Full disclosure, I’m on a team of bloggers chosen by ASICS to represent the brand this year. What does that mean? Well, I get gear from time to time to check out and offer my opinion to you, the potential to contribute to the ASICS blog, participate in a Team ASICS blogger challenge during a major event and other cool stuff.
It’s that first aspect that I want to write about today. But first I need to make sure you know where I’m coming from. Just because I work with a brand doesn’t mean that I will always say favorable things about its products. I give my honest opinion here which has always been my promise to you. I don’t get paid for this, and while I do get free gear, I’m not required to review it and when I do, there are no expectations.
Just wanted to clear that up.
When I heard that ASICS had developed a shoe that the brand was calling it’s most advanced running shoe with the most R&D sunk into it, let’s just say I was skeptical. I’m in public relations and marketing for a day job and I write copy like this all day every day. And it sounded to me just like something I would develop as a campaign.
But then a few weeks later I found out I was getting a pair and that I would get to try them myself.
And then I put them on and went for a run.
And I ran my fastest “Tuesday 8 Miler” in a year.
And then later that week, I ran 19 even faster than the 8 miler.
Do I attribute my speed to the sneaker? Not entirely, but I can tell you that a comfortable, well-fitting shoe will not slow you down. And the less I have to think about each foot strike over the course of a run the more I can think about other things like form, breathing, my calendar, my son, my job, my wife, basically anything other than “why don’t these shoes feel good on my feet.”
All that to say, yes, they contribute in a very real way to how each run feels and the performance thereof.
I like these kicks. In fact, I like them a lot.
In technical terms, ASICS puts the features of the shoe like this: I.G.S® (Impact Guidance System) TechnologyASICS® design philosophy that employs linked componentry to enhance the foot’s natural gait from heel strike to toe-off.
Moisture management (Ortholite is a registered trademark of ATP Manufacturing LLC).
Exoskeletal heel counter provides improved support and creates improved heel fitting environment.
These kicks weigh in at 10.6 ounces and are available for a limited time. In fact, as of this writing, they are only available for another 36 hours so get them now!And while admittedly at $250, they are on the far fringe of what I would usually spend on a pair of kicks, I didn’t hesitate to stock up on three more pair to make sure I can run in them for a full year.
While the color scheme isn’t one that I would choose, I can easily overlook the sparkly gold and black for what this pair of shoes delivers in performance.
