ASICS Metaspeed Ray Review
By David Salas
ASICS Metaspeed RayPrice: $299.95 at Running Warehouse
Weight: 4.5 oz, 129g (men's size 9), Women's sample weight not provided.
Stack Height: 39.5 mm heel / 34.5 mm forefoot
Drop: 5 mm
Shoe Purpose: Super Shoe, Racing
Pros: Incredibly lightweight and responsive. Excellent cushioning for the weight.
Cons: Can be unstable through the midfoot or during sharper turns.
RUNNING SHOE SUMMARY
The ASICS Metaspeed Ray is an incredibly light and bouncy super shoe that offers plenty of cushioning for long distance racing. The rockered sole is noticeable throughout the length of the platform and it is dialed in well. The carbon plate is 3/4 length, and does have a touch of flexibility in the forefoot. The midsole, FF Leap, is potentially the softest and bounciest foam on the market. This creates a very fun experience when it is combined with the 4.5 ounce weight at sample size. The foam may be unstable for some, but those with neutral mechanics will find this to be one of the most lively things they will put on their feet.
SIMILAR SHOES: Mizuno Hyperwarp Pure, Puma Fast-R 3
PAST MODEL: New Model
FIT
(To learn how a shoe should fit, check out our full podcast on fit by Matt Klein.)
David: The ASICS Metaspeed Ray fits true to size in my men's 9.5. The width throughout is pretty standard for a racing shoe through the heel and midfoot (slightly snug) with a slightly wider forefoot. There is plenty of volume in the forefoot and I had no issues with spacing on that end. There is enough space for foot swelling and toe splay. The upper material is a Matryx upper that keeps the weight down without sacrificing security. The material itself is comfortable and I had no issues with it feeling scratchy or crinkly. The tongue is very thin, but does a surprisingly good job of keeping biting from the laces down. It is not gusseted and does move around a little bit when donning the shoe, but once it is placed I had no issues with it sliding. The laces are textured and I had no issues with slippage there either. There is a shallow heel counter that moves vertically and not horizontally. I had no issues with rubbing or irritation from that. The upper material is secure and does not stretch much when it is loaded. I felt like this was necessary for turning, due to the softer nature of the foam and platform. For how light it is, this is an excellent upper for a racing shoe.
David's Typical Size: Men's US Size 9.5
Shoes that have fit David well: Nike Vomero 17, Saucony Ride 16, Puma Velocity Nitro 3
Shoes that have fit snug: HOKA Arahi 7
Shoes that have fit large: Salomon Aero Glide
Doctors of Running Checklist
Is This a Good Shoe for Walking: No
Is This a Good Shoe for Standing: No
Is the Forefoot Flexible: Mild for carbon plate
How Flexible is the Shoe: Not very flexible, plated
Is This a Good Heel Bevel: Yes
Recommended for Haglunds: Yes
Is This Shoe Orthotic Friendly: No
Recommended for Sockless: No
Durability Expectation: Normal to slightly less
PERFORMANCE
David: The ASICS Metaspeed Ray provides a very unique experience. Being at 4.5 ounces in men's size 9, this shoe is as light as many track spikes. This does provide a very light on foot experience and does make your legs feel like they are floating at times. The Metaspeed Ray is also using a brand new midsole by the name of FF Leap. This midsole is ATPU based and is incredibly soft and bouncy. For reference, this is probably the softest and bounciest foam that I have tried on the market, with Incredirun from Saucony being close in softness. The result is noticeably poppy and light ride.
The rocker of the Metaspeed Ray is done well. There is a large heel bevel with an earlier stage forefoot rocker and toe spring. The Metaspeed Ray does make you want to keep turning over once you get going. The FF Leap is the type of midsole that really likes to get squashed so that it can rebound with everything that it has. The foam is very compliant and you can see quite a few creases on my shoe from how much I am compressing the foam when I am running. The underfoot platform is not as wide, especially through the midfoot. With how soft the foam is, you will definitely have a quick pronation moment through the midfoot upon landing. Thankfully this is offset some with a good forefoot platform. For most people this will probably be a 10k and down shoe, just due to some inherent instability. If you have neutral mechanics and the softness does not bother you, there is no reason why this shoe can't hammer a marathon.
For me, I fall into the 10k crowd. I could consider this for the half marathon, but I think I would take the extra ounce for some more stability in the Metaspeed Edge Tokyo personally. The Metaspeed Ray is nearly unmatched in responsiveness though. The shoe likes to rebound and I have no hesitation letting it rip for shorter road races. The shoe does a decent job of making normal turns, but if you have sharper turns, the softer foam can make for a harder time when you are leaning into it. I have had some lateral ankle soreness from testing the Metaspeed Ray on a U-turn at speed. In most situations it will do fine though.
The Metaspeed Ray is definitely not a super shoe for those with stability considerations, but for those wanting something that is very bouncy and responsive in the lightest package have a very fun shoe here. It won't be for everyone, but it will be very fun for those that it does work for.
STABILITY
(Learn more about stability in our full guide)
David: The ASICS Metaspeed Ray may be the opposite of a stability shoe. Thankfully the upper lockdown is good and secure. The rocker geometry is done well. These things definitely help, but the FF Leap midsole is far from stable. It is so compliant that you almost feel like your legs are shaking from balancing if you are standing in them. This feeling does go away some when you start running, but the soft nature and narrow midfoot create a quick pronation moment through loading response and midstance. The shoe can be a bit squirrely in sharper turns, but does a decent job in normal situations. The ASICS Metaspeed Ray does a decent job of preventing instability, but it still is far from "stable". If ASICS could find a way to widen the midfoot or incorporate friendly sidewalls for guidance that might help the shoe some in this category. The ASICS Metaspeed Ray is very fun, but not the most stable.
Thoughts as a DPT: Midfoot Stability
By David Salas
It is well-known at this point that we will go through several rocker points across our feet while we run. These rocker points normally have some rounding to make for easier transitions. We see this is in the heel and forefoot especially. We look so much at sagittal motion that we sometimes forget about the importance of stability medially and laterally though. As you are transitioning from your calcaneus (heel) into the midfoot, there are quite a few things going on under your foot. This is usually accompanied with some calcaneal eversion and subtalar pronation. This is essentially an intentional temporary give of your arch for absorbing shock.
Right after this, your foot begins to resupinate and create a more rigid platform for you to lever from. The arch tightens back up and you push off of a rigid great toe. When we have uncontrolled pronation, this can make resupination more difficult and this can start to irritate a myriad of areas in the foot or ankle. When we are dealing with softer foams, this equation only gets trickier. Usually, you will see the underfoot platform get wider to offset this natural movement to keep it from going to far, or you will some guidance measures put in, like sidewalls.
In the Metaspeed Ray, neither is very existent in the midfoot. This can make the pronation moment into the midfoot quite quick in the shoe. For those with neutral mechanics and quick transitions underfoot, this will most likely feel nice. They will get a fast and springy feel to their step, but those that need a little bit of stability or guidance will have a hard time with this. In a shoe like the Ray, everything is geared at speed. I get the decision to keep things streamlined and a touch more narrow, but it does make the shoe less approachable for many. I do think it would benefit from a touch of guidance in future models, even for those that have neutral mechanics.
RECOMMENDATIONS
David: The ASICS Metaspeed Ray feels like a new generation for super shoes, but I do have some recommendations. Despite the responsiveness and cushioning, I do think the shoe could benefit from improving the midfoot stability. The heel and forefoot have good platforms, but the midfoot feels narrow underfoot and I can feel my arch rolling inwards through the midfoot when running. Either widening the platform a touch, or adding some sidewalls to help with some guidance through the midfoot could help.
WHO IS THIS SHOE FOR?
David: The ASICS Metaspeed Ray is a super racing shoe for those wanting the lightest and bounciest thing on the market. The shoe is very fun to run in and does provide a unique experience when you run in it. The shoe is rockered well and provides potentially the softest and bounciest ride out there. Being at 4.5 ounces in men's sample size 9, it is about the same weight as a track spike as well. This does come at the cost of stability though. The midfoot platform is narrow and the Metaspeed Ray will really only work for those who have neutral mechanics. For many, this will be a 10k and down shoe because of this, but if you can handle the midfoot and softer foam, there is no reason it can't rip a marathon. Those who like softer and lighter shoes and don't mind some midfoot instability have an absolute speed demon on their hands here.
GRADES
David
Fit: A (One of my favorite things about the shoe. Fits well and provides good volume in the forefoot.)
Performance: A- (Incredibly lightweight and responsive while still having great cushioning. Turning could be better.)
Stability: B- (Heel and forefoot have decent platforms. Upper lockdown is good. FF Leap has inherent instability and narrow midfoot does not help. Not bad for what they are working with though.)
Value: A- (This could be an A if the geometry works for you for longer distances too. I don't think most people will be able to take this through the full range of distances though, and will cater mostly 10k and down for instability reasons.)
Personal: B+ (I love the ride, but I don't know if it loves me. I get some lateral ankle soreness with turning and do find the midfoot unstable for longer outings. The ride very fun and responsive though and I would not hesitate this for shorter distances.)
Overall Design: A-
SHOP | SUPPORT DORASICS Metaspeed RayPrice: $299 at Running Warehouse
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FURTHER READING
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Mizuno's new super shoe.
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