When Saucony first told me they were introducing a minimalist stability shoe, I was intrigued, but skeptical. After all, a minimalist stability shoe just seems like an oxymoron. My first pair of running shoes were stability shoes (Adidas Supernova 9) and I made my way up through the Supernova family to the Supernova Sequence II. Then, Saucony sent me the Kinvara and I was hooked.
So, although I had been comfortably running in a neutral minimalist shoe for several months, I still wanted to see what they could do with the stability category. At first, I was a little disappointed. The Mirage seemed stiff and clumpy compared to the Kinvara, but I thought I wasn’t being fair comparing apples (a neutral shoe) to oranges (a stability shoe) so I grabbed the Supernova Sequence from the closet and slipped those on.
The difference was immediately obvious. Compared to the other stability shoe, the Mirage was simply awesome. It was lighter, sleeker and far more comfortable. My mid foot landing felt more natural in the Mirage compared to the Supernova Sequence. Where the Mirage had felt stiff compared to the Kinvara, it was downright flexible compared to the Supernova Sequence.
As time went by, I found myself reaching for the Mirage more and more. It’s my go to shoe for days when I strength train after a run and for the most part, it hits the pavement every other day when I’m not wearing the Kinvara. Though I still think the thought of a minimalist stability shoe is an oxymoron, the Mirage is definitely my favorite stability shoe.
***Disclaimer: The shoes were complimentary, but the opinions are solely mine.***