The Saucony Kinvara 15 is a refreshingly retro shoe that bucks the trend for max stacked foam.
At a time when running shoes are getting stacked high with big, bouncy foams for a more lively running time, the Saucony Kinvara 15 is a throwback to a time before max cushioned running shoes were really on the scene.
The Kinvara is all about keeping you closer to the ground. It cuts back on cushioning, while still giving you enough protection and the kind of responsive feeling underfoot that make them a good fit when you want to go faster.
After the last few Kinvara instalments toyed with the formula of a shoe that’s been on runners’ feet for well over ten years, Saucony now looks keen to go back to its roots with the Kinvara 15. This is one for your up-tempo efforts, so that’s exactly how I used it to see what it’s made of.
Men’s Fitness verdict
The Kinvara 15 is ideal for runners looking for a shoe for faster days that bucks the trend of packing it with a big stack of cushioning, which will please fans of one of Saucony’s most iconic lines.- Light and lively
- Great option for quicker paces
- Impressive comfort
- Best suited to short to middle distance runs
- Doesn’t use Saucony’s bounciest foam
- Not a lot of rubber on the outsole
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Saucony Kinvara 15 features and fit
The Saucony Kinvara 15 (buy now) veers on the minimal and unfussy in terms of design. Though I can’t say I was exactly won over by the garish luminous yellow colorway they turned up in. Even the color options are a bit of a throwback.
The first thing I noticed is how light they are to slip on, with my UK size 8 weighing in at just 192g. That’s not far off the weight of pricier carbon plate racing shoes like the excellent ASICS Metaspeed line. That lighter build is partly down to its thin, single-layer mesh upper. It’s pleasingly flexible and well ventilated. The tongue is gusseted, with some light padding letting it sit snug on the top of the foot and extending to the heel collar.
Inside lies one of Saucony’s PWRRUN sock liners that offers a welcome plush feel when you slip them on. Beneath that lies Saucony’s PWWRUN cushioning technology, the same EVA-based cushioning technology that featured in the Kinvara 14. That means it doesn’t get Saucony’s newer PWWRUNPB cushioning that’s found on the speed-focused Endorphin Pro and Speed. Those use a PEBA-based setup that’s lighter and bouncier than the Kinvara 15’s EVA cushioning. That sits in a shoe with a 4mm drop, indicating that it’s not putting mounds of cushioning between you and the ground. That stack of cushioning has also been reduced from the Kinvara 14 both at the front and the heel.
Keeping you steady and nimble on your feet is an rigid EVA-based outsole. That adds to the overall flexible feel of the Kinvara 15 and ensures it offers good traction. There’s extra rubber reserved for one section of the heel to boost that grip while keeping the overall weight down.
Saucony Kinvara 15 performance
I haven’t run in a Kinvara for a few generations now. So throwing on the 15 was certainly a departure from the more cushioned options I’d typically turn to for up-tempo running days. The first thing Saucony gets right for me is that it’s just a very easy one to slip on and get running. I didn’t have to play around unnecessarily with the tongue and lacing to get things locked down. And the narrow profile suited my skinny feet, though it might cause problems for those with wider ones. It’s quite a snug-fitting shoe, particularly in the middle, but overall it was a pleasure to whip the Kinvara 15 on.
My first run with them was a tempo 5-mile run in the rain. That gave me a good idea of how well that outsole performed and it held up absolutely fine. There’s not heaps of rubber and I’m not seeing any signs of major wear. While I don’t think it’s going to be a huge mileage-consuming shoe, it also doesn’t feel light on protection. The decision not to overload the outsole with rubber adds to the noticeably flexible and agile feeling you get once you get moving at quicker paces.
While Saucony’s PWRRUN is one of its older cushioning technologies, the Kinvara proves that, in the right surroundings, it can still shine. When I picked the pace up, this shoe came alive. Your feet fully engage with that firmer foam, which gives it a nicely aggressive feel. You need to put the work in to get the best out of the Kinvara.
Ideal distance
I kept my first few runs short and sharp mainly because that’s where the Kinvara felt most at home. That low profile gives it a naturally more stable feel than a lot of higher stacked shoes built for faster runs. This definitely has an old school feel about how it goes about its business. It felt great for speed workouts outside and on the treadmill and shined for a session on the track too.
When it was time to increase the running distance and break into just below my faster running pace that’s where I began to crave the bigger, bouncier and lighter cushioning from Saucony’s Endorphin shoes, which can still roll your through fast and efficiently all while giving you that welcome added level of protection and comfort when legs start to tire. This is definitely a shoe I’d be grabbing for shorter sessions rather than a long Sunday marathon training run.
Given the direction that most faster shoes are going, Saucony’s Kinvara 15 is something of a throwback. Not just to a time when lower-stacked shoes were what most people ran in, but also to the feel of what made the Kinvara a Kinvara and that’s going to please loyal fans.
If you like the idea of a shoe that’s well suited to quicker sessions with a firmer feel, then the Kinvara 15 will be a good fit. It’s pretty reasonably priced when compared to most of the competition too.
Saucony Kinvara 15 technical specs
| Materials | Single-layer mesh upper, EVA-based PWWRUN cushioning, EVA-based outsole |
| Weight | 192g / 6.8oz (UK men’s size 8) |
| Colors | Citron and navy / Viziblu and white / Black and white |
| Sizes | 6 – 13 |
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