Our Thoughts on the ASICS Megablast After 200 Miles

The Megablast is officially a shoe of the year contender and has GOAT potential. ASICS dropped a 45mm stack height trainer that weighs only 247 grams in our Men’s size 10.5. Nobody else is touching that right now, and the performance matches the specs. The price makes your eyes pop and your heart stop, but after a 100-mile week in it and now over 200 miles total in it—including 40 miles in 24 hours—we can confidently say that the durability and underfoot feel are undeniable. For more insights on the Megablast, check out the 100 Mile Review.

Daily Trainer

ASICS Megablast

Daily trainer designed for speed and versatility

Price

$225

Plated?

No

Foam

ATPU

Weight (oz)

8.1

Drop (mm)

8

Support

Neutral

see details

What Makes the ASICS Megablast So Great?

Fun, Enjoyable Ride

This is the first time we’ve gotten a shoe up to 200 miles so quickly. It’s one we just can’t stop reaching for. It never disappoints and makes every run just a little bit better and more enjoyable. If you are a follower of the channel, you know it has us spitting bars on every run. You’ll have to watch the 200 mile review on the Supwell YouTube channel to hear for yourself. The energetic foam, rocker geometry, and light weight construction just keep you rolling along and nothing ever gets in the way or detracts from the run experience when you are “running in the Megablast.”

The Versatility

The Megablast is what we call a shoe rotation killer. We have loved it for long runs, recovery runs, tempo runs, double days and workouts. We know a lot of people are using it as a race day shoe as well. The bounce, Goldilocks zone foam, and speed assistance are unparalleled in a ridiculously lightweight, non-plated daily trainer. It’s one of those shoes that behaves however you want to use it. When we were running in it every day for a couple of weeks, the foam softened up quite a bit and it ran like an elevated daily trainer; but when we let it sit for a week or so and brought it back out again, the foam had firmed up again, just like when we first took it out of the box, and it felt peppy and more aggressive and great for picking up the pace. This is not unique to the Megablast—it is something we also experienced in the Adidas EVO SL. The more you run in it, the softer the foam becomes, but if firms right back up after some rest. Check out the Marathon workout below that we think would be a perfect use-case for the Megablast.

The Grip

We’ve used the Megablast on dry streets, damp streets, in the rain, and on the treadmill with no slipping or sliding. The ASICSGRIP rubber on the outsole is a close contender to the PUMAGRIP rubber. 

The Durability

After 200 miles the outsole rubber is holding up great. There are small signs of scuffing on the heel where our shoes tend to show some wear, but there is plenty of rubber coverage still left. The exposed foam and rubber on the forefoot and midfoot look unscathed. Additionally, the foam feels like it has tons of life left in it. Like we said earlier, we thought maybe the foam was feeling softer and potentially less responsive from miles 100 to 200, but after giving it a break for a few days and lacing it back up, the foam feels just as lively as it did from miles 1 to 100. We suspect it will last well over 300 miles.

Drawbacks of the Megablast

Fit and Feel of the Upper

As we’ve discussed previously, the upper fit and feel is its weakest point. The upper is very lightweight, and has caused reports of lace bite for people who are having to cinch the laces down to get a dialed-in fit. Wearing thicker, more padded socks can help with this, as well as putting the laces through the outer holes close to the ankle to get a better lock-down without having to pull the laces as tight. There is also a pretty stiff plastic piece at the front of the toebox that can cause some toe discomfort at first. We have found that all of these things break in nicely and we haven’t noticed any issues with them after the initial break-in period.

For Yowana's full 200-mile video review, check out the YouTube vide on the Supwell channel:

Summary

The Megablast is our favorite overall shoe right now and it's definitely in contention for shoe of the year or best shoe of all time for its fun ride and versatility. It’s great having a shoe in the arsenal that feels great for a variety of runs. We love how lightweight it is despite the tall stack height and protective feel.

If you enjoyed this format, check out our 100 Mile Review of the Nike Vomero Premium.

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