacing system also allows for a tailored fit.
With a big wodge of PWRRUN midsole underfoot, this is a plush ride, but it’s not pillowy soft – there’s a responsiveness from that foam.
RW verdict
At £200, the Kinvara Pro definitely doesn’t come cheap, particularly as you’ll need another shoe for race-day itself, but given the all-rounder nature of the shoe, we think it's a worthwhile investment.
It seems somewhat churlish to criticise a brand for an embarrassment of riches, but we do wonder, exactly where, in the really impressive line-up of current Saucony models, this shoe really sits. If anything, they feel like part of the Endorphin range – and that's a compliment. The Endorphin Speed also has a plate (albeit a nylon one) that gives it a nice snappy propulsive feel and of course the Endorphin Pro 3 – another great shoe – has a full carbon fibre plate and is super lightweight for your race PB efforts.
If you are a running nerd, then the name will bug you for sure. If you've never heard of a Kinvara before, then it's just meaningless nostalgia: the most important thing is that these are a really great pair of running shoes that offer pretty much everything you could possibly want from one pair of shoes – bar race day. In fact, these go straight to the top of our patented category of "holiday" shoes – the ones you pack when you are off travelling and can only bring one pair to do everything.
In summary: fantastic shoe, inexplicable naming choice.
