Race day. Your palms are sweaty, even with snow on the ground. Are you full or hungry? Your heart beats double time in your chest. Around you, others stand chatting nervously, trying to make the last few minutes before the start feel shorter. It's an unfamiliar situation, even if you've run several races before.
You reassure yourself that the unfamiliar situation doesn't matter. You've done the work. And you've done it with the gear you're standing on the start line with. Gear you know and trust.
ASICS MAGIC SPEED 5 is the only tempo shoe you need. If you have a volume training shoe, there's no race distance or training session MAGIC SPEED 5 can't handle, making race day less unfamiliar.
- Drop: 7 mm
- Weight: 193 grams (20% less than predecessor)
- Foam: FF LEAP, FF BLAST PLUS
- The shoe is for those who want a shoe beyond a volume trainer that can handle all training sessions and all race distances.
ASICS MAGIC SPEED – A rare sight underfoot
An identity crisis is almost inevitable when discussing a series navigating between BLAST series super trainers like and and actual race shoes. I don't include MAGIC SPEED in the race shoe category, although many features suggest that direction: carbon plate, foam seen only in the fastest , weight under 200 grams, and an upper better than most race shoes.
However, it doesn't fit among the running shoes in the race category for a simple reason, likely not what you think. Instead, it's something that makes the shoe more relevant for you. So allow me to start where we reviewers rarely do: the outsole.
Consider a classic race shoe: perforated upper, paper-like light foam, and laces cut as short as possible to save weight. The outsole isn't on your mind, as it's sometimes not even part of a race shoe. Grams are shaved away. Race shoes have their priorities straight. Brands sacrifice comfort and lifespan in the quest for fewer grams. This can be off-putting for many, as comfort and durability should be priorities in running shoes.
This is where MAGIC SPEED's huge advantage comes in. Here, you get a shoe prioritizing speed and durability while only marginally compromising comfort. So marginally that I wouldn't call it a compromise. The upper testifies to this. But more on that later.
You've heard of fast midsoles before. But rarely about fast outsoles. ASICS MAGIC SPEED has given me reason to talk about it.
Not only does the outsole cover about 90% of the shoe's platform, which is more than I expect from super trainers, but it's also slightly lugged. The result is a light grip, making the shoe excellent for runs on routes that aren't straightforward, like parkrun or the Danish DHL relay.
Maybe it's an exaggeration to talk about actual grip, but the placement from midfoot to forefoot is brilliant. It reflects a shoe whose aggressiveness matches race shoes. You don't land on your heel here. We're talking midfoot, toe, push-off, repeat.
ASICS MAGIC SPEED 5 – The top separates the foot from a hard landing
This naturally leads me to the midsole. For MAGIC SPEED 5 is no longer in the identity crisis suggested by the transition between the third and fourth generations. Here, all components naturally work together to create a fast shoe that isn't a race shoe because it prioritizes durability, nor a super trainer because the midsole doesn't compromise on speed.
The midsole is a point that, if standing alone, would indicate one of the fastest road shoes I've tried to date. It has the pop I associate with a spike shoe and the propulsion I associate with carbon shoes for half and full marathons.
There's no doubt that super trainer shoes are popular for a reason. The extra comfort you find here, for instance, in SONICBLAST, which I praised in December, makes the shoes ideal for those wanting a versatile shoe.
But you undoubtedly miss some speed and aggressiveness. This way, you risk standing on race day in a race shoe whose feel is markedly different from what you're used to. And if there's anything you don't want on race day, it's the feeling of something unfamiliar.
ASICS MAGIC SPEED 5 feels like a race shoe because it has ASICS FF LEAP foam material. It's A-TPU foam, not just the most energy-returning type currently. It's also among the most performance-durable types.
The foam sits atop a Y-cut carbon plate, and beneath that is a layer of FF BLAST PLUS foam. The bottom layer I find fairly firm, stabilizing my foot, but it also gives the slight comfort compromise I mentioned earlier. It steers the shoe toward the race shoe rather than the super trainer.
This compromise also adds a slight "but" to my initial remark that the shoe takes you through any race distance. The shoe is best on short distances like a mile on asphalt, five-kilometer street race, or a fast 10k. On a half marathon and marathon, your feet will thank you for prioritizing comfort a bit more.
On the other hand, the firm foam provides the aggressiveness necessary for distances under half marathon. And it's this aggressiveness you know or should know before your next race. MAGIC SPEED 5 mimics race day feel.
ASICS MAGIC SPEED 5: Upper ready from the start
The first time I ran in the shoes was on the riverbank in Aarhus on a cold winter afternoon. The sun was setting behind the trees, but I, with a few friends, intended to run 8*1000 at a pace of 3:10 before it was completely gone.
The mission succeeded (and we finished at 3:03), and when I switched back to volume training shoes to jog off, I had no fear about how my toes would look. Often such a session can cause foot issues, especially when I bravely do it in a pair of unused shoes.
During, however, I had no worries. The upper with the excellent ribbed laces locked me in at the heel, which is comfortable even with minimal foam.
My toes felt like in slippers. The upper didn't bother them and left them alone. This is particularly impressive as the pace we ran almost always pushes you further forward in the shoe to press on. The shoes have certainly passed the comfort test under intensity. What it lacks in midsole comfort, it makes up for in the upper.
One last anecdote before you get my verdict on the shoe: Riding home in the winter cold from another session, I froze my feet on the way home. It became clear how goodventilation the numerous holes in the upper provide.
ASICS MAGIC SPEED 5: Race shoe and tempo shoe in one
Are you looking for your first race shoe? Are you looking for a shoe that is significantly different from your mileage trainer? Are you looking for a shoe that is more than a regular super trainer?
MAGIC SPEED 5 finally seems to have settled down. The race shoe, where the only thing keeping it from the purebred title is actually a plus: long lifespan.
The shoe meets all other parameters I expect from a race shoe: responsiveness, carbon plate, and a premium upper in an extremely light and harmonious package.
Try a local road race around five or ten kilometers and get some speed in your legs. It will undoubtedly make your summer half marathon experience better.
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