Saucony KINVARA RRP £85
*Neutral running shoe that allows the foot to run inhibited the closest you'll get to barefoot running with a cushioned sole unit.
*Lightweight & flexible 7.7oz
*Minimal midsole construction with protection from the pavement
*EVA Sockliner, lightweight breathable mesh.
"Strap on the loveliness people"....
I was very excited the minute I put these on my feet- comfortable and soft and very ,very light . On the road they feel awesome- all the lightness and speed of a racing shoe but with more cushioning and support from the sole- ideal. They feel so racey!
Off road- ok but just difficult to appreciate the awesomeness on that sort of terrain. Not as much support in the upper shoe so felt my foot was moving around a bit. Also found myself picking through the mud trying not to get them to mucky- now what’s that all about???
In short- I would stick to the roads to appreciate these shoes because they are fabulous- get them on your feet!! 10/10 for road training.
Jo Friday
another runners prospective.........
Well, when I first tried these shoes on a few months ago I knew they were going to be really good to run in. I had to wait until they were officially released before I could get running in them. So I was very excited when I actually got to try them out! They certainly lived up to my expectations of them. Lightweight but supportive and equally useful off road. In fact as I do most of my running off road, in this dry weather they have become my off road shoes! Normally with such a lightweight shoe, you can feel every stone underfoot, but with these you do not. Although the shoe has the weight of a racing shoe, and looks a bit like one. it is very much an everyday training shoe that you want to go and run again and again in. I would definitely recommend them.
Jayne Angilley.......Link to the blog etc is here. http://teamrunfurther.blogspot.com/
Brooks CASCADIA RRP £80.00
The Brooks ‘off roadie’. Have been test driving mine over some very mixed terrain over the last few days. Here’s a few thoughts.
As with my other Brooks (Glycerins and Launches) very comfy and soft when you first put them on. Also nice and light for an off road shoe. Meanwhile, in the great outdoors..... Good stable shoe- much better that trotting off road in your normal or ‘old’ road shoes!! I would say great for the dunes, trails , beach (is any shoe good on the beach??), coastal path during the Autumn. Also good if you have a bit of road involved to get to your trail or in the middle of it.
Don’t know if it would be my shoe of choice for full on slushy mud fests- although we haven’t had that yet this season so we’ll see. My shoe of choice then or for XC races where you can’t wear spikes would be the INOV-8 MUDCLAW- can’t beat those 4 wheel drive lugs on the soles!!
Overall 7/10. A glorified and more stable version of a road shoe. If it was totally off road and for speed I would choose the MUDCLAW. What do you think??
Get out there,
Jo XXX
Mudclaw RRP £75.00
The Brooks LAUNCH RRP £70
Used to running in the Brooks Glycerin, but thought I would test drive these on a faster run around the cricket pitch this morning. Didn’t know what to expect but I can honestly say I was WOWed and that was on the grass with rusty legs!!
Not only do they look funky they make you want to run fast from the moment you put them on. Feels stable and supportive like a regular training shoe but as light weight as a racing shoe- AWSOME!! When running they feel as though they are pushing your forward onto your toes into a really effective position.
Perfect for fast training runs and also for racing if you didn’t want to trim down to a mega light racing shoe. For that purpose I would give them 10/10, but that’s only my opinion.
Run Happy MY FRIENDS!!
Jo
Product Feedback......from the best at what they do!!
Hello Kay
Thank you ever so much for my Saucony Xodus shoes. They are fantastic and I'm really grateful to you. Here are a few words about them (remember I'm a doctor, not a journalist!)
When the Saucony rep tried to convince me that a pair of Saucony Xodus trainers were the answer to every off road runner's prayer, I was sceptical. However having worn them I have to admit he is right. They are perfect for rugged coast path runs, and even on their first outing felt extremely comfortable and supportive. The Vibram sole provides excellent grip on slippery rocks and the treads provide plenty of traction through the muddy sections. The laces stayed firmly fastened and even when wet the shoes felt light. What impressed me the most however was the degree of padding on the insole. Usually I expect my feet to feel battered after 4 hours of coastal running but the Xodus provided fantastic cushioning, even for the short road sections. They will be perfect for the 'Endurance Life' Devon Coast to Coast race at the end of September.
No wonder they were the Runner's World Editor's Choice
I was not so impressed with the Innov-8 Mudclaw 330 which my partner and I wore for the OMM 2008. The long lugs on the sole provided excellent grip on the wet slippery fells but both our laces kept coming undone. They proved too narrow for my relatively wide feet and by the end of the first day I was hobbling.
Anne Maskill
At-Your-Pace in conjunction with Brooks Running sponsor Jo Friday.
Race CV
Name: Jo Friday
D.O.B: 01/10/1974
Occupation: Veterinary Surgeon
Club/County: Cornwall AC/Represented Cornwall on 2 occasions
Years Running: 3 1/2
Recent Performances:
2007
Plymouth Hoe 10m - 62m16s (6th Female)
Bath 1/2 Marathon - 82m47s (15th Female)
Bristol 1/2 Marathon - 80m34s (16th Female)
2008
Plymouth Hoe 10m - 59m25s (1st Female)
Bath 1/2 Marathon - 78m20s (10th Female)
Cubert 5m Road Race - 28m30s (1st Female)
Newquay 10k Road Race - 36m53s (1st Female) PB
Achievements:
2nd overall female and age group winner of Cornish Grand Prix Series 2006
Overall female winner of Brooks Westward League Series XC 2006/2007
1st overall female of Cornish Grand Prix Series 2007
Coach:
Alan Rowlings - Racing Coach/Cornwall A.C
Ambitions/Future Plans:
Seeking to take her running as far as possible, improving current PB times up to 1/2 Marathon distance and moving up to Marathon distance in the near future.
more photos.........
Supported Elite Athlete:
Sam Herridge
Race CV
| Updated 17 June, 2008 |
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2008 - 4th Place: Mazda Blenheim Sprint Triathlon 2008 (01:13:09)
- 3rd Place: Nokia Windsor Triathlon (2:08:50)
2007 - Nokia Windsor Triathlon Champion (2.11.55)
- Rhodes Island Games Champion (2.14.05)
- 3rd place Blenheim Sprint Triathlon (1.10.19)
- 9th place National Sprint Championships, Glasgow (1.03.18)
- 9th place National Olympic Championships, Tredegar (2.07.44)
- 10th place Corus Supersprint Eliminator, Hyde park
- 9th place London Triathlon (2.05.10)
- Perranporth Surf Triathlon Champion (2.03.18)
- 1st CI inter-insular tri (2.05.00)
2006 - Milton Keynes Grande Prix Champion (2.03.41)
- 10th place London Triathlon Elite (2.03.08)
- 11th place Windsor Triathlon Elite National Champs (2.11.51)
- 20th place Commonwealth Games, Melbourne (2.08.10)
2005 - 2nd place sub 2.30 group at London Triathlon (2.11.05)
- 3rd place Milton Keynes Triathlon (2.14.11)
- 1st CI inter-insular tri (2.15.25)
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Neutral? Many people think they are!
A pronator? More than likely!
An Overpronator? A runner who requires an extreme level of support.