Our verdict
Pros
- Super bouncy
- Cushy feel for miles
- Breathable
- Light AF
- Ready for cornering
- Locks you in
- Tongue stays in place
- Grippy outsole
- Mad durable
- Sets the bar for a do-it-all shoe
Cons
- What was the process of working with ASICS like
- Stack heights higher than advertised
Audience verdict
- Top 9% in road running shoes
- Top 12% in ASICS running shoes
- Top 7% most popular running shoes
Asics de Trail Running | Comparison
The most similar running shoes compared
+ + Add a shoe | |||||
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Audience score | 91 Superb! | 90 Superb! | 86 Good! | 90 Superb! | |
Price | $140 | $140 | $140 | $160 | |
Pace | Daily runningSpeed training | Daily running | Daily running | Speed training | |
Arch support | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | |
Weight lab Weight brand | 8.5 oz / 242g 8.9 Asics Women's Gel-Sonoma 15-50 Sneakers in Cream | 9.1 oz / 259g 9 oz / 255g | 9.1 oz / 259g 9 oz / 255g | 7.4 oz / 211g 7.8 oz / 220g | |
Lightweight | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | |
Drop lab Drop brand | 6.8 mm 8.0 mm | 9.0 mm 8.0 mm | 8.2 mm 8.0 mm | 9.8 mm 7.0 mm | |
Strike pattern | Mid/forefoot | HeelMid/forefoot | HeelMid/forefoot | HeelMid/forefoot | |
Midsole softness | Soft | Soft | Soft | Soft | |
Difference in midsole softness in cold | Big | Normal | Small | Small | |
Toebox durability | - | Decent | Good | Bad | |
Heel padding durability | - | Good | Good | Decent | |
Outsole durability | - | Good | Bad | Good | |
Breathability | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | |
Toebox width at the widest part | Medium | Medium | Medium | Narrow | |
asics sportstyle gel kayano 14 monozukuri black | - | Medium | Medium | Medium | |
Stiffness | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | |
zapatillas de running ASICS hombre amortiguación media talla 46.5 | Big | Small | Normal | Small | |
Torsional rigidity | Stiff | Stiff | Stiff | Stiff | |
Asics Gel Evolution | Flexible | Moderate | Stiff | Flexible | |
Rocker | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
Heel lab Heel brand | 37.2 mm 31.0 mm | 39.2 mm 41.5 mm | 36.8 mm 38.5 mm | 36.3 mm 36.0 mm | |
Forefoot lab Forefoot brand | 30.4 mm 23.0 mm | 30.2 mm 33.5 mm | 28.6 mm 30.5 mm | 26.5 mm 29.0 mm | |
Widths available | NormalWide | NormalWide | NormalWideX-Wide | Normal | |
Orthotic friendly | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
Season | Winter | Winter | Winter | Summer | |
Removable insole | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
Ranking | #34 Top 9% | #39 Top 16% | #125 Top 49% | #45 Top 18% | |
Popularity | #28 Top 7% | #5 Top 2% | #72 Top 29% | #82 Top 33% |
Who should buy
This shoe can do many things. And if you're eyeing a shoe that's any of the following, we think that the Novablast 3 might be the one for you:
- a running shoe for jogs and long, slow runs
- a daily trainer that's light and responsive for uptempo training
- Asics cosmoracer md 2 red black men track and field running shoes 1093a029-701
asics hyper ld 6 clavos
Even though we find the Asics Gel Lyte III OG G-TX 1201A024-020 44 to be nearly perfect, it still has a few caveats here and there. One, it's a tad narrow. And two, it's more expensive now by £10.
If you need a little more wiggle room, have a look at Saucony Endorphin Speed 3. And if you want a shoe that won't break the bank, the Brooks Launch 10 is a budget option that will surprise you.
Asics de Trail Running | Breathability
The mesh upper on the Novablast 3 scores high on our breathability tests. You can see how much more smoke passes through it compared to the ASICS Kayano 29 on the right.
But on a 1-5 scale, where 5 is the most breathable, we had to give it a 3 because it took a few seconds for the toebox material to release the smoke.
Asics de Trail Running.
Novablast 3 | 3 |
Average | 3.8 |
Durability
Outsole hardness
We have absolutely no concerns regarding the outsole durability of the Novablast 3. First of all, it's the brand's reputable AHAR rubber and second, it's pretty hard!
Our durometer shows a reading of 83.0 HC which is firmer than the average measurement of road shoes.
Novablast 3 | 83.0 HC |
Average | 80.5 HC |
Outsole thickness
The Novablast 3 manages to be a lightweight speed trainer without sacrificing outsole protection.
Measuring the thickness of rubber layering the shoe's bottom, we got 3.1 mm. This is as thick as the average!
Novablast 3 | 3.1 mm |
Average | 3.2 mm |
Weight
The lightness of this ASICS shoe made it feel at home for both fast and slow paces.
Putting the shoe on our scale, we found that the Asics Gel Lyte III OG G-TX 1201A024-020 44 weighs only 8.5 oz (242g)! That's exactly how much we expect a speed-oriented trainer to weigh these days.
Novablast 3 | 8.54 oz (242g) |
Average | 9.38 oz (266g) |
Cushioning
Heel stack
The Asics Gel Lyte III OG G-TX 1201A024-020 44 is a massively cushioned running shoe. And it was easily confirmed by our calliper measurement.
Our tool showed an impressive 37.2 mm of heel stack height! That is almost 4 mm taller than the average road running shoe and is within 16% tallest shoes in our lab!
We got tonnes of impact protection and underfoot comfort from the Novablast 3, no matter what distance we covered that day.
Novablast 3 | 37.2 mm |
Average | 33.7 mm |
Forefoot stack
The shoe's forefoot cushioning is just as generous, measuring 30.4 mm of stack height. That's a good 6 mm taller than average!
Novablast 3 | 30.4 mm |
Average | 25.0 mm |
Drop
However, to our surprise, the shoe's heel-to-toe drop turned out to be a little lower than stated. We measured it at 6.8 mm, while it is stated to be 8 mm.
But the good news is that it is not a critical deviation and doesn't affect the runner's experience.
Novablast 3 | 6.8 mm |
Average | 8.7 mm |
Insole thickness
This ASICS shoe features a moderately padded insole. With a thickness of 4.4 mm, it is just about the same as the average.
Novablast 3 | 4.4 mm |
Average | 4.5 mm |
Midsole softness
The shoe is comfy as hell! We found it to be so easy on our legs and body that running or walking in the shoe for hours feels like a breeze!
We attribute that to the shoe's very cushy and forgiving ride.
Checking the foam softness with a durometer, we can confirm that it is indeed one of the softest shoes not only from ASICS but on the market in general. At 13.5 HA, it is It is 77% softer than the average.
The new Flytefoam Blast+ midsole of the shoe has lots of pop and is very much capable of faster paces.
Novablast 3 | 13.5 HA |
Average | 21.4 HA |
Difference in midsole softness in cold
Even when exposed to cold temperatures (20 minutes in our freezer) and getting 52% firmer, the Flytefoam Blast+ still remains much softer than most running shoes at room temperature.
With a durometer measurement of 20.5 HA, the Novablast 3 is 47% softer than the average "frozen" foam.
Novablast 3 | 51.9% |
Average | 25.5% |
Stability
GT 2000 9 Goretex de Asics
Despite the extra stack, the ride felt quite stable and secure to us.
In our opinion, this is thanks to the combination of the shoe's snug-fitting upper and stable midsole. Prior to this version, the foam was too squishy, which compromised the shoe's surefootedness.
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Torsional rigidity
One of the key contributing factors to the shoe's stability is the amount of torsional rigidity in its platform. And the best way we can assess this is by twisting the shoe with our hands.
The Novablast 3 has a lot of stiffness to it! It convinced us to rate it as 4 out of 5 on a scale where 5 is the stiffest.
Novablast 3 | 4 |
Average | 3.2 |
Asics Gel Evolution
As for the heel portion of the shoe, despite its soft and flexible nature, we have zero complaints regarding its ability to hold the heel in place.
Subjectively assessing the heel stiffness, we gave it 2 out of 5, where 5 is the stiffest.
Novablast 3 | 2 |
Average | 2.8 |
Midsole width in the forefoot
The Novablast 3 also gets a good deal of stability from a rather wide platform.
Based on our calliper measurement, the widest part of the shoe's forefoot midsole is 115.9 mm. This is almost 3 mm wider than average.
Novablast 3 | 115.9 mm |
Average | 113.7 mm |
Midsole width in the heel
Back in the heel, we also found that the midsole gets wider than most road shoes.
Our calliper shows that the widest part here is 93.9 mm, almost 4 mm wider than average.
Novablast 3 | 93.9 mm |
Average | 90.5 mm |
Flexibility
Stiffness
The Asics Gel Lyte III OG G-TX 1201A024-020 44 is not from the flexible bunch but it's right at the average across all of our lab-tested shoes.
We should note, however, that a moderate level of stiffness makes the shoe's ride more propulsive.
Novablast 3 | 30.6N |
Average | 29.2N |
Grip / Traction
Whether you're running city miles or on paved surfaces, dirt roads, steep, wet, and loose gravel, the outsole of the third Novablast is awesome.
Size and fit
The Asics Gel Lyte III OG G-TX 1201A024-020 44 is a massively cushioned running shoe. And it was easily confirmed by our calliper measurement.
Our tool showed an impressive 37.2 mm of heel stack height! That is almost 4 mm taller than the average road running shoe and is within 16% tallest shoes in our lab!
We got tonnes of impact protection and underfoot comfort from the Novablast 3, no matter what distance we covered that day.
Toebox width at the widest part
The Novablast 3 has a very snug one-to-one fit but it never felt constricting on our medium-width feet.
Measuring the toebox at its widest part, our calliper showed 96 mm which is only 2 mm narrower than the average of road shoes. But this might still be narrow enough for wide-footed runners to consider Asics Gel-Court Hunter 2.
Novablast 3 | 95.9 mm |
Average | 98.4 mm |
NICE KICKS × ASICS GEL-LYTE III OG NICE CREAM
The shoe's tongue comes in a unique shape that moulds to the ankle. But it works! We experienced no shifting, sliding, or bunching throughout the run. Plus, it's protective against lace bites.
Теннисные кроссовки Asics Gel Resolution.
Novablast 3 | Both sides (semi) |
Comfort
Tongue padding
Asics de Trail Running!
Novablast 3 | 1.3 mm |
Average | 5.6 mm |
Asics Gel Lyte III OG G-TX 1201A024-020 44 vs. 2
They may not look radically different but the Asics Gel Lyte III OG G-TX 1201A024-020 44 and 2 have quite significant differences. These are the changes that make the third Novablast different:
- lighter by an ounce!
- has more spring
- zapatillas de running ASICS pie arco bajo apoyo talón media maratón
Asics Gel-lyte Iii Og Citrus White Yellow Green Me
Whether you're running fast or slow or running short or long distances, the Asics Gel Lyte III OG G-TX 1201A024-020 44 will keep you covered. It's an out-and-out versatile shoe. Throughout our run tests, we've staple just about everything in this running shoe and the shoe delivered every time!