Modern Day Racing Flat - Fantastic Shoe!!
5/5
Overall
I’ve been wearing Asics since I started running again 5 years ago (took an 8 year hiatus after running some in jr high/high school). I’ve tried other brands (Hoka, Nike, Brooks, Adidas), but I always hated any shoe I tried that wasn’t Asics. I do most of my daily mileage in the Gel Cumulus, but I started doing track workouts and races in the Hyper Speed about 2 years ago. What a shoe! I like a less cushioned shoe so I guess it’s not surprising that I like the Hyper Speed. It feels like a responsive yet more supportive flat. I ran XC and track back in high school (14-15 years ago) and I remember how uncomfortable flats and spikes were. Even though it doesn’t have a plate, it still feels quite snappy. I’d say it’s a great shoe for track workouts and mile/5k/10k races. I’ve worn them in a 7 mile race (Bix 7 Mile in Iowa, where I set my PR and ran faster than when I ran the same race in Vaporflys the year before), but I haven’t worn them for a half marathon… yet. The price is impossible to beat too. Brand new these things are $100, and if you buy last year’s generation then you can find them for much cheaper. I just bought another pair of Hyper Speed 3s for $60 (and that’s WITH taxes and shipping).
Overall the Asics’s Hyper Speed is a high quality shoe that excels for track workouts and races from the mile up to the 10k. I cannot yet say if it will hold up for a half marathon or marathon. It’s very affordable. It looks great too. I love the color schemes they have and it doesn’t look like some giant space shoe like most super shoes do. Is it going to give you an edge in a half marathon or marathon when compared to the likes of the Nike Vaporfly or those $500 Adidas things? Of course not. But I will tell you this: I’ve run 5ks/10ks in supershoes and I’ve run 5ks/10ks in these Hyper Speeds, and my times are comparable. I don’t seem to perform any better in the supershoe vs the Hyper Speed. It could be a me thing. It could be a mental thing. It could be any number of things. All I’m saying is that I like the Hyper Speed and I’ve come to realize I’d much rather spend $60-$100 on a workout/racing shoe than $250+ even if it ultimately costs me a few seconds here or there. I mean, I’m not going to the Olympics. Hell, I’m not even close to beating a coworker’s PRs that he set in the early 80s wearing Asics Tigers.
I’ll add in that I’m bigger for a runner. I’m 5’11 and about 175 lbs (that’s roughly 12.5 stones for those of you who still use stones instead of lbs/kilos). I’m a heel striker, and I run a lot on asphalt. I used to be a college basketball player before I started running again. My PRs are: 4:39 for the mile, 9:00 for the 3k, 15:36 for the 5k, 31:51 for the 10k, 71:30 for the half, and 2:43 for the marathon. I did not necessarily set my PRs in a pair of Hyper Speeds, but I have run quite a few 5ks/10ks in them and my times have not been far off my PRs. Don’t know if this helps anybody, but runners are nosey and like to know people’s PRs. I average about 60 miles a week, but I’d say I only put about 10 miles a week on my Hyper Speeds. I have a pair with roughly 100 miles on them and they still feel good for track workouts.
Don’t buy this shoe if you’re running in the Olympic Marathon. Don’t buy this shoe if you’re obsessed with newest running technology and want to use said technology to artificially shave as many seconds off your PR as possible. Don’t buy this shoe if you have trouble admitting that you’re a hobby jogger, even though you’re minutes away from competing with the elites at any race. Don’t buy this shoe if you’re a jive turkey.
Buy this shoe if you want an affordable, comfortable, responsive, stylish, and durable workout/racing shoe. Buy this shoe if you want to save money. Buy this shoe if you long for the simpler days of running and want to compete in something much more similar (yet probably still more comfortable) to what they had back in the 70s/80s. Buy this shoe if you can say the words “I’m a hobby jogger and I’m proud”. Buy this shoe if you’re cool.
noah_jerome · Jul 25, 2024
10 mpw training for 5K and 10K came from the Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next%
- Comfort
- 5/5
- Cushioning
- 4/5
- Durability
- 5/5
- Appearance
- 5/5
- Value
- 5/5
