Anybody run in both? Looks like they threw a medial in the Kinvara and now called it the Mirage.
They’re definitely three different shoes.
Mirage has no medial posting, just a little plastic arc that does next to nothing. It is definitely more substantial than either the Fastwitch or the Kinvara.
Fastwitch is about the same weight as the Kinvara but it has a much more race oriented ride, little bit snappier and firmer under foot. Wider platform than the Kinvara, which adds some stability on top of the posting. Much snugger forefoot than the Kinvara, which is sloppy on me.
The Mirage, Fastwitch 5 and Kinvara (now v 2) are all built very differently. The one thing that binds all three is the 4mm of heel-toe drop. Stack heights bring us to 5mm, but that is for nitpicking, as the inserts compress at a fast rate and don’t actually contribute to the conversation, so none of you New Balance folks throw that in.
The New Fastwitch 5 has a 16-11mm heel to toe height, which is different from the 22-10 in the previous version. Just like the Kinvara, this promotes a more midfoot foot strike, thus more efficient. Big difference is in the cushion tech. The Mirage and Kinvara both have progrid lite, which is the same exact compound as the more substantial trainers, but 2/3 thinner. The Fastwitch has ionic grid, which is literally a tic tac toe board cut into the midsole material. So this is a less resilient material, but lighter. Cuts are slightly different as well.
The Kinvara (1 and 2 are the SAME EXACT SHOE, but the 2 has a different print on the upper, FYI) has the 4mm of drop to promote a more natural footstrike, but it is a softer trainer. The triangular lugs under the forefoot compress up into voids in the midsole. This was a bit of addition by subtraction. Instead of adding a cushioning compound to the forefoot, they removed material and allow for the lugging to compress up to give it a cushioned feel. Upside, it feels soft. Downside, it compresses quickly. Upside to the downside, it compresses evenly, so it won’t wear irregularly and become unusable.
The Mirage is a training shoe for the runner who has been in stability shoes their whole life, but really really want to try out this “natural running” thing. The 4mm drop is still present, making the shoe inherently more stable (I won’t get into the physics and dynamics of a high heel to low tow pronation acceleration effect in this post), however, that Brooks Adrenaline, Saucony Omni foot that still comes down at midfoot strike slightly pronated gets a touch or guidance. The TPU wedge built into the arch does indeed afford some stability to the pronating foot, but if you are dead neutral you won’t notice it as your foot doesn’t roll and engage the wedge. Since the wedge doesn’t come into contact with the upper or the foot, it is only engaged in pronation. The weight only increases 1.2oz, as well, so you are still getting a super light shoe as a day in-day out trainer. Also of note, the forefoot is different on this than the Kinvara. The triangular lugs are not present here, as is the effect of compressing into voids. The EVA is solid and more responsive in the Mirage. This makes for a more durable ride, and responsive toe off. You don’t feel like you are sinking in as far.
That should help I hope.
that rocks! thanks
I have been training in the mirage since they came out (with orthotics). I was thinking about trying out the kinavaras as a race shoe, still using my orthotics. You think I could get away with it or just stick with the mirage for training and racing?
I also noticed that, going from a Fastwitch 3 to a Fastwitch 5 that the toebox is tighter, enough that if I buy the shoe again I may want to go up a half-size.
I have seen people using orthotics in their Kinvaras and have success. This is kind of counter-intuitive, as the purpose of the shoe is to be a natural running, or barefoot-mimicking shoe. But if it works for you, it works. So have at it hoss.
The toe box on the 3 & 4 were exactly the same with minor material changes to the overlays. But the internal volume, overlay position, and lasts were exactly the same from generation to generation. This year’s shoe (5) is a bit of a departure from the past. I fit a 12 on all three, but I have been hearing some folks need a different size. I have track spike feet, so narrow toeboxes don’t usually bother me. The foot will splay a bit more on the 3 & 4, as you are coming down from a higher heel and the forces on the metatarsal heads are greater. The drop is lessened from 12mm to 4mm, so that will affect how your foot splays. But the overlays may be a bit more rigid on the 5. I’ll keep my ear to the ground on that.
The lower drop in the FS5 definitely feels more efficient. My orthodics bunched up at the edge of the toe area of the FS5. I did not recall this happening with the FW3. I did a few tempo runs and track workouts in the FS5, as well as an open half-marathon, and the toe space didn’t bother me much, but in the half-marathon at IM70.3 California the toebox felt dramatically smaller to the point it was uncomfortable.
I also noticed that, going from a Fastwitch 3 to a Fastwitch 5 that the toebox is tighter, enough that if I buy the shoe again I may want to go up a half-size.
In the women’s Fastwitch, I was 7.5 for the 2s, 8.0 for the 3s and am now back to a 7.5 in the 5s.
I had too much space in the front of the FT3 size 8, and was getting blisters but so far in the FT5 size 7.5, no problem. Strange…
As to the original question, I train in the Omni, but have not tried the Kinvara. I sure love the Kinvara colours though!!!