I only ran in the original Cortana, but my recollection is that the Cortana was softer and had a more substantial upper. The Cortana has actually been discontinued, it is replaced by the Zealot. The latter is a similar shoe, really nice upper, but pretty firm in comparison to the Cortana and Kinvara. I see no issue in using the Kinvara for 10K-13.1, I’ve run marathons in them twice with no issue. Great shoe!

I had been using the Cortana’s but reading your review of the Kinvara, I’m considering switching over. Money wise and a little less shoe. What are the largest differences you see between the two lines? I’ll be running mostly 10k’s and 1/2’s this year. thanks for any input.

My apologies if you get this question all the time and I have somehow missed it parusing your blog comments but how would you advise one ‘fit’ a more minimalist shoe? Obviously a shoe like the VFF or Bakalia is going to fit more snugly but in a show like the Kinvara do you stick with the traditional ‘1/2 size bigger than normal shoes’ rule or tend to go by feel/preference? Cheers,

Chris B

Hi Steve,

I partially run in FF Bikilas, slowly working up my kms, but in the meantime I am too looking for a gateway shoes for my longer runs.

I have wide feet, they get wider in the toes. I spend about half my childhood barefoot, and as an adult suffer in almost all shoes. I remember seeing an image somewhere (sorry can’t find it again) of an adult foot that had never worn shoes and an adult foot that had always been shod. The barefoot foot looked like a ducks foot, the shod foot looked deformed. My feet are somewhat in between and although I love that I am not totally ‘deformed’, well at least in my feet, it does make shoes a major problem. I LOVE my FFs, my toes love the FFs, but its true on longer runs some cushioning would be nice.

I tried on a pair of Kinvaras based on all the positive stuff from this review. I didn’t actually run in the Kinveras because just trying them on was clear they weren’t for me. I loved the low T2H drop and the cushioning, but I found them very narrow in the toe box. Even just trying on, my toes felt pushed together, it seems impossible that they would be able to splay during a run and I find if I can’t splay when I walk or run I get an ache that slowly turns into big pain in the outside edge of my foot. The pointy toe makes the shoe look sleek and probably reduces weight, and it obviously doesn’t bother most people, so if you have pointy feet I think the Kinveras might make a great gateway shoe.

Personally I am very impatient to try some of Altra shoes, they claim to have a big toe box, should be out in April 2011.

Niki

I tend to not view pronation as a major factor in choosing a shoe unless it is extreme. But, if you are concerned, the Mirage might be the better choice, though I can’t honestly say that it is better at controlling pronation than the Kinvara (or any other shoe for that matter). The Kinvara is a bit softer, but it does not have the plastic piece under the arch that is intended to improve stability in the Mirage. I’d say try on both and go with the one that feels more comfortable.

Thank you a lot Pete. I love reading your blog. Thanks for all your great insight.

Depends on how much you typically scuff your soles. Mine still look pretty
good after 200 miles.

Pete

I still use them as a long run shoe…