Asics has released the Metaspeed Sky and the Metaspeed Edge shoes, claiming to have been “scientifically designed with a distinct type of running style in mind.”

While most racing models are apparently designed only for long striding runners who spend a lot of time in the air, these shoes are optimized for either stride or cadence style runners. Cadence runners are described as people who increase both their stride length and their cadence as they speed up, preferring “smaller steps made while hovering over the ground with minimal up and down motion.”

The Sky has a thicker “FF Blast Turbo” foam midsole that is 33mm high at the rear of the men’s shoe, while the Edge has a milder forefoot curve and a thinner midsole that’s 29mm thick at the rear of the men’s shoe. Both have full-length carbon plates to improve stability and propel the body forward, just like Nike’s runners, while the mesh in the upper is made from 100 percent recycled polyester.

According to Asics, these new shoes can reduce the number of steps required to finish a marathon by a few percent, which sounds small but adds up to a lot of steps over a 42km run, and fewer steps should equal faster times. Specifically, it anticipates that long-striding marathon runners wearing a Metaspeed Sky can save 1.2 percent, or 350 steps, while cadence runners can cut their steps by 2.6 percent, or 750 steps.

(SD-Agencies)