Asics’s new high-cushion Megablast (pictured left, above) and Sonicblast (right) models provide exactly what you need for training and racing. The Megablast is a super lightweight, high-stack daily trainer or long-run shoe with a gossamer-light upper and comfortable cushioning, while the Sonicblast is a fast training/racing shoe with a similarly well-cushioned midsole (and a peba plate) for supreme comfort and fast finishing times on the road or track. Both are sure to become staples in your running shoe rotation.
Shoe specs
Category: Neutral cushioning (Sonicblast has a peba plate)Unisex: 230 g (Megablast)Men’s: 256 g (Sonicblast)Women’s: 223 g (Sonicblast)Offset/drop: 8 mm (both shoes)Stack height: 46 mm/38 mm (men’s), 45 mm/37 mm (women’s)–both shoes$290 (Megablast)$230 (Sonicblast)
The uppers
The Megablast’s colourful engineered mesh upper is nearly translucent, with a thinly padded, gussetted tongue (with a cutout to keep laces in place); nubby, textured laces that stay done up well; and a soft, thin heel collar that won’t irritate or cause blisters. The inside of the heel is thickly padded for comfort on long, easy runs.
The Sonicblast has a very breathable knit mesh upper, with a lightly padded tongue and heel collar and flat laces. It fits comfortably and true-to-size–the kind of shoe that just feels right as soon as you step into it. (Note that the Megablast comes in unisex sizing, whereas the Sonicblast offers men’s and women’s sizes.)
The midsoles
In developing these shoes, the brand created a new formulation of its A-TPU cushioning material (FF Turbo Squared); the Megablast’s entire midsole is full FF Turbo Squared, while the Sonicblast has it under the forefoot, for a little extra pop on toe-off–along with a full-length peba propulsion plate. (The rest of the Sonicblast’s midsole is the soft and bouncy FF Blast Max. This is a highly responsive shoe.)
Both shoes have a total stack height at the heel of 46 mm and an 8-mm heel-to-toe offset, which is moderate and will suit a wide range of recreational and more competitive runners.
Despite their high stacks, the shoes never feel unstable, and neither does the Sonicblast’s plate make the shoe feel stiff.
It may seem counterintuitive, but the daily trainer (Megablast) is slightly lighter overall than the fast trainer (Sonicblast), due to the Sonicblast’s propulsion plate and the more substantial feel of the upper. (But both are very light.)
The outsoles
The shoes’ outsoles (which are almost identical) have a substantial layer of durable rubber around the perimeter and under the forefoot, so you can count on them lasting a fair few kilometres before showing signs of wear. The Sonicblast has a cutout in the outsole, revealing the propulsion plate. The shoes are designed mainly for use on dry, smooth roads.
The verdicts
If you’re looking for very lightweight running shoes for late summer and fall training and racing, it’s hard to beat the Asics Megablast and Asics Sonicblast. They are designed to work together to help you maximize your potential on the roads. Use the Megablast for your daily training, changing into the Sonicblast for harder efforts and 5K/10K races, or up to the half-marathon.
Or, if you really don’t want to shell out for two different pairs of shoes, opt for the Megablast, which is the more versatile of the two. (You don’t really want to be running on a plate for all of your daily training. You might not race quite as fast in the Megablast, but it’s certainly light and responsive enough to be used for short races.)
We must add, these are very modern-looking and attractive shoes. Our tester enjoyed them so much, they plan to keep them in their rotation.
