THOMAS: The new upper is too voluminous for my narrow foot. I had to cinch up the throat aggressively and still didn’t find a secure fit. The PWRRUN midsole features the brand’s signature EVA/TPU blend. Whether you’re a fan of the Kinvara or not, you may enjoy the slightly firm, energetic cushioning, and close-to-the-ground feel it delivers. On the other hand, we may regret that this 2022 update did not evolve into a more technical midsole foam with more responsiveness.

THOMAS: Like an old friend that you have grown apart from, I find myself wanting to talk about the good ol’ days. However, there isn’t a lot to talk about after that. It’s not that you don’t like the friend anymore, you’ve just moved on with a new crew. You have new inside jokes that the old friend doesn’t get. You may also want to know if the Kinvara 13 has the new Pwrrun+ (E-TPU) insole that’s used on the Ride 15, Guide 15, and Peregrine 12. Sadly, it does not. Sally : The outsole is indeed minimal, and looks to be unchanged from the 12's outsole. I had the same problem as in the past with gravel and pebbles getting caught in the deep grooves of the outsole - a classic gravel catcher problem that gets annoying when running on the roads in my town. It is a very flexible outsole, reinforced with rubber at the toe-off and at the heel, but its durability has not been proven. Yet it gets big points for being quiet, a quality that matters to me. The fit is true to size, perhaps even roomier than in the past models width wise (good news for wide feet!). Willy RW, Davis IS (2014). Kinematic and kinetic comparison of running in standard and minimalist shoes. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 46: 318–323.Beto: Kinvara is one of my favorite trainers for basically any workout. It's a lightweight, minimalist shoe that has a low to the ground feel yet with control too which is something I really enjoy a lot. Saucony also calls out “a more beveled midsole and streamlined contouring” of the midsole. It is not a huge change in appearance but I think has a significant positive effect on the flow of the shoe in combination with the foam and upper . Whereas before the vertical midsole medial side walls were felt as a “support” element now the flow (as it was in the 12 to a lesser extent) is more neutral in feel and notably smoother with the support wall not really noticed much if at all. Those used to and needing the Kinvara as a light stability oriented uptempo shoe or racer will have to judge if it is still effective. The midsole is Saucony’s PWRRUN EVA/TPU blend. Many Saucony for road and trail use this compound including for road the Ride, Axon and Endorphin Shift. Noting that here we have very minimal outsole coverage compared to other PWRRUN shoes, I found the foam here the softest and bounciest flavor I can recall and that includes the Kinvara 12. While not called out by Saucony as “different” I think it may be tweaked to approach competitors such as Fuel Cell and Puma Nitro but without compromising the model’s characteristic more stable ride that much.

The runners of the time certainly remember the small revolution caused in the world of running by this lightweight shoe out of nowhere, with firm and (almost) minimalist cushioning. At the time, runners had the choice between running with models weighing more than 300 g/10.6 oz on each foot or going for the ultra minimalism of the Vibram Five Fingers. We can understand their relief when this shoe arrived: finally, a light model with firm yet protective cushioning, allowing grounded running without the pain of bare feet. Sam: Saucony knows exactly what it is doing! The rigid and plated Endorphin line is a huge success especially the similar to Kinvara in being up tempo focused Speed. Some miss and prefer more flexible shoes while others (such as me) like to mix up rigid and flexible shoes to vary the work and feel. The outer shell is a giant single piece of mesh, so the insides feel seamless – because they are. Only the internal toe-bumper and high-density printing support the lightweight mesh upper. PROS AND CONSThe Kinvara 13’s midsole isn’t complicated. It’s mostly a single density of foam with a couple of soft layers. Personal: A- ( A niche shoe for me but a shoe I really like for long runs and fartleks. Or doing strides in.) The grip is average on most foam-based outsoles, and it’s no different here – the traction is sufficient for dry and wet roads, but average on smooth floors and metal drainage covers. It is now, and as it was also in the past ,a light daily trainer to uptempo shoe for me. While it is not quite supercritical, bouncy and dynamic as say the Rebel v2 or Puma Liberate the feel gets close mainly due to the mostly PWRRUN midsole now bouncier ride at the road while being more stable towards the rear than those last two. I have 40 miles on my Kinvaras and the outsole shows nearly no wear. The reinforced rubber is only on the posteriolateral heel and medial forefoot, whereas I normally wear outsoles at the lateral midfoot. It will be interesting to see how many miles I get on these, considering that I normally get only 200 miles on the New Balance Beacon, which has a similarly designed outsole.