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Saucony Virrata (Read 442 times)


Mmmmm...beer

    Just hope your size is not 10.5

     

    12.5, which is why I ended up with four pairs of the same color, it's all the had left in my size. lol

    -Dave

    My running blog

    Goals | sub-18 5k | sub-3 marathon 2:56:46!!

      Has anyone else had issues when running on somewhat steep downhills in Virratas?  That's the only time when the shoe feels uncomfortable.  It's as if there is a lot of pressure on my toes and especially toenails.

        Late to the party as usual. Great shoe. Need to buy up a couple more pairs, before they go and change them.

        Get off my porch

          They can be had for $42.40 on RW right now with the fb15d code.

           

          I don't need another pair ... must resist ... but they're so pretty ...

          Runners run

            Picked up 2 more pair yesterday

            Come all you no-hopers, you jokers and rogues
            We're on the road to nowhere, let's find out where it goes

              After having great results with the Kinvara (models 1,2,3), I decided to give the Virrata 2 a try this year.  Really love it.  And I seem to be experiencing the same high-mileage lifespan with the Virrata -- I had 2 Kinvara pairs each last 1000+ miles (model 3), plus 2 current K3 pairs w/ 600+ miles.   It's a great deal - I buy the shoes online at runningwarehouse.com during a liquidation sale for about $45, and then I beat them up for a few months at the cost of just 5 cents a mile.

               

              Just purchased another cheap Virrata 2 pair -- and decided to compare it to my current Virrata 2 (w/ 630 miles).  Pretty interesting.

               

              PRs5K 19:41 (5/2017)  10K  45:27 (1/2017)  10m  1:10:41 (4/2017)   13.1  1:36:00 (6/2017)  26.2  3:31:58 (10/2017)

              kcam


                How do the Virrata's fit relative to the Kinvara?  I bought a pair of Kinvara off RW (I think they were the '4' model) and I didn't run a single step in them as they just felt too narrow on my feet .. is it likely the Virratas will feel the same?   They seem like a great shoe for ~$45.

                JPF


                  Couple of questions for the Virrata veterans:

                   

                  1. Is the zero drop going to require a significant adjustment period if I'm used to the Kinvara?

                   

                  2.  Is there any big improvement between Virrata and Virrata 2?  They still have the original at RW for really cheap.

                   

                  What I really want to know is if the Virrata is worth it if I'm pretty happy with the Kinvara, but I don't suppose anyone can really answer that for me.  I don't forefoot strike so I'm not sure added forefoot cushion is going to help me that much.  I guess at ~$40 for the original version the risk is pretty low.  My suspicion is that the Kinvara is just the shoe for me and there's no point in having affairs with other shoes, but you know . . .

                    My suspicion is that the Kinvara is just the shoe for me and there's no point in having affairs with other shoes, but you know . . .

                     

                    My short answer: If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

                     

                    My way too long answer: I was a huge fan of the original Kinvara and the Kinvara 2. I went through many pairs of each and never wanted to run in any other shoe again. Then the K3 came out and I hated it. I'm still not sure why, but something about the way the upper fit me and the way the forefoot packed out, just didn't work for me. I don't think I ever got 300 miles on my one pair of K3's before I gave up on it and made them lawn mowing shoes. At the time you could still find the K2's around so I bought a couple  more pairs until you couldn't find them anymore.

                     

                    My distaste for the K3 and the drying up of the K2 supply led me to a couple of pairs of the Mirage, then eventually the Virrata. I went through 3 pairs of the Virrata and at first I LOVED them. I never wanted to run in any other shoe again. They reminded me a lot of the original Kinvara. The one problem I had with them is they fit differently (for me) and I had to wear a 1/2 size bigger in them (10) than I had always worn in every other Saucony shoe (9.5). This, eventually, caused me some issues. They always were a tiny bit loose, causing me to have to tie them too tight. And as a zero drop shoe, the thickest part of the sole was supposed to be right under the ball of your foot, but since I was wearing a 1/2 size too big, my forefoot was just a tiny bit further back meaning that I never felt that rocker effect on push off--basically I felt like I was pushing off from a lever (hard to explain.) Over time my foot got really tired of this and I stopped liking the feel of the Virrata. And I never really liked them for fast running. I did race 1 marathon in them (Boston this year) and it was kind of a disaster. I don't think it was the shoe's fault at all, but that was just a negative association with a shoe I was already starting to tire of. So a month later, when I ran Vermont City, I actually ran it in true racing flats (the Saucony A5) which I had never done for a marathon.

                     

                    Not everyone experienced this size difference by the way--a bunch of people I know wear the same size in the Virrata as the Kinvara and for them it probably runs like a totally different shoe. But it seems about half of the Virrata wearers I know (at least the original, not sure about the Virrata 2) needed to size up a half size.

                     

                    Anyhoo, I recently tried on the Kinvara 5 and I instantly fell back in love with it. Whatever issues the 3 had are long gone and I'm firmly back on the Kinvara bandwagon. I never want to run in any other shoe again ... for now. Alas. Damn shoes.

                    Runners run

                      I run in all three of the similar Saucony shoes, the Cortana, Kinvara 3/4 and Virrata.  Seems like they all have similar fit, with the big difference being the thin heel counter on the Kinvara, and the softer sole of the Virrata.  Obviously Cortanas are the heavier of the three and offers some support, and therefore will likely be my long run shoes.

                      Seems like I run a 10 seconds/mile faster in the kinvara, but lately haven't raced much so don't know if that works the same in races, but definitely feel a bit more on my forefoot/toes in the kinvara than either of the other two.  My feet do feel more tired if I run longer than 8-10 miles with the kinvaras than any other shoes (even non Saucony shoes), again could be a function of the slightly different gait it forces me into or I because am running slightly faster in them.

                       

                      I know that this does not answer Ken's questions, but just wanted to point out that there is a slightly different feel to running in the Kinvaras than any other shoes I've tried. Don't know if this would be an issue for a longtime Kinvara user who'd want to try other shoes.

                      JPF


                         

                        My short answer: If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

                         

                        My way too long answer: I was a huge fan of the original Kinvara and the Kinvara 2. I went through many pairs of each and never wanted to run in any other shoe again. Then the K3 came out and I hated it. I'm still not sure why, but something about the way the upper fit me and the way the forefoot packed out, just didn't work for me. I don't think I ever got 300 miles on my one pair of K3's before I gave up on it and made them lawn mowing shoes. At the time you could still find the K2's around so I bought a couple  more pairs until you couldn't find them anymore.

                         

                        My distaste for the K3 and the drying up of the K2 supply led me to a couple of pairs of the Mirage, then eventually the Virrata. I went through 3 pairs of the Virrata and at first I LOVED them. I never wanted to run in any other shoe again. They reminded me a lot of the original Kinvara. The one problem I had with them is they fit differently (for me) and I had to wear a 1/2 size bigger in them (10) than I had always worn in every other Saucony shoe (9.5). This, eventually, caused me some issues. They always were a tiny bit loose, causing me to have to tie them too tight. And as a zero drop shoe, the thickest part of the sole was supposed to be right under the ball of your foot, but since I was wearing a 1/2 size too big, my forefoot was just a tiny bit further back meaning that I never felt that rocker effect on push off--basically I felt like I was pushing off from a lever (hard to explain.) Over time my foot got really tired of this and I stopped liking the feel of the Virrata. And I never really liked them for fast running. I did race 1 marathon in them (Boston this year) and it was kind of a disaster. I don't think it was the shoe's fault at all, but that was just a negative association with a shoe I was already starting to tire of. So a month later, when I ran Vermont City, I actually ran it in true racing flats (the Saucony A5) which I had never done for a marathon.

                         

                        Not everyone experienced this size difference by the way--a bunch of people I know wear the same size in the Virrata as the Kinvara and for them it probably runs like a totally different shoe. But it seems about half of the Virrata wearers I know (at least the original, not sure about the Virrata 2) needed to size up a half size.

                         

                        Anyhoo, I recently tried on the Kinvara 5 and I instantly fell back in love with it. Whatever issues the 3 had are long gone and I'm firmly back on the Kinvara bandwagon. I never want to run in any other shoe again ... for now. Alas. Damn shoes.

                         

                        Thanks!  Your short answer is basically what I'm thinking.  It's funny that you hated the Kinvara 3s.  I was late to the bandwagon and have only had 3s and 5s and really like(d) them both.  (Skipped the 4. Not on purpose, but I do gather a lot of people had problems with the fit on that one.)  I wasn't sold on the 3 at first b/c I was coming from shoes with more of a "traditional" design -- Pegasus, Ghost, Wave Precision -- but I grew into them around 100/150 miles or so.

                          FWIW,

                           

                          To those that didn't like the upgrades to the K3's and especially the K4's...

                           

                          Give the K5's a try.  I love them!  They are widen in the forefoot and feel some comfortable!!!

                          2018 Goals

                          Figure out the achilles thing...... and THEN try to get running regularly again.

                          No racing goals 

                           


                          ultramarathon/triathlete

                            I wanted to bump this up again.  I'm shopping for new Kinvaras (or Virratas if I can find a good deal, would like to try them).

                             

                            Just found a pair of Kinvara 4s on Prime for $53 (and of course free 2 day shipping).

                             

                            Any other great deals?  Last pair I bought was from that 6pm.com site and they were $44.  I don't see them this time around though.  I think I need to stock up since I feel every few months the same old hunt resumes.

                            HTFU?  Why not!

                            USATF Coach

                            Empire Tri Club Coach
                            Gatorade Endurance Team

                              Runningwarehouse and the facebook coupon.

                              Get off my porch


                              ultramarathon/triathlete

                                Oldman, can you be any more specific?  I checked Runningwarehouse and the Kinvaras are $89.95.  I don't see a coupon on their FB site but I can't imagine it would be enough to bring the shoe down under $50, could it?

                                HTFU?  Why not!

                                USATF Coach

                                Empire Tri Club Coach
                                Gatorade Endurance Team

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