Gear Review: Saucony Grid Fastwitch 4

Saucony Grid Fastwitch 4 – “Happy-fast Feet!”

RUN – Race
• Lightweight light stability racing shoe
• Versatile enough for those fast training days to marathon day
• Weight: 7.0 oz

Introduction

Happy-fast Feet!

That describes my feet when wearing a pair of Saucony Fastwitch 4’s, a light-weight racing shoe with a trace of stability.

Not only are these racers extraordinarily comfortable, as your feet slide right in as if a pair of form-fitting socks, but they also provide superior performance when running hard, be it during speed or tempo training or even racing distances up to the marathon.

Gone are the days of sore arches or foot pain after hard runs; these racers have ample cushioning, just enough stability, and good arches. And gone are pains in the joints from pounding the pavement at those intense levels; these dampen the load with a smooth cushioned yet feather-light ride and just enough stability.

If you’re looking for a pair of fast, light-weight shoes for those speedy training runs or for road racing of all distances, from 5K up to the marathon, make your feet happy with the Saucony Fastwitch 4’s.

RunningWarehouse.com has this to say about the Fastwitch 4’s:

“Flexible and fast best describe the Fastwitch 4. It’s a versatile road racing shoe for any race distance or up-tempo training and offers support for over-pronators. Lightweight mesh keeps the feet cool and a modest midsole height provides added protection, while delivery a smooth ride”

Construction

The quality with which Saucony shoes are put together continues to amaze me. And the Fastwitch 4’s follow suit with remarkable construction.

Having been away from Saucony for so many years, maybe I have gotten used to a certain level of construction and the materials used in putting together Adidas, Ascis, and Nikes, brands I have run in for the last 15 years. I challenge you to put a pair of Saucony’s side by side with any other brand. Pick up each brand. Look at the materials. Look at the stitching. Look at how the technologies flow together. Inspect the sock-liners. Pull out the shoe insert and peer inside. I bet you too will come away with what I have – that Saucony seems to be constructed with not only better materials but also with greater care.

Fit

I love these things.

Right out of the box the Saucony Fastwitch 4’s fit perfectly. My foot slips right in to a happy place. There are no pressure points, rubbings, or lumps. The fit is secure and comfortable. The sock-liner is smooth and safe to use with or without socks.

Feel

Did I already say that I love these things?

I do. And it’s because these shoes feel comfortable and light. They make my feet happy, and being extremely lightweight they also make my feet feel fast. The cushioning is ample for longer races, and with me being a fan of cushioned shoes, I love these things. Even better is the light stability that keeps your feet in track with moving fast. There is very little roll. You can “get up on top of your feet,” as I like to say, with fast running and stay there for duration.

These feel so comfortable you will forget you’re wearing shoes at all.

Performance

Weighing in at a light 7.0 oz, the Saucony Fastwitch 4’s are very fast. These will not get in your way of your feet. With a slight bit of stability, they also help stabilize the track of your feet so that when you’re running at top-end speed and have to start muscling through in order to maintain pace, your feet stay aligned rather than landing or sliding astray, thereby killing your form as you muscle even more to correct.

The smooth, light ride make these shoes great for proper speed work, up-tempo training, or racing. And with ample cushioning, you can easily race on the roads up to marathon distance. Put it all together and it’s easy to get up on your feet for some fast running. Your feet will be happy.

Uses

I really love these things.

The Saucony Fastwitch 4’s are now my racing shoe. This coming from a guy who raced exclusively in Adidas Supernova Cushion’s for many years. Although the Adidas’s were not light like most racing shoes, I stayed with them due to their superior cushioning, which I craved. But no longer. The Fastwitch 4’s provide that cushioning for the longer races in a shoe that is light weight and, with a hint of stability, brings performance to my standards, as I have issues with most racing shoes due to the lack thereof.

To date I have been using the Fastwitch 4’s for speed work. I love them. In fact, my first workout in them was an hour in duration that had over 30 minutes of running at far faster than 5K pace. The next day my body felt good, and my feet even better.

On top of that, these shoes have flash. You can’t take them anywhere without somebody asking about them. Their loud yellow color scream fast! And people will want to know. They are a sure looker!