ASICS GEL-Kayano 23

Name: ASICS GEL-Kayano 23
Brand: ASICS
Rating: 4.8 (8 reviews)

Daily trainer · Stability · Road · 11.5 oz · 13mm drop

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The ASICS GEL-Kayano 24 replaced it

How it ranks

The ASICS GEL-Kayano 23 ranks above most daily trainers in our data. Durability and cushioning are its strongest sub-ratings. Value scores well below its other sub-ratings. The rating rests on 8 runner reviews and 15 other rated shoes in the GEL-Kayano product line. Another 4 reviews would set the confidence on this shoe's own reviews.

Good

86/100

Overall

Good 86

Durability

Exceptional 97

Cushioning

Exceptional 97

Comfort

Good 89

Appearance

Decent 76

Value

Bottom-tier 57

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

85/100

High 85

What runners say

“The 23s are still narrower in the toe box than the 21 (I have to wear a larger size), but are a significant improvement with regard to cushioning”

5/5 Full review 25 mpw training for a half marathon came from the ASICS GEL-Kayano 21

“Their stabilization helped my knee pain go away”

5/5 Full review 20 mpw training for a half marathon came from the adidas Supernova

“Very comfortable for distance running (got a 3:12 London run out of them)”

4/5 Full review 60 mpw training for a marathon came from the adidas Supernova Sequence 7 Boost

“They hold up very well durability-wise and only keep getting lighter”

5/5 Full review 55 mpw training for a half marathon

“The Kayano 22's toe box narrowed significantly over the 21, and it just didn't feel comfortable for running”

5/5 Full review 25 mpw training for a half marathon came from the ASICS GEL-Kayano 21

“Serious wear on the soles after 300 miles”

4/5 Full review 60 mpw training for a marathon came from the adidas Supernova Sequence 7 Boost

“I can do a 10 mile run with absolutely no pain”

5/5 Full review 20 mpw training for a half marathon came from the adidas Supernova

“Running in other shoes seems distinctively un-natural”

4/5 Full review 60 mpw training for a marathon came from the adidas Supernova Sequence 7 Boost

“Have not found a shoe that fits so well with my feet”

5/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike Zoom Structure Triax+ 14

“Make you run too slowly for races 10K and below”

4/5 Full review 60 mpw training for a marathon came from the adidas Supernova Sequence 7 Boost

Prefer this shoe over another

38% 5/13

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Sep 14.

Pros

Reviewers rate cushioning 4.9 out of 5, and three single it out for long, easy distance running.
Two reviewers report it holding up through 60 to 85 mile weeks.
One of eight reviewers so far calls it a clear improvement on the GEL-Kayano 22, which scores 71 on five reviews.

Cons

Reviewers rate value 3.8 out of 5, its lowest dimension, and two balk at the $160 list price.
Two of eight reviewers so far record it as running small in the toe box and size up.

GEL-Kayano 23 rates 86. 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 86 2016 88 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 This shoe

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

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

8 ratings

5/5 6

4/5 2

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: 11.5 oz
Release: 2016 Q3
MSRP: $160
Drop Height: 13mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

Great shoes

5/5

Overall

Shoes fit well in my narrow feet-have not found a shoe that fits so well with my feet

Falcon007 · Jan 3, 2020

30 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike Zoom Structure Triax+ 14

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

Once you've run in these, there's no going back

4/5

Overall

A backhanded compliment, as these shoes change the way you run to such a dramatic degree that running in other shoes seems distinctively un-natural. There's a reason why so many people end up swearing by 'em, so mix them with other shoes regularly. Very comfortable for distance running (got a 3:12 London run out of them), but frankly make you run too slowly for races 10K and below. Like a Range Rover, it's a big, fat, comfortable shoe that makes you feel nice and smug rolling along the highways, but like the RR, quality has disappointed for the sticker price (I paid way less) and there was serious wear on the soles after 300 miles. For a 155lb runner, that's not promising.

Anonymous runner · Jul 29, 2019

60 mpw training for a marathon came from the adidas Supernova Sequence 7 Boost

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

Asics Kayano fan

5/5

Overall

I really like my Asics Kayano shoes. The toe be dis nice and big and their stabilization helped my knee pain go away. I can do a 10 mile run with absolutely no pain.

Anonymous runner · Jul 17, 2019

20 mpw training for a half marathon came from the adidas Supernova

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

If you can still buy these...DO IT!

5/5

Overall

This shoe was the backbone for 3 months of training during the summer. I was running about 80mile weeks with these and they never EVER failed. Great support, incredible durability, comfortable to a fault.

beansbeansbeans · May 1, 2019

85 mpw came from the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 33

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

Great cushioning, and an improvement over the 22

5/5

Overall

I wear several different brands and models of shoes, but the Kayano is my go to shoe for distance and races. I need to have some drop, some stability, and I like the cushioning. I did not like the Kayano 22 -- as the toe box narrowed significantly over the 21, and it just didn't feel comfortable for running. The 23s are still narrower in the toe box than the 21 (I have to wear a larger size), but are a significant improvement with regard to cushioning.

Anonymous runner · Feb 7, 2018

25 mpw training for a half marathon came from the ASICS GEL-Kayano 21