Kinvara 12 or Hyperion Tempo?

Running Shoes/Running Gear Shoes

2 years ago 07/01/2021 4:28pm EDT

Hi - long time reader, first time poster. I am adding a new shoe to my current lineup (Brooks Ghost 13, Asics gel-cumulus 23) that is geared more towards speed/tempo work and am stuck between the Saucony Kinvara 12 and the Brooks Hyperion Tempo. Pretty different shoes on paper, with the main difference being the 4mm (Saucony) vs 8mm (Brooks) offset. I have run in both and kind of like the Kinvara better, though the Hyperion feels faster and more responsive. So my question is this: is there any advantage - from an injury prevention standpoint or just a general training standpoint - to having a low drop shoe like the Kinvara in my lineup next to my other shoes, which both have a drop of 10-12mm? I don't necessarily need all the extra heel support - I'm a midfoot striker and ran in Hokas for years before switching to the Brooks/Asics I wear presently.

2 years ago 07/01/2021 6:35pm EDT

re: leviocastorial

I have run many miles/workouts in both shoes, and have owned many pairs of Kinvaras over the years. However, I suspect that the low heel drop in the Kinvaras has contributed to worsening achilles issues in recent years. I now exclusively train in shoes with 8+ mm heel drops, and do eccentric heel drops religiously after each run, and my achilles issues have more or less stabilized with an occasionally flare up that is usually pretty manageable. That said, if you don't have achilles problems, you really can't go wrong with either shoe. The Kinvara is very versatile and can be used for anything from easy runs to tempos to long runs, while the hyperion tempo probably doesn't hold up as well over longer efforts, so I pretty much use it exclusively for tempos and intervals.

Hope this helps.

2 years ago 07/05/2021 2:40pm EDT

re: Finance Bro

That does help - thank you. Decided to go with the Hyperion since they were a bit more suited to my purposes and wouldn't require as much adjustment/transition as the low-drop Kinvara

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Kinvara 12 or Hyperion Tempo?

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