Forums >Gears and Wears>Half Marathon racing flat
RA's cranky old teenager
Hey guys, I'm running the Pittsburgh half in about a month and I'm having some issues deciding what I should wear for it. I ran my first half this past weekend at Indiana University for the NIRCA half-marathon championships and I wore an old (OLD) pair of Kinvaras that I used to use as trainers. My New Balance MRC1600s just didn't seem like they were man enough to handle more than a 10k, so I opted for the Kinvaras because they were relatively light while still having enough substance.
However, with Pittsburgh coming up, Philly in the fall, and probably a 10-miler in the summer, I'm realizing that I may as well invest in a bulkier road racer for the stuff my MRC1600s can't handle. I was thinking of just getting a newer pair of Kinvaras (the 4s are cheap these days), but I figured I'd ask around and see what are generally used and liked as half marathon racers.
Oh, and I don't have any pronation issues. Pretty neutral-footed. I train in Mizuno Wave Riders. And I ran IU in 91 low, and I hear Pittsburgh is flatter than that course, so I'm hoping to go sub-90.
Thanks!
That's probably maybe mostly true.
Lately I wear the Saucony A5 for everything from mile to half marathon. If you don't want to wear the same flats you race 5k-10k in then I'd just wear the Kinvaras.
Runners run
Saucony Virratas are on liquidation at runningwarehouse for $48.88. Probably some coupon code could make them even cheaper.
They have more cushion that the MRC1600s, are lighter than the Kinvaras, and, I believe, cheaper than the Kinvaras.
0 mm drop, so that is one difference to consider. (The other two are 4 or 5 mm.)