ASICS unveils not one, but two high-performance running shoes that push the boundaries of human-centric design.
The METASPEED Sky and METASPEED Edge running shoes have both been scientifically developed with a particular form of running style in mind, which is an industry first. The new racing shoes assist professional athletes in reaching their full potential because they no longer have to change their running style to suit the shoe; instead, ASICS provides them with high-performance shoes that complement their style.
The two new shoes’ unique concept story revolves around a key perspective from scientists at the ASICS Institute of Sport Science (ISS). They realised that the shoes used by the world’s fastest runners only favoured one form of runner: STRIDE runners, who have a long-loping gait and spend a lot of time airborne and increase their pace by lengthening their stride.
However, according to ASICS research, these shoes do not adequately help elite athletes who prefer the second major running style, cadence, which involves taking smaller steps while floating above the ground with limited up and down motion. Importantly, these runners speed up by lengthening their strides and increasing the amount of steps they take per minute.
Athletes perform better when they run in shoes that are optimised for their running style, according to ISS sports scientists. To address the problem, ASICS developed the METASPEED Sky for STRIDE runners and the METASPEED Edge for CADENCE runners, both of which are specially optimised and proven to increase runner efficiency for each of the two main running styles.
With the introduction of the METASPEED Sky and METASPEED Edge shoes, athletes will no longer have to change their running style to accommodate the shoe they’re wearing. With preliminary ASICS testing indicating that the METASPEEDTM breakthrough could reduce the number of steps required for a runner to complete a marathon by over 1.2 percent 2, all elite runners would have the ability to achieve peak results.
The METASPEED Edge racing shoe is designed to help cadence-type runners run faster by lengthening their pace and making it easier to manage cadence. When they run faster, cadence-type runners improve both cadence and stride. The shoe is constructed with the same components as the METASPEEDTM Sky, but with a different stack height and midsole geometry. The shoe enables runners to stretch their stride and save energy while controlling their pace.
Some of the world’s best athletes helped build and evaluate the METASPEEDTM. Sara Hall ran the 2020 London Marathon in an early prototype and set a personal record of two hours, 22 minutes, and one second, beating her previous best by 15 seconds. Top athletes Julien Wanders, Sondre Nordstad Moen, and Mario Mola confirmed their participation in team ASICS in March 2021. Earlier in March 2021, top athletes Julien Wanders, Sondre Nordstad Moen and Mario Mola announced they have joined team ASICS and will run in METASPEED™ Sky.
You can find out more information on the METASPEED on the METASPEED Hub here: asics.com/geo/mk/metaspeed-sky-launch
