I’m not a shoe junkie by any means, compared to what i’ve witnessed in other people. I don’t have wallets deep enough to try various brands and styles of shoes. Like most things, I find a brand that seems to deliver a great consistent product at a reasonable price and I will be a customer for life. I’m pretty brand loyal. Saucony is one of those companies for me. I’ve gone through a several pairs of a few different styles from them and they never seem to disappoint.
Saucony Kinvara3 (Right) Cortana 2 (Left)
I switch off between two models for the most part, the Saucony Cortana and the Saucony Kinvara 3. Both of these are a 4mm drop shoe that I would consider are a hybrid shoes (can be trail or road shoe)
I use the Kinvara for shorter runs (less than 6 miles usually), they are light, have a tight feel to my foot but can get a little tight for me in the forefoot area. On longer runs as my foot swells a bit more, I can really start to notice it.
The Cortana’s I use for longer runs, it has the same 4mm drop as the Kinvara’s but has a bit more padding overall and a roomier forefront. The Corana’s have won several awards from running magazines and seems to be well received by anyone that puts them on.
I was getting serious painful callouses on the side of my bit toe, but those seem to have gone away since i’ve started using the Cortana’s for my long runs.
Both shoes work well for me on both trail and road. I’d recommend either of these to someone looking to try a new shoe.
Saucony Durability
If I had one complaint about both of these shoes it would be the durability. They seem to start to break apart rather easily. On my current Kinvaras I have about 200 miles on them, but already had some tears along the side. My older Cortana’s I have almost 400 miles and they are also tearing. I don’t feel like i’m particularly rough on my shoes, mostly road or non-technical trails. Perhaps there is something mechanical about my running that is causing it, but both shoes are breaking down in different areas, so not sure.
Saucony Kinvara3 Tearing
Saucony Cortana Tearing
I like Saucony too. They fit and feel right!