Beyond speed: How the newest ASICS Metaspeed™ Paris helps improve a runner’s performance

MANILA, Philippines — While competing and training vigorously to either win at races or clock in their personal bests, elite runners also rely on gear that enables them to perform in their absolute best condition.

Hence, it is important to own a suitable pair of running shoes that can help them achieve their goals.

This is exactly how ASICS, a world-renowned footwear and sportswear brand, develops its performance running shoes: with the athletes’ as well as the consumers’ needs in mind.

ASICS recently launched their newly improved METASPEED Series, the result of a rigorous design and testing process led by its ASICS Institute of Sport Science (ISS). These are the METASPEED SKY Paris and METASPEED EDGE Paris, which are now more lightweight, softer and bouncier, with a re-configured full-length carbon plate.

During an exclusive visit to the ASICS ISS in Kobe, Japan in March, Philstar.com caught up with Shuhei Takemura, General Manager and Project Lead of the METASPEED development team.

“These new silhouettes are the result of meticulous work by our team at the ASICS Institute of Sport Science, working closely in collaboration with third-party experts and athletes across the globe, to deliver a new pinnacle in racing shoes for the brand,” Takemura expressed.

He continued to explain how racing shoes in the past were only favoring one type of runner. This meant that others had to adjust their running style to fit their shoe. This shouldn’t be the case as the shoe must be the one to conform to the runner’s style.

When they first released METASPEED in 2021, they broke new ground by taking a human-centric approach to shoe design. They were able to cater two different running styles, stride for METASPEED SKY and cadence for METASPEED EDGE.

Big needs, major improvements

ASICS recognizes stride runners as those with a long-loping gait with large periods spent airborne who increase their speed by extending their stride length. This is also the more popular running style among elites and athletes.

On the other hand, cadence runners feature smaller steps made while hovering over the ground with minimal up and down motion. To speed up, they extend their stride length and increase the number of steps they take per minute.

In a separate interview with Philstar.com before the Tokyo Marathon 2024, Kenta Tateno of the Compete and Trail Development Team and Masanori Sakaguchi, Ph.D., of the Athlete Performance Research Team, shared how they were driven to provide improvements for runners, regardless of stride or cadence styles.

“Through communication with athletes, [we discovered that] they have a very big need. This is keeping their ideal or a better posture throughout a marathon race,” said Masanori Sakaguchi.

As such, the METASPEED helps to keep a runner’s ideal posture and foot strike with its overall composition and use of innovative materials. This results in maintaining running speed and conserved energy even after the later part of the race, especially for a marathon with a distance of 41.195km, Sakaguchi explained.

Kenta Tateno discussed how the two models are now more lightweight and more cushioned yet more stable with higher energy return.

First, the METASPEED EDGE Paris is 25g lighter, and the METASPEED SKY Paris, 22g (an average of 8% weight reduction). This was achieved by combining the new MOTION WRAP UPPER 2.0 (more breathable by 8%) and the FF TURBOTM PLUS midsole foam (6% softer and more cushioned).

Another technology that ASICS advanced during the METASPEED development is the use of carbon plates.

In METASPEED SKY Paris, the full-length carbon plate was widened (12%) in the forefoot region of the shoe, strategically positioned to improve the overall bounce from the foam during toe off. On the other hand, the METASPEED EDGE Paris sets up the wider carbon plate (20%) position ideal for cadence runners, further supported by a brand new last and better arch.

Overall, the METASPEED EDGE Paris helps stride runners increase their forward propulsion, while METASPEED SKY Paris helps improve vertical propulsion of cadence runners—with both running styles getting better and longer strides.

Launched during the Tokyo Marathon, the newest Paris series was donned by international and local ASICS athletes at the Ignite Race (Festival of Running) on April 5 and the Paris Marathon on April 7 in Paris, France.

Inside the ASICS Institute Sport of Science

To get a better understanding of the human-centric science behind ASICS, ASICS South East Asia guests including ambassadors, athletes and media were invited on an exclusive tour around the ISS in Kobe, Japan last March 5.

Present was Shuhei Takemura and Institute Sport of Science (ISS) Senior General Manager Kenichi Harano, who advocated the passionate work they do at the institute. This, they said, is deeply rooted in ASICS’ philosophy: “Anima Sana In Corpore Sano,” a Latin expression that means “A Sound Mind in a Sound Body.”

Established in 1985, the ASICS ISS has been leading the industry by creating new technologies and innovations that result in ground-breaking products, such as the new METASPEED SKY Paris and METASPEED EDGE Paris.

And the institute doesn’t cut corners. It practices a five-stage holistic design process consisting of: 1. Motion analysis to identify shoe parts that need adjustment or improvement; 2. Computer modeling to help develop or enhance the shoe’s structure; 3. Material development of shoe sole and parts; 4. Making footwear samples; and lastly, 5. Quantitative and qualitative tests to compare previous sample and competitor models.

Philstar.com got an exclusive glimpse of these processes at the various labs inside ISS, such as its computer simulation room, material research and processing labs, and biochemical testing lab, among others.

The institute also houses various sports fields such as a track and field, a tennis court, a football field, a basketball and volleyball court, used for product tests and trials together with athletes. With this, ASICS is able to study human motion and apply it to product development.

ASICS has shown how it stays ahead in sports science to research, develop and create quality products for athletes and consumers. It has once again over delivered with the METASPEED Paris Series, expected to become the revolutionary pinnacle of racing shoes this 2024.

“Our hope is that they will power our athletes to achieve more personal bests and racing successes across the 2024 calendar,” Takemura ended.

The METASPEED SKY Paris and the METASPEED EDGE Paris shoes are now available for both men and women at ASICS Glorietta and ASICS Bonifacio High Street, and ASICS.com/ph for P14,990. 

For more information, visit https://www.asics.com/ph/en-ph/mk/running/metaspeed. 

Editor’s Note: This #BrandSpace story is created with ASICS. It is produced by the Advertising Content Team that is independent from our Editorial Newsroom.