ASICS GEL-Kayano 20

Name: ASICS GEL-Kayano 20
Brand: ASICS
Rating: 4.5 (39 reviews)

Daily trainer · Stability · Road · 11.3 oz · 12mm drop · 32/20mm stack

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The ASICS GEL-Kayano 21 replaced it

How it ranks

The ASICS GEL-Kayano 20 ranks among the stronger daily trainers in our data. Durability and comfort are its strongest sub-ratings. Value scores well below its other sub-ratings. The rating rests on 39 runner reviews and 15 other rated shoes in the GEL-Kayano product line.

Very good

91/100

Overall

Very good 91

Durability

Exceptional 98

Comfort

Excellent 94

Cushioning

Very good 91

Appearance

Below average 69

Value

Bottom-tier 55

Confidence

How settled the rating is against every other rated shoe. A shoe can rate high on confidence with relatively few reviews of its own when its product line has a long record and external ratings from retailer sites agree. Confidence will score low when we have few ratings or when runners disagree.

See the product line's history

Confidence

94/100

High 94

What runners say

“I get a full 600 miles out of them before I feel the need to replace them”

4/5 Full review 45 mpw came from the Mizuno Wave Inspire 9

“Helped fix my knee and hip pain just by switching to them”

5/5 Full review 15 mpw training for a half marathon

“Kayanos are clunky and make me feel like I'm wearing moon-shoes during faster efforts”

4/5 Full review 60 mpw training for a half marathon

“The price keeps going up (to a now ridiculous number) and they seem to last fewer miles each time”

4/5 Full review 45 mpw training for ultramarathons

“Every time I try to switch, I get injured”

4/5 Full review 45 mpw training for ultramarathons

“Nothing compares to this ride”

5/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a half marathon

“I need a pretty substantial shoe thanks to achilles/plantar fascia/over-pronation woes”

4/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a marathon

“I'm amazed I've been ok in the kayano (so far...6 weeks in!) and have just ran a marathon in them”

4/5 Full review 45 mpw training for a marathon

“I require cushioning and high heel as I have had both hips replaced and need to protect them”

4/5 Full review 45 mpw came from the Mizuno Wave Inspire 9

“It has met my training needs while offering me sublime support and cushioning”

5/5 Full review 30 mpw training for middle distance came from the Mizuno Wave Rider 17

Prefer this shoe over another

64% 14/22

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Sep 14.

Pros

Reviewers consistently praise the comfort and cushioning for daily easy miles.
Reviewers rate durability highly, one getting a full 600 miles per pair.
It rates well above the GEL-Kayano 19 it replaced.

Cons

At 11.3 oz in men's sizing, two reviewers find it clunky for faster running.
It lists at $160, above the $150 median for daily trainers on sale, and several reviewers call the price hard to justify.
Seven of thirty-nine reviewers report an injury while running in it.

GEL-Kayano 20 rates 91. This shoe has high certainty. See how we rate shoes.

Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the ASICS GEL-Kayano

Each dot is one version of the GEL-Kayano, placed by its rating and release year. The gold dot is this shoe.

Rating

40 60 80 100

50 2011 77 91 2013 77 71 2015 86 88 2017 84 68 2019 71 78 2021 86 99 2023 94 87 2025 87

Release year

We use the reviews of past versions to inform this shoe’s rating. See why.

GEL-Kayano 33

2026 · 5 reviews

87 Good

72 Confidence
GEL-Kayano 32

2025 · 3 reviews

87 Good

74 Confidence
GEL-Kayano 31

2024 · 14 reviews

94 Excellent

89 Confidence
GEL-Kayano 30

2023 · 58 reviews

99 Exceptional

99 Confidence
GEL-Kayano 29

2022 · 20 reviews

86 Good

88 Confidence
GEL-Kayano 28

2021 · 4 reviews

78 Decent

68 Confidence
GEL-Kayano 27

2020 · 2 reviews

71 Decent

57 Confidence
GEL-Kayano 26

2019 · 20 reviews

68 Below average

88 Confidence
GEL-Kayano 25

2018 · 16 reviews

84 Good

90 Confidence
GEL-Kayano 24

2017 · 14 reviews

88 Good

91 Confidence
GEL-Kayano 23

2016 · 8 reviews

86 Good

85 Confidence
GEL-Kayano 22

2015 · 5 reviews

71 Decent

67 Confidence
GEL-Kayano 21

2014 · 10 reviews

77 Decent

85 Confidence
GEL-Kayano 20 This shoe

2013 · 39 reviews

91 Very good

94 Confidence
GEL-Kayano 19

2012 · 19 reviews

77 Decent

87 Confidence
GEL-Kayano 18

2011 · 13 reviews

50 Bottom-tier

90 Confidence

Reader Ratings

39 ratings

5/5 21

4/5 18

3/5 0

2/5 0

1/5 0

See written reviews Write a review

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight: 11.3 oz
Release: 2013
MSRP: $160
Stack Height: 32mm heel - 20mm toe
Drop Height: 12mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

Reader review

4/5

Overall

I ran in the Asics 2100 for about 10 years (first pair was 1080) until they ended that shoe and brought out the GT-2000. I am not exactly sure why they would end the run of the most popular running shoe--especially since the new line (GT-2000) was pretty different from the old version. I tried running in the GT-2000 and it was a horrible experience. My legs were toast after short runs, and my legs felt like I was wearing old shoes even in their first week of wear. I need a pretty substantial shoe thanks to achilles/plantar fascia/over-pronation woes, so I was then fitted for the Kayano, which has been fine. I have chronic pain at this point, so I need a sturdy, soft shoe that can help manage the pain best. The price point of the kayano is annoying as it is far more expensive than my old standard, but it has worked fine. I've never tried any other brand of running shoe as I got an asics deal through the college I ran for and now coach at, so I don't have much cross-brand experience.

parknel · Sep 1, 2014

40 mpw training for a marathon

Comfort: 5/5
Durability: 4/5
Appearance: 4/5
Value: 3/5

Reader review

4/5

Overall

First asics shoe in over 10 years as for various resons they never worked out. Then I got desperate as my dependable Adidas supernova sequence changed too much and I didn't like v6. I'm amazed I've been ok in the kayano ( so far...6weeks in!) and have just ran a marathon in them

Anonymous runner · Aug 31, 2014

45 mpw training for a marathon

Comfort: 4/5
Durability: 3/5
Appearance: 4/5
Value: 3/5

Reader review

4/5

Overall

Anonymous runner · Aug 30, 2014

50 mpw training for a half marathon

Comfort: 4/5
Durability: 4/5
Appearance: 3/5
Value: 3/5

Reader review

5/5

Overall

been wearing this model since the gel Kayano 3 came out a lot of years

Anonymous runner · Aug 28, 2014

35 mpw

Comfort: 5/5
Durability: 4/5
Appearance: 5/5
Value: 5/5

Reader review

5/5

Overall

I chose this particular shoe for stability issues with my ankles. I've been very happy since I switched to this shoe. It's helped a great deal with my ankles.

Anonymous runner · Aug 28, 2014

10 mpw training for a half marathon