Saucony Type A6 Review

I've been meaning to write this review for awhile.  Based on my equipment listing in Runningahead.com, I've had these shoes since March and put about 50 miles on them.  I run in a lot of Saucony shoes, I have 3 pairs of Kinvara 3s and 2 pairs of the Virratas.  Both of those shoes are every day training shoes.  I've worn them for races before and they work fine, especially for marathons.  But, I wanted something geared more towards racing, especially shorter distances, and I decided to look for something from Saucony.

The Saucony Type A6 shoes are a lightweight racing flat with a 4mm heel to toe drop.  Saucony advertises them as weighing 5.2 ounces, and my size 12.5 weigh in at 6.6 ounces.  Compare that to 8.6 ounces for my Kinvara 3s and it's a big difference.

The upper is a combination of two layers of FlexFilm mesh, the shoe looks narrow, but most racing flats are narrower than everyday trainers.  But, it fits and feels great, the mesh is not too restrictive.  The ankle collar is very padded and cushioned and feels great.  I like the collar much better than the Kinvara 3's barely non-existent padding.

The sole is comprised of XT-900 carbon rubber on the heel and forefoot, with iBR+ on the midfoot.  I'm not sure what all that means, but it sounds impressive.  It also has drainage holes for heat/moisture, to keep your foot dry, just don't step in a puddle I guess.  That added rubber on the sole should mean that this shoe is pretty durable.

Like I said, I've run about 50 miles in these shoes.  I wear them for interval and tempo workouts.  And I've run a 10k and 10 mile race in them (both PRs!).  They are lightweight, but still have a good amount of cushioning unlike my New Balance Minimus 10v2, which I feel like I can feel every little piece of rock on the road.  The shoe fits my feet like a glove and feels very responsive.  And, they make me feel fast!

I know I could race in these up to half marathon distance, I don't know if I'd used them for a marathon.  I'd probably want something with a little more cushioning on the sole.  But, who knows, they may be great for a marathon.  I have yet to wear them on a run longer than 10 miles.  At some point, I'll try them out on one of my long runs and when/if I do, I'll come back and update this review.

But, as of now, my overall impression of this shoe is that it is a great shoe.  It fits the bill exactly for what I wanted it for.  It is a great shoe to run in and to race in.