First look: Saucony ProGrid Mirage

I noticed a box sitting on the front steps when I got home last night and was excited to see my review pair of Saucony Mirages had arrived. I brought them inside and opened the package, not really knowing what to expect. The Mirage is Saucony's most minimal stability trainer and a close relation to my beloved Kinvaras.

The shoes, in jet black with bright red mid-soles, were far different from the Kinvara in look and feel. While the Kinvara is a super light shoe with a very minimal upper, the Mirage feels beefier with a more conventional upper and more structure on the medial side for stability. This combination adds weight to the shoe (7.7 oz for Kinvara vs 9.6 oz for the Mirage). Still, this shoe is under 10 oz making it almost 1 oz  lighter than the ASICS DS Trainer 16 that is considered the standard for light stability shoes.

After trying on the Mirage and comparing it to the Kinvara, I noticed a significant difference in the way the Mirage held my foot. The new shoe felt more substantial, less minimal, with gentle upward bend at the front that provided a feel of forward motion and a natural mid-foot fall. I have not run in these shoes so I don't have a sense of them in action but the initial reaction is promising. I'm not going to wear the Mirages on my race on Sunday but I will plan to use them for my half marathon.

A full review of the Mirages will be posted on Runner's Tech Review after I've had a chance to evaluate them. In the meantime, Check Runner's Tech Review next week to see our evaluation of the new Karhu Fast 2_Rides.