Discontinued · road · Tempo / Race day · $150
Earlier generation of the Asics Magic Speed line, kept for replacement lookups.
Built for tempo, race day, at a target pace of 6:00–8:00 /mi on road.
This model is no longer in production. The closest shoe you can buy today is Asics Magic Speed 4.
Asics tuned this midsole balanced (3/5 on our cushioning scale). Energy return is modest, so the ride feels protective and damp rather than springy. 35 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 lively at 3/5 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 7 mm drop is the mainstream middle — familiar to almost anyone coming from a standard trainer. The rocker is moderate — enough curve to smooth the roll-through without dictating your footstrike. The forefoot is stiff, so it rolls rather than bends — a lever, not a slipper. It is a neutral platform with no built-in correction.
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 $0.50 per mile at $150.
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
220 g / 7.8 oz
55 g lighter than the catalog median of 275 g
Heel stack
35 mm
1 mm lower than the catalog median of 36 mm
Drop
7 mm
1 mm higher than the catalog median of 6 mm
Price
$150
10 cheaper than the catalog median of 160
Responsiveness
3 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Cushioning
3 / 5
Catalog median 4 / 5
Energy return
2 / 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.
Brooks Launch 11(2024)
218 g / 7.7 oz · 36 mm · 8 mm drop · — · $110
Firm, cheap, flexible and quick — the no-nonsense budget trainer.
Under Armour Velociti SPD 5
213 g / 7.5 oz · 34 mm · 8 mm drop · — · $130
Light, uncomplicated daily trainer that happily picks up the pace.
Asics Hyper Speed 4
210 g / 7.4 oz · 32 mm · 7 mm drop · — · $100
Budget racer: light, simple and fast enough for 5Ks on a dime.
Brooks Launch 12(2025)
249 g / 8.8 oz · 35 mm · 8 mm drop · — · $110
Firm, light, cheap — the honest budget uptempo trainer.