Saucony Mirage 3 (2013)

January 30, 2013

With this update to the Mirage 3, Saucony brings to market a nice new shoe. I call this new because I consider this shoe to be significantly changed, all, on balance, positive. It's not that the Mirage 2 was a bad shoe, not at all, but the Mirage 3 will likely appeal a larger group of runners.

The overlays on the upper are now seamless. They are heat transferred, which Saucony calls FlexFirm. In the midfoot there is an overlay attached to a lace loop, so that when you lace it up the shoe rewards you with a secure hug in the arch of the foot. This feature is balanced by a counterpart on the lateral side of the shoe.

The shoe tends to be a tiny bit longer than the size would suggest. I felt I just had about 2mm or 3mm of extra space in the area of the big toe in comparison to the Mirage 2. Conversely, they feel to me slightly narrower in the area of my pinky toe. It is not much and for most it should be no problem at all.

The most substantial changes are in the mid- and outsole. The cushioning of the Mirage 3 is softer than its predecessor. The most often heard comment on the Mirage 2 is that it felt a bit firm. For those who felt this way you will love the new Mirage 3.

Another feature is that it's more flexible than the Mirage 2. There is a structural change made in the mid- and outsoles that contribute to this more flexible feeling. The flex grooves have been reengineered, cut deeper, and they have increased in number from 3 to 4. This has substantially changed the feel of the shoe.

The Mirage 2 was built with a plastic supportive bridge that gave some amount of support on the medial side of the shoe as well added some torsional stiffness to the midsole. On the medial side the supportive bridge remains the same, but on the bottom of the sole the bridge has changed. It's smaller than it was, and is placed adjacent to, rather than in line with, a flex groove. This makes the Mirage 3 a little less torsionally stiff, which makes sense for a minimalist shoe.

Finally, there is a small change to the heel of the midsole. In the Mirage 3 it's a little more beveled.

As always, for some the updates will make the Mirage 3 a better shoe, and for others the changes will be less helpful. That said, I don't think that if you liked the Mirage 2 you will feel that the Mirage 3 is not your shoe anymore. Rather, I think these changes have opened up this shoe to a larger segment of the market — folks who will appreciate the minor changes Saucony made to this model. What didn't changed is the low heel-to-toe offset of 4 mm.

A men's size 9 tips the scale at 8.8 oz. and the women's size 7.6 oz. And that's about an ounce lighter than the Mirage 2.

The Saucony Mirage 3 is available in men's and women's specific sizing.

[Editor’s note: Our capable editor-at-large for footwear Jeroen van Geelen owns Total Running, one of the more important running and triathlon retail establishments in The Netherlands.]