In production · trail · Trail / Race day / Tempo · $180
Light carbon trail racer — the S/Lab-style speed option from Asics.
Built for trail, race day, tempo, at a target pace of 6:30–9:30 /mi on trail.
Asics tuned this midsole balanced (3/5 on our cushioning scale). Energy return is above average: the midsole rebounds well without feeling unstable. 33 mm of heel stack is the modern daily-trainer sweet spot — enough foam for long miles without losing contact with the road. Combined, the ride reads as explosive at 5/5 responsiveness.
A full-length carbon plate stiffens the forefoot and works with the foam as a lever: it smooths the transition off the toes and cuts the effort of holding fast paces. It also asks for speed — at easy paces a carbon plate feels stiff and does little for you, and it is the main reason super-shoes wear out sooner than trainers.
A low 5 mm drop encourages a midfoot landing and keeps the ankle working through a fuller range. The rocker is aggressive: the sole is curved and stiff enough to tip you into the next stride on its own, which saves the calf on long runs but feels strange when you slow right down. The forefoot is stiff, so it rolls rather than bends — a lever, not a slipper. Support is light — neutral, with a mildly steady platform.
The toe-box is standard width — comfortable for most feet without swimming. It fits true to size. Expect roughly 300 miles from the outsole, about $0.60 per mile at $180.
For the foams and plates Asics uses across its line, read the Asics brand guide.
Measured against the 542 currently-available shoes in the catalog. The bar shows where this shoe sits in that range.
Weight
235 g / 8.3 oz
40 g lighter than the catalog median of 275 g
Heel stack
33 mm
3 mm lower than the catalog median of 36 mm
Drop
5 mm
1 mm lower than the catalog median of 6 mm
Price
$180
20 pricier than the catalog median of 160
Responsiveness
5 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Cushioning
3 / 5
Catalog median 4 / 5
Energy return
4 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Durability
~300 mi
Catalog median ~400 mi
Within the Asics line it is lighter than the brand's median (268 g / 9.5 oz) and sits lower than its median stack (38 mm).
Current shoes with the nearest combination of weight, stack, drop, foam feel and plate.
Asics Metafuji Trail 2(2026)
250 g / 8.8 oz · 36 mm · 5 mm drop · Carbon · $250
Asics' carbon trail racer, refined for long mountain efforts.
New Balance FuelCell Venym
230 g / 8.1 oz · 34 mm · 6 mm drop · — · $160
Fast, low trail racer born from NB's fell-and-mountain ambitions.
Brooks Catamount Agil
235 g / 8.3 oz · 31 mm · 6 mm drop · Nylon · $180
Stripped-down Catamount for short, fast, technical racing.
Hoka Zinal 2
227 g / 8.0 oz · 30 mm · 5 mm drop · — · $160
Featherweight trail racer for short, fast mountain efforts.