You typically wouldn't associate Dunkin'—and the fast-food chain’s delicious ensemble of sugary, jelly-filled, sprinkle-speckled donuts—with running. But in light of the 2019 Boston Marathon, Dunkin’ showed pride for its home city by partnering with footwear brand Saucony, also Boston-based, to launch a limited-edition, branded running shoe in Dunkin’s signature hot pink, orange and white colors. Saucony brought to the table—or rather, to the pavement—a redesign of its Kinvara 10 model, a lightweight running shoe designed on Dunkin’s website as a “cult favorite,” featuring the footwear brand’s EVERUN cushioning, which offers runners more flexibility and long-lasting, robust comfort.

This was the second consecutive year the brands partnered to design a running shoe, though last year’s model, the Kinvara 9, was subtler, featuring a donut and sprinkle design on the heel. This year, the shoe was adorned with a large, bold logo design on the sides and back, with additional details including a strawberry-frosted donut medallion attached to the laces, a tongue festooned with coffee cups, the city’s name “Boston” inscribed on a safety-reflective strip on the heel and three sets of laces in white, orange and hot pink. The packaging for the shoe, which sold out weeks prior to the race, was reminiscent of a traditional Dunkin’ donut box. The shoes were available on Saucony’s website—$120 for men’s and women’s shoes, $65 for kids’ shoes—along with men’s and women’s “Boston Runnah” tees for $25—as well as at Marathon Sports stores in Massachusetts, and at the John Hancock Sports & Fitness Expo.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Danielle Renda is associate editor of PPB.