5 Best ASICS Running Shoes – My Top Picks

1. ASICS Gel Nimbus 27 - Daily Trainer for Cushioned Easy/Recovery Runs

Also Available at
Zappos ; ASICS

The ASICS Gel Nimbus 27 is ASICS’ big, soft, highly cushioned comfort shoe, built to deliver plusness and protection for the easier end of your weekly mileage. This is the shoe to choose for lower intensity efforts – those big base-building miles.

The Nimbus 27 kicks up the cushioning with even more soft stack across the shoe for a super-protective ride. If you’re looking for guaranteed, easy-cruising comfort in a highly cushioned, neutral daily trainer – that’s also a big mileage workhorse – this is one to consider. Provided you don’t mind bigger, heavier shoes. Because the Nimbus 27 is a bit of a beast.

From the first step-in, it oozes plush comfort and solid security, with big, highly padded heel collars, tongues and wrapping mesh uppers that cocoon your foot without being cramped. Like sliding into the seat of a big saloon car.

On the move, the Nimbus 27 has a cradling footbed that dampens almost all of the road impact. But there is a trade off. That wide, cushioned platform adds general heft which likely limits the versatility somewhat. It’s not a shoe for fast efforts. Most runners will want something lighter, snappier and more agile for their faster pace runs. But if you’re a beginner you can certainly lace up the Nimbus 27, confident it’ll take care of the majority of your early miles.

2. ASICS Gel Kayano 32 - Best Stability Shoe for Daily Miles

Also Available at
Zappos

ASICS made some important changes to its premium stability shoe, including a tweaked FlyteFoam Blast+ midsole with 2mm more cushion under the forefoot, a lower drop than the Kayano 31 and marginal weight savings. But the Gel Kayano 32 still serves up a reliable, supportive ride for those who need a little help.

The Kayano 32 shares a lot of design DNA with the ASICS Gel Nimbus 27. And runners looking for some added stability would likely use it for the same kind of runs

The Kayano 32 offers premium mesh uppers, big padded heel collars and tongues for premium plushness and excellent fit security. Like the Nimbus 27, the midsole uses a combination of super soft FlyteFoam Blast Plus Eco foam and PureGEL technology heel inserts to create softer, more cushioned landings and soak up more impact.

The Kayano 32 offers premium mesh uppers, big padded heel collars and tongues for premium plushness and excellent fit security. Like the Nimbus 27, the midsole uses a combination of super soft FlyteFoam Blast Plus Eco foam and PureGEL technology heel inserts to create softer, more cushioned landings and soak up more impact.

However, the Kayano 32 adds extra stability-enhancing features. That includes a lower midsole stack with 3.5mm less foam across the shoe and ASICS’ 4D Guidance System, with a more pronounced heel bevel, a sculpted midsole, and additional medial foam that guides your foot on landing. This combination of elements support the foot each time it hits the ground for better stability.

For runners who need stability but want comfort and a firm but snappier ride with smooth transitions, the Kayano 32 strikes a great balance. You get plush, balanced cushion, good stability that’s subtle and avoids being too intrusive. It works with your natural stride rather than feeling forced. It’s all quite subtle. And it’s a great option for easy miles and daily runs.

Stability shoes typically feel heavier and blockier and this is still a ‘big’ shoe. But there’s a touch of springy response from the midsole — that offers more energy than you might expect.

The other strength here is big-mile durability. The Kayano 32 is built to last.

3. ASICS Novablast 5 – Best Workhorse Daily Trainer

Also Available at
Zappos ; ASICS

From generation to generation, the ASICS Novablast is one of those shoes – a bit like the New Balance 1080 – that shuffles from being softer, more cushioned and more protective, to being stiffer, more responsive and more capable on the faster efforts. The latest incarnation, the ASICS Novablast 5 is definitely tuned to offer more upper pace potential.

The ASICS Novablast 5 is the only shoe in the ASICS current range that has a big stack of FF Blast Max in the whole midsole and ASICS says it offers around 8.5% more energy return than the Novablast 4. Something you feel underfoot.

What you get is a nice smooth ride that responds well on toe-ff and feels springy but controlled. When you’re feeling good, running with good form and pushing the pace, the Novablast 5 feels energetic. But it’s also cushioned enough to accommodate slower paces. Though sometimes on heavier legs it can feel a bit soggy.

Regardless, there’s versatility here that puts the Novablast 5 into a group of excellent all-rounders that can cope with most of your daily training miles. It’s not a million miles off the Superblast 2. In fact in some ways you could see it as a more affordable Superblast 2.

The ASICS Novablast 5 would be an excellent weapon for anyone training for a marathon and a good option for beginners and experienced runners alike.

4. ASICS Superblast 2 – Daily Trainer All-Rounder With a Faster Edge

Also Available at
 ASICS ; Zappos

The ASICS Superblast 2 is hands down one of the most versatile, capable all-rounders you can buy right now. It’s one of my best favourite shoes of the year. It’s livelier than the Novablast 5 and right up there with the Saucony Endorphin Speed 4 as a brilliant option for covering almost any run.

The Superblast 2 packs a massive stacked, wide dual foam midsole with a mix of Flytefoam Blast+ Eco and Flytefoam Turbo+. But it’s surprisingly light for a whopping great shoe and offers big, cushioned comfort that’s soft but not too soggy. There’s good leg-sparing energy from the bouncy but controlled midsole and, like the Novablast 5, it gives back what you put in.

It can be a bit soggy at the slowest pace and I find there’s too much shoe for my all-out efforts but for everything in between, it’s truly excellent. The watchword here is consistency, particularly at cruising pace, where this shoe really excels. It certainly has enough range to tackle most of your marathon training sessions. I’ve even run marathons in them.

Not all runners would want to race a marathon in this shoe but I think many runners could, safe in the knowledge that it’ll feedback the energy you put in. But more importantly, the Superblast 2 will also look after you if everything goes wrong.

It’s another shoe that’ll cover an entire training and racing block for a marathon. It’s about as close as you’ll get to having one go-to shoe that can almost replace your whole rotation.

5. ASICS Metaspeed Sky Paris - Best Carbon Plate Shoe for Racing up to the Marathon

Also Available at
Zappos

The ASICS Metaspeed Sky Paris is a carbon race shoe that competes with the very best carbon-plate shoes out there. I’ve run 5km and marathon PRs in this shoe which is designed to deliver speed from 5km to the marathon.

It offers a wonderfully energetic, snappy and fast returning ride that balances cushioning, stiffness and spring. There’s ground feel but just-enough protection to avoid foot fatigue over the marathon distance. It’s light and agile enough to lace up for the shortest race, too.

The narrower midsole makes it more precise and nimble than slime wider carbon shoes like the Nike Alphafly Next%3 and the Adidas Adios Pro 4. Plus, there’s a stiffness and spring here that’s somewhat reminiscent of the Nike Vaporfly Next% 2.

With everything stripped back and designed for attacking your runs, the Metaspeed Sky Paris delivers best when you’re moving with good form. Some might find the midsole platform a little too narrow for their stability needs. But right now there aren’t many shoes that offer the performance of the ASICS Metaspeed Sky Paris. It’s a fantastic shoe to go chasing your fastest times.

My ASICS Shoe Rotation

Id’ usually choose three shoes in a rotation: one fast racer, one daily for tempo miles and one softer, more cushioned for recovery runs. But if I was picking my current ASICS shoe rotation, I’d probably pick just two shoes.

I’d select the ASICS Metsapeed Sky Paris for racing and sparing use on my shortest, fastest training sessions – think track intervals. Then it’d be a toss up between the ASICS Superblast 2 and the Novablast 5 for the rest of my weekly miles.

That’s a massive complement to the versatility of the ASICS Superblast 2 and the Novablast 5. For my style of running, both shoes offer enough all-round capability to cover everything outside of my fastest miles. From the easiest slowest runs up to my tempo efforts.

I don’t mind a stiffer shoe, so I can run my easy miles in the Novablast 5 and Superblast 2 quite happily. But if you want supreme softness, the Gel Nimbus 27 offer the most cushioned comfort from the ASICS running shoes I’ve tested.