Christmas is
early in our home. Even before the All
Souls Day holiday break, we already had a Christmas tree up in our living
room. And one early morning, I woke up
to see a pair of Kinvara 3 hanging with the silver balls on the
tree. Who is it from? Could it
be from good old S.C. – Saucony Claus? Ho ho ho ho......
Fantabulous! I love Christmas.
Like this holiday season, there is so much to love about the Kinvara and its 3rd edition.
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| Kinvara 3 on the Christmas Tree |
Fantabulous! I love Christmas.
Like this holiday season, there is so much to love about the Kinvara and its 3rd edition.
Saucony’s breakthrough minimalist model undergoes a
reboot that incorporates seamless upper construction, newly-configured outsole
design, and all of the lightweight support that made the shoe a hit in its last
two incarnations. The “Best Debut” winner from Runner’s World boasts a new and
intuitive design while retaining all of the features that made the Kinvara 1
and 2 huge successes in the minimalist market.
Here is a list from the running
warehouse blog of what punch is packed in the Kinvara 3:
More Durable Sole: Saucony heard the feedback about the durability of prior Kinvara
models and responded by adding XT-900 rubber where it counts. Added rubber on
the lateral midfoot and forefoot means you can expect more mileage out of your
Kinvara 3′s compared to previous pairs.
Same Heel-to-Toe Drop: Though many other Saucony models are lowering their offsets, 4mm is
still the name of the game for the Kinvara. You know it, you love it, and
Saucony didn’t mess with it.
Smoother Transition: Already known for its flexible, light, and comfortable midsole, the
Kinvara series is now designed to move with your foot even better thanks to a
de-coupled and beveled heel, along with added flex grooves in the heel. While
the Kinvara remains geared toward a midfoot strike, these updates make the shoe
a little more welcoming for heel strikers as well.
Still Lightweight: Official weights from Saucony are 7.7 oz (Men’s size 9) and 6.7 oz
(Women’s size 8).
Redesigned Upper: Look for a streamlined upper with improved fit thanks to the use of
FlexFilm™, a thin material bonded to the upper to secure your foot to the sole
a little better throughout your gait.
Widths Now Available: For those of you with a wider foot, Saucony is producing 2E widths
in the Men’s version and D widths in the Women’s version.
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| It is light. Period. |
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| More durable sole |
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| 12 days of Kinvara 3 Christmas |
So much
screaming color, just like the great Muhammad Ali. Yup, the Kinvara 3 reminds me of old Cassius
Clay. And not just because of the
abundance of color but also because of the idea that like Ali, the Kinvara was
able to combine the power of 2 seemingly opposite attributes. In the case of Ali, he combined brute force
with graceful ballet. On the part of the
Kinvara, it is a fusion of minimalist style and cushioning substance.To quote the guy from www.runblogger.com, it "...has
many of the alluring characteristics of a minimalist shoe (so much hyped these
days) but still possesses some of the
important creature comforts of the familiar, high-tech, big-heeled shoes that most runners have run
in for the past 20-30 years....It deviates from most modern shoes in that it’s
very light and has a low heel to toe drop (4mm), but it retains a hefty degree
of cushion and it provides a very cushy ride."
Now, let me add
another discussion point about this running shoe.
Where did the
name “Kinvara” come from?
Using google,
the results I found point to a sea port village located in the south of County
Galway, Ireland. This village is named Kinvara and is noteworthy for it is the
location of Dunguaire Castle of the old Hynes Clan, now an iconic Irish landmark. It is a lovely sight to behold.
Now how did an
idyllic Irish village get its name associated with a Saucony running
shoes? I look at some articles (http://www.runblogger.com/2011/10/saucony-to-abandon-12mm-lift-model-big.html) about Saucony and its shoe design philosophy and
there I see the names Pat O’Malley (Head of Footwear) and Chris Mahoney
(Senior Designer). These are Irish family names. The conjencture can be made.
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| Dunguaire Castle |
There we have
it. The Saucony Kinvara could have been
named after a beautiful Irish village by the sea. All the Kinvaras are
beautiful but they pack a running punch just like Muhammad Ali. I could just imagine myself enjoying the
Kinvara 3 on a fabulous run where the effort is seemingly gliding which in turn
keeps me fresh so that I can have a stinging finish.
Float like a
butterfly and sting like a bee.
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| Floating like a butterfly |
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