The best Nike running shoes, such as the Nike ZoomX Vaporfly NEXT%, might have dominated long distances races in the last few years, but those times are gone. As Adidas proved (opens in new tab) at the Boston Marathon just yesterday, other brands are just as capable of producing winning running shoes! Not to mention ASICS and its METASPEED, the carbon-enhanced shoes that won plenty of races recently, and I wore so much they compromised my leg health.
Speaking of the METASPEED and ASICS: the brand has just announced the launch of the ASICS META : Time : Trials, which is said to be a "pinnacle event" that will combine "ground-breaking new product and optimum race conditions to enable athletes to beat their Personal Best (PBs)." Yes, we'll see the new METASPEED + this weekend!
As ASICS explains, on 24 April in the Spanish city of Málaga, ASICS elite athletes from around the world will come together to take part in a "high-octane series of races inspired by the Tour de France, as they push each other to achieve their own fastest times ever."
There are some big names attached to the event: three-times Olympian Eilish McColgan (opens in new tab), Yeshi Kalayu (opens in new tab), Boniface Kibiwott (opens in new tab), Koen Naert (opens in new tab), Vicoty Chepngeno, and Mohamed Katir will compete in World Athletics certified races of either five kilometres, 10 kilometres or a half marathon.
Needless to say, all elite athletes will wear the all-new METASPEED + shoes which will be revealed to the public for the first time at the event. Building on the METASPEED series introduced in 2021, the ASICS Institute of Sports Science (ISS) has utilised data "accumulated through elite athletes in competitions to refine the product design and make runners even faster."
The races will start at 6.45 am BST and will be available to follow via ASICS live stream on the ASICS Hub (opens in new tab), and YouTube channel as of 6.30 am BST. Keep your eyes peeled, people!
