At Tuesday night’s Running Room ‘Club Cambie’ Marathon Clinic, our guest speaker was Larry Abbott from Mizuno. Not only is Larry a Mizuno “brand building specialist,” and a mental performance consultant, he is also a crazy fast half marathoner, with a PR around 1:08:29.2!
In addition to talking with us about how to mentally prepare for our upcoming marathons, Larry brough some Mizuno shoes to test during our speed workout on the track.I decided it would be a great opportunity to actually run in the Mizuno Wave Sayonara. I had tried them on in the store a few weeks ago, but felt that the 10mm rise was more than I was used to after having spent the past year running in lower drop shoes. Larry convinced me that I wouldn’t notice the higher drop at all.
My First Impression
My test pair of Mizuno Wave Sayonara’s
One we got to the track and I put on the shoes, I quickly realized the Larry was right. While it was still noticeable when I was standing around, the minute I started running, the shoes other features took over and the higher rise
The Sayonara is a light weight ‘performace-neutral trainer’, weighing in just under 8 oz. While still a ‘traditional shoe int terms of rise, it has a lower stack height than even most transitional and minimalist shoes, with just 14mm in the forefoot and 24mm in the heel. This means that, while it has a 6mm higher drop, the forefoot of the Sayonara is a 4mm lower than my more ‘minimalist’ trainer the Brooks Pure Cadence 2, which has a 4mm drop, but a 19mm forefoot.
The lower sole was definitely noticeable once I started running. Even in the first few strides, it felt like a ‘fast shoe’ while it’s lower profile gave a ‘firm ride’ it still offered adequate protection/cushioning. It was also quite flexible which allowed for natural foot mobility and a solid toe push off, features that I’ve grown accustomed to after wearing more minimalist shoes. While the upper offered a comfortable snug fit, there was plenty of room in the toe box for you feet to spread out. All this provided me a smooth and quick ride during my 1,000 meter repeats.
My Verdict
When it comes time to rotated out one of my current roster of running shoes, the Sayonara will be near the top of my list. In addition to being great for speed work, it would perform nicely in mid week workouts and some middle distance races and even a half marathon.
Shoe Specs
What Mizuno has to say:
Product Features
- Light, low to the ground, versatile–the Wave Sayonara makes everyday a Go Fast day.
- U4ic midsole provides resiliency and a smooth ride at a fraction of the weight of traditional midsoles.
- G3 SOLE has lightweight, superior traction, creating a pure connection to the ground.
- Upper design provides exceptional forefoot hold and assurance at toe-off.
Prodcut Details
- Weight 8.1 oz
- ColorsSizes 7-13, 14, 15
- Dude Blue / Anthracite / Bolt (4Y9D)
- White / Anthracite / Lime Punch (009D)
- Style 410535
Other Reviews
Some other perspectives:
- The Middle Miles: Gear Review: Mizuno Wave Sayonara
- Pavement Runner: Mizuno Wave Sayonara Review
