Discontinued · road · Daily / Long run · $180
Lighter, eco-friendlier Kayano experiment.
Built for daily, long run, at a target pace of 8:00–11:00 /mi on road.
This model is no longer in production. The closest shoe you can buy today is Asics Gel-Kayano 32.
Asics tuned this midsole soft (4/5 on our cushioning scale). Energy return is moderate — comfortable and predictable rather than bouncy. 34 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 calm at 2/5 responsiveness.
There is no plate here. The midsole does all the work, so the shoe flexes naturally and stays versatile across paces — easier on the feet day to day, but without the snap of a plated shoe when you want to roll.
A tall 10 mm drop tips weight forward off the heel, which usually suits heel strikers and calves that dislike low-drop shoes. The geometry is fairly traditional and flat, so the shoe follows your foot rather than steering it. Forefoot flex is middle of the road. It offers real guidance through the gait cycle — useful for runners whose form collapses when tired.
The toe-box is standard width — comfortable for most feet without swimming. It fits true to size. Expect roughly 350 miles from the outsole, about $0.51 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
270 g / 9.5 oz
5 g lighter than the catalog median of 275 g
Heel stack
34 mm
2 mm lower than the catalog median of 36 mm
Drop
10 mm
4 mm higher than the catalog median of 6 mm
Price
$180
20 pricier than the catalog median of 160
Responsiveness
2 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Cushioning
4 / 5
Catalog median 4 / 5
Energy return
3 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Durability
~350 mi
Catalog median ~400 mi
Within the Asics line it is heavier 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.
Adidas Supernova Rise 2(2025)
266 g / 9.4 oz · 33 mm · 10 mm drop · — · $140
Dreamstrike+ daily miles — soft, simple, unremarkable in a good way.
Adidas Supernova Solution
278 g / 9.8 oz · 36 mm · 10 mm drop · — · $150
Adidas' support daily with Support Rods for mild guidance.
Saucony Axon 4
265 g / 9.3 oz · 35 mm · 8 mm drop · — · $110
Budget PWRRUN daily with a surprisingly generous stack.
Brooks Glycerin StealthFit 21
283 g / 10.0 oz · 38 mm · 10 mm drop · — · $180
Brooks Glycerin StealthFit 21: 38 mm heel stack, 10 mm drop, 257 g — specs from independent lab testing.