Discontinued · road · Tempo / Daily / Race day · $180
Plated super trainer with a bouncy, propulsive everyday ride.
Built for tempo, daily, race day, at a target pace of 6:15–8:30 /mi on road.
This model is no longer in production. The closest shoe you can buy today is Asics Sonicblast 2.
The midsole is FF Turbo, tuned soft (4/5 on our cushioning scale). The foam is highly resilient — it gives energy back rather than swallowing it, which is what makes the shoe feel eager when you push. At 46 mm of heel stack this sits in max-cushion territory; legs stay fresher on long efforts, but the platform is tall. Combined, the ride reads as explosive at 5/5 responsiveness.
A nylon (or PEBA-blend) plate adds structure without the harsh stiffness of carbon. You get a firmer, more propulsive toe-off that still flexes at slower paces, which is why nylon-plated shoes double as workout and long-run shoes rather than race-day-only tools.
A 8 mm drop is the mainstream middle — familiar to almost anyone coming from a standard trainer. 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 400 miles from the outsole, about $0.45 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
255 g / 9.0 oz
20 g lighter than the catalog median of 275 g
Heel stack
46 mm
10 mm taller than the catalog median of 36 mm
Drop
8 mm
2 mm higher 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
4 / 5
Catalog median 4 / 5
Energy return
5 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Durability
~400 mi
Catalog median ~400 mi
Within the Asics line it is lighter than the brand's median (268 g / 9.5 oz) and sits taller than its median stack (38 mm).
Current shoes with the nearest combination of weight, stack, drop, foam feel and plate.
Asics Sonicblast 2(2026)
239 g / 8.4 oz · 46 mm · 8 mm drop · Nylon · $190
Dual-foam super trainer with a forked Astroplate — 14 g lighter than the first.
Saucony Kinvara Pro 2
275 g / 9.7 oz · 42 mm · 8 mm drop · Nylon · $180
Tall, plated Kinvara descendant built for long uptempo efforts.
Hoka Mach X2(2024)
252 g / 8.9 oz · 46 mm · 5 mm drop · Nylon · $190
Plated super trainer with a pronounced rocker and a lot of foam.
Saucony Endorphin Speed 5(2025)
238 g / 8.4 oz · 36 mm · 8 mm drop · Nylon · $180
The most versatile plated trainer made — workouts, long runs, race day.