I was looking for a transition to a more “minimalist shoe” (I know isn’t everyone). Since the Kinvaras have been so highly acclaimed I decided to give them a try. It didn’t hurt that I am a sucker for flashy running shoes. The colors are great and varied. As a child of the 80’s neon speaks to my soul.

The first thing I noticed when looking at the Kinvaras was how floppy the upper felt. Even the collar of the shoe just folds right over. I was surprised to find that the upper not only supported my foot but that it did so better than the stiffer uppers of other shoes. I thought that the flex film would be a gimmick, but it actually does give a unique flexible stability. I would give the uppers full marks except that a little extra forefoot room would be an improvement.

This is the first non-medial posted shoe I have worn since racing flats in high school. My worry was that the dreaded “pronation” would break the shoe down. In the Kinvaras with the lower height and the wider forefoot I actually feel that my foot works naturally and with less abnormal pronation even without the posting. What a joy wearing light flexible shoes. Say goodbye to the bricks of the past.

Running in the Kinvaras have been a dream. With the Kinvaras I am a very light heal striker. They transition heel to toe very smoothly and have had no breakdown in the heel. Durability seems to be better than expected. I have over 150 miles and no sign of wear.

The only negative would be that the traction is a little under-aggressive with any frost on the road. Normal rainy days are just fine.

I would like to see just a tad more room/flexibility in the forefoot, but this is a minor issue.

All in all I am a full convert to the Kinvara line.

Here you can read Running Shoes Guru's own Saucony Kinvara 3 review