Discontinued · road · Race day · $200
Low-slung first-gen carbon racer — firm, quick-turnover speed.
Built for race day, at a target pace of 5:00–7:30 /mi on road.
This model is no longer in production. The closest shoe you can buy today is Asics Metaspeed Sky Paris.
Asics tuned this midsole balanced (3/5 on our cushioning scale). Energy return is moderate — comfortable and predictable rather than bouncy. 24 mm of heel stack keeps you low and connected, with more ground feel than most current trainers. Combined, the ride reads as snappy at 4/5 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 tall 9 mm drop tips weight forward off the heel, which usually suits heel strikers and calves that dislike low-drop shoes. 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 runs small; most runners size up a half. Expect roughly 150 miles from the outsole, about $1.33 per mile at $200.
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
190 g / 6.7 oz
85 g lighter than the catalog median of 275 g
Heel stack
24 mm
12 mm lower than the catalog median of 36 mm
Drop
9 mm
3 mm higher than the catalog median of 6 mm
Price
$200
40 pricier than the catalog median of 160
Responsiveness
4 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Cushioning
3 / 5
Catalog median 4 / 5
Energy return
3 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Durability
~150 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.
Nike Streakfly 2(2025)
144 g / 5.1 oz · 27 mm · 4 mm drop · Carbon · $170
Short-distance racer: featherweight, low and honest for 5K–10K.
Brooks Hyperion 2(2024)
201 g / 7.1 oz · 32 mm · 8 mm drop · — · $140
Light, firm and fast — a plateless racer for shorter distances.
New Balance FuelCell SuperComp Pacer v3
190 g / 6.7 oz · 32 mm · 6 mm drop · Carbon · $180
Short-course carbon racer for 5K to half marathon.
Adidas Adizero RC 5
210 g / 7.4 oz · 28 mm · 8 mm drop · — · $90
Lightweight, firm budget racer for track work and 5Ks.