This week I picked up a pair of Saucony Fastwitch 2’s (endurance model) at the local running shop. Tried on several pairs of lightweight trainers and was persuaded by clerk to give these a try. These shoes are superlight and my first question to the clerk was how long will these would last and whether or not they will handle the abuse of a mary. She told me I should expect to get approx. 300 miles out of these shoes and that many of their customers have used these for marys. I weigh in at about 150lbs, and I am a consistent forefoot to midfoot striker. Well, I have put approx. 10 miles on these shoes, five of which were on a treadmill and the forefoot of these shoes are already shredded. When I got back from the first outdoor run (5 easy miles on asphalt), I checked the soles of these shoes and they look like I ran them over a cheese grater. Anyone else have experience with these shoes, positive or negative. I have read all the prior posts, but looking for some up to date feedback on these. If these shoes continue to wear at this rate they will be toast after a week of consistent running. Your comments are appreciated.
LOL! I was also concerned after my first few runs in the new Fastwitch 2s. I used them for half of the DeSoto TTT last weekend as well (about 20 miles of off road running) and they looked pretty bad. I have about 100 miles on them, and they finally stopped “shredding” the red part on the bottom that I’m sure you are experiencing. 300 miles seems optomistic, but the uppoer seems very durable.
Contrast this to their type-A (my other racing/training shoe) where the sole/bottom is incredibly resilient (and the shoe is even lighter), but the upper is very week and easily torn (I’ve been through 2 pair of these and almost 400 miles on the first pair and they still don’t look that bad). However, these are now my 2 favorite shoes and I’m using the Fastwitch 2s for longer training runs and races (mary, IM) and the type-As for about everything else. I’ll be playing around with the sinister soon, but I don’t think I’ll like it better than the type-A or Fastwtitch.
those wont last 300 miles…maybe 200, the brooks st racers will last a bit longer, so will an older ds racer (not the new ones with the duo max)
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Thanks for the info. That red sole on the forefoot has the consistency of styrofoam and I was a bit hesitant about it when I bought them. The girl who sold them to me said they would wear quicker than a convenational trainer, but my God, I didn’t expect this. Anyone have any experience with the new Asics DS Trainer XII. They also tried to pimp these to me, but I have had problems in the past with Asics and blistering and opted for the Saucony’s instead.
Yup, I also have a pair of the new DS trainers. They changed them entirely from the XIs. They are merely OK. They are now more a classic lightweight trainer, but they are most definitely a training shoe. The Fastwitch 2 is a much better shoe in my opinion for a minimal training shoe (note a I did not say minimal racing shoe). Very stiff heel counter and pretty aggressive medial posting for a supposed lightweight trainer. Very good shoe if you need some stability. I did some long runs in them training for Boston (about 100 miles) this year in poor weather and they were fine. Heel counter was a little irritating to me. They seem to last longer than the older models though (a common concern/problem). One of my local shops stopped carrying them because of their cost which is getting a little high.
I’ve been using them for training for about a year, and get about 300 miles per pair. Lowest was 250, highest was nearly 400. I run on pavement exclusively. The sole always wears out before any splitting of the uppers on my pairs.
No doubt, the Fastwitch’s wear out incredibly fast. I use them only for races–tris and up to 1/2 marathons–and NOT for training. My experience has been that they last one season of races (about 8-10 tris and dus, and 3-5 road races), and then they are toast. The primary wear issue is the forefoot sole. The material is incredibly soft (like a pencil eraser). Despite the fast wear, I keep going back to them as they are so damn light and I feel like I can really fly in them. If you use them for training, you may wear them out before you reach your actual race. My advice: don’t wear them for training. Racing only.
I’ve run up to 500mi in them…including on trails…no problem.
Same here… 500 Miles per pair. Trails, pavement, heat, snow, etc…
What do people do to their shoes that they are toast after a couple of runs?? Poor form? Heavy footfall?
I’ve switched to Asics Gel Hyperspeed now though… superior shoe IMO.
lift weights 
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I’ve run up to 500mi in them…including on trails…no problem.
Old fastwitch or the new 2? They are pretty different. Anyway, the “visible” wear is as bad as any shoe I’ve ever seen (like the OP view). Doesn’t mean they won’t last long. I fell in love with the type-A for races since it is even lighter still and was sure it wouldn’t last, so I kept saving it for races and short training intervals. Well, it proved me wrong, so perhaps the Fastwitch 2 will do the same.
both
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“five of which were on a treadmill”
ta-da! there’s your answer.
Thanks for the feedback, I hope these shoes last a little longer than the appear they will. This is by far the most comfortable shoe I have worn in quite some time and I would hate to have to keep replacing them every two months.
If you are running enough miles, they should only last 2 months.
i have a pair of saucony triumph 4. and i just ran a marathon in them, i actually bought them 3 weeks ago, and it’s great, lightweight and cushioning. but it seems to rub on my achilles so i tape my achilles
I got 400km from my Fasttwitchs 2. Race weigth 77kg.
I am currently using some of the Fastwitch 1 Endurance models and should have my set of 2 Speed from UPS in the next day or two.
I’ve done two marathons (my BQ race and Boston), two halfs (one stand alone and one as part of Eagleman last year) and a few 5k, 4 mile, 5 mile and 10k races. I’ve probably got about 100 - 110 miles on them and they are still fine. But I only use them for racing. I’m going to “retire” these after Eagleman this weekend and go to the new 2’s that I’ve got coming.
At Boston a guy at the Saucony booth was saying to hold out for the 3’s when they come out at the end of the year as they are supposed to be pretty bad azz (according to them).