Along the MGT recently in Toronto, I wasn’t recognized but my shoes were. I was wearing the ASICS NOVABLAST 5 and their magenta good looks and familiar heel stack stopped another runner in his tracks. “Are those the new NOVABLAST?” he asked me, and he was eager and excited and I could instantly tell that he was a fan of the ASICS line. Indeed, I was wearing the NOVABLAST 5. “I am wearing the NOVABLAST 5,” I told him, “and let me tell you something—they’re great.”
A huge perk of editing iRun is testing out sneakers and the NOVABLAST 5, with its midsole foam and mesh upper, run like a dream. With the TCS New York City Marathon still in my legs, I was sheepish to lace back up my shoes. I saved the NOVABLAST 5 for this very moment: something comfortable and energized, soft and responsive. I knew I wanted to handle my kilometres gingerly. The NOVABLAST 5, turning heads in Toronto, had me running on clouds.
There’s an 8mm drop on the NOVABLAST 5 and the shoe weighs 8.6 ounces, which is half an ounce lighter than the last iteration of the popular shoe. Rarely do I wear a running shoe also as a walk-around sneaker, and I don’t advise runners to try this. You want to save your running shoes, generally, for your runs. But for some reason—maybe their looks, maybe the fit, maybe the cushioning—I started to wear the NOVABLAST 5 all over town. The shoes feel good on my feet.
Other features worth mentioning are the new outsole designed for maximum energy return. Not surprisingly a trampoline inspired the shoe’s design and you can feel that in the springiness of each step. There’s good breathability and the shoe is tough. Eventually, I got my nerve back and returned to (some) workouts with BlackToe Running and the NOVABLAST 5 felt good doing 800-metre repeats at my 5K pace, even if I wasn’t trying to go blazing fast.
ASICS has really stepped up its game in 2024 and you can see the results at races and amongst your own running crew. The florescent design of their METASPEED series were everywhere this year and it’s on the heels of those big releases that the NOVABLAST 5 arrives to great fanfare. I found the shoe good for long runs and speed work and, even once, eliciting compliments from a stranger one cold Sunday morning on a run.
Be sure to check the closest running retailer about these shoes that drop December 17, 2024.
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