Yahoo News Asics announces the launch of two new shoes, the Metaracer and Metasprint
A date for your diary for all ASICS fans: on June 26 the Japanese shoe giant will be launching two new running shoes which it has big hopes for.
First up is the Metaracer, ASICS’s most advanced endurance racing shoe to date. It’s the fourth in line from the same range that brought us the Metarun, Metaride and Evoride.
The main difference with this model is that it has a carbon plate running the full length of the shoe, which the brand says is there to provide durability and structure for the midsole and as well as offering a firm platform to provide bounce and energy return.
There’s also a reconfigured ‘metarocker’ and toe-spring (the curved shape of the shoe) which ASICs claims will not only push your foot off the ground quicker but will do so with up to 20% less force running through your calves, so they won’t suffer as much fatigue and keep you going for longer with less effort.
With the Metarun and Metaride, which both contained a similar rocker shape, we didn’t really think this worked due to the weight of the shoes which made the feel a little cumbersome; but the lighter weight Evoride was much better and since the new Metaracer comes in at 190g for men and 155g for women, the even bigger drop in heft will hopefully help in this area - while a 9mm heel drop hopefully means you’ll get enough of the lightweight Flytefoam midsole cushioning to feel secure and protected on long runs.
Second up is the Metasprint, a shoe for runners who do track work as part of their training.
The main goal here was to keep the shoe as light as possible without compromising on grip and stability when your feet are hammering into the track with several times your body weight in force on each step.
It’s as firm, slim and minimal as you would expect for such a shoe, and the 136g weight puts it among the lower echelons of track shoe weight.
ASICs has achieved this by ditching the traditional spike and instead moulding a light, firm, flexible carbon plate into a ridged honeycomb configuration which they say offers the same grip on a track as spikes do.
We haven’t had test samples of either model through yet but we look forward to putting them through their paces. Both shoes will be available from asics.co.uk and selected retailers on June 26. The Metaracer will be £180 and the Metasprint £250.
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