The ASICS Metafuji Trail is built for speed on the trail. The latest plated super trail shoe that combines a full-length carbon plate with a big stack of high energy FF TURBO and FF Blast Plus cushioning. But is it a good option for a trail marathon? Run Tester Kieran raced the New Forest Marathon 2024 to find out. Hit play for the ASICS Metafuji Trail marathon test verdict.
JUMP STRAIGHT IN:
0:00 – Intro
0:55 – The race
1:32 – Thoughts 13 miles in
3:42 – Post race wrap-up
6:34 – Verdict
Get the first run reaction on the ASICS Metafuji trial…
https://youtu.be/KsX0Tjoy7Lg?si=gmqGqPCujDbpKJXM
Hey people welcome to the run test it's Kieran here we are at the New Forest Marathon where I think we're about half An hour before we start and I'm going to Be doing a marathon test of the aex meta Fuji Trail now out there ahead of us We've got 26.2 miles of mixed Terrain Frent Road compacted gravel pars there Going to be a bit off road it's going to Be a bit muddy a bit grassy at times Forest floors it's all very runnable all Very kind of fast if you want to attack It exactly I think the kind of terrain That the aex meta Fuji is probably going To excel at so it's going to be really Interested to see how this shoe holds up To those Conditions I'm not going to be running My very very fastest but I'm going to be Pushing this in good form I'm going to Put in some miles where I'm going to be Pushing my proper marathon pace there'll Be somewhere i r back and take it a Little bit easier as well but I better Go and drop off my bag drop off my kit Let's go do 26.2 in The aex Meta Fuji Trail [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] We're 13 miles down the race is spread a Bit now we're coming through a bit of
The open Forest here and so far the aex Meta Fuji done a good job when I did my Slow half marathon last week I found at Times when you're not really punching Them that the there's not quite as much Spring I think you kind of come into you Put them on they feel bit like a road Shoe yeah so we've run everything from These compacted kind of you can see Behind me bit of mud we been through Puddles we've been on grass uh bit of Forest floor Road lots of Road pretty Much everything really good test for The Aex Meta Fuji Trail and so far they're Running really well I mean when they Come into their own really is on the Road there's so much Cushing to the shoe That it feels like a road shoe and not Unlike one of the faster kind of super Training Road shoes as well there's Energy coming back from that big sort of PE Mig to foone there's I'd say not that Much stability in the shoe it doesn't Take a lot to wobble you on these yeah I'm not running over anything Particularly technical here but if you Hit certain big stones and stuff yeah You do feel the roll that would worry me If I was taking on more technical Trails Where you need a bit more control but For this runable stuff it's been good so Far sometimes I found it a little soft Sometimes I've wanted a little bit more Stiffness and a bit more snap but
Overall I think yeah it's helped me to Halfway when you really find out what Shoes made for though is uh in the next 13 so we're going to [Music] See so it's Done 306 307 308 I don't know something Like that that's a PB on this course R My little heart out out there and the Shoes held up well I'm going to go and Get a drink of water and I'll do a Little wrap on how the shoes H up New Forest Marathon number eight I think It's done so then back in the office Couple of days after the marathon got a Quick word on fit for the marathon Distance and I ran the New Forest Marathon in my regular ax size in The Meta Fuji Trail which is a UK and a half And I found the fit pretty good over the Distance and for the three or so hours That I was out there on feet I like the Fact there's plenty of room up front in The toe box both for length towards the End of the toes and across the top so You're not in danger of bashing against The end of the toe box and across the Top of those toes you've got plenty of Room to flex and wiggle and for your Feet to expand I had no blackened or Bruis toenails after this race so that Is a big plus now sometimes if you're up Running all out you can slide forward And less roomy shoes might lead to some
Nail W but none of that I found it easy To lock in and get a good secure hold Across the midot section of the shoe for Me they held nicely secure there was no Slipping off the midsole unit we had Quite a few switchbacks you know tight U-turns and they coped fine when I was Doing that the hills also held well for Me overall I was happy with the fit for The marathon and if the ride works you I Think there's room in us here to cope With that longer time on feet that Longer distance of the marathon now when It comes to the ride and the Run Performance on The Day The Meta Fuji Provided everything that I asked for That marathon on a mainly runnable Nontechnical mixed terrain course this Was a good test in conditions that Flipped from sloppy mud puddles and wet Grass to ferma tarmac and gravel Trails Now I really wondered how these 4 and 1 Half mil lugs would hold up through some Of the slippier sections but I got good Traction I felt in control I still Wouldn't choose them for really muddy or Grassy races but they coped well for What I did throw at them and on the road They weren't too sticky so there's a Good road to Trail kind of capability or Versatility to the shoe that carries Over into the mid Rider as well when you Compare the feel of the peber carbon Plate combo here that you've got to
Regular trail shoes It's Kind of Night And Day this is soft and springy with Energetic ride that's very happy on the Tarmac and firmer compacted Trails when We hit the softer ground I found I Wanted a bit more stiffness though as I Mentioned earlier in the video wanted a Bit more immediacy and at times that Soft Trail plus the soft midsole did Feel a little bit sludgy but it's Another Trail shoe that really wants you To move fast and when you do I think it Really Springs into to life so when I Was hitting my marathon pace it felt Very smooth and energetic without being Overly aggressive another thing I Mentioned during the race of stability Is not its strong point I didn't find You don't have to hit big rocks to fill Some tilt and roll and I had more wobble And movement from the footed than I Really wanted at times but other big Marathon benefits here include the fact I had no foot fatigue I felt well Protected throughout from that kind of Ground impact the area uppers took on Water but also cleared fast so they Never got heavy and weighed down even When I went through big puddles which I Did plow through at times to do that Rather than kind of weave the Course Marathon verdict then for The aex Meta Fuji Trail I think it's a good Marathon distance shoe and if you're
Taking on a mixed terrain course that's Not too technical with lots of runnable Miles what you're getting here is energy Protection a roomy fit enough grip and a Nice lightweight package that feels race Ready this shoe definitely drops into The mixx with shoes like the tectan X3 From Hoka the Adidas agravic speed Ultra And I think it sits somewhere between Those two shoes in terms of it overall Ride energy and the control and the Balance and all of those things now Trail shoes are changing pretty fast Well I don't necessarily think this is a Shoe that I'd recommend for every Runner To go and Tackle really sort of steep Mountainous technical terrain that's Really tricky I think for this kind of Marathon where you look at it basically Runnable stuff or a half marathon or Faster training on easier terrain I Think the meta Fuji is up there with a Better sort of faster Trail options Probably the best comp compliment that I Can give this shoe really is that if I Was going out to run this race again Tomorrow I'd absolutely happily choose This shoe so there you have it that's Been my Marathon test of the aex meta Fuji Trail at the New Forest Marathon Definitely a race I would recommend if You're thinking about a nice runnable Trailer Marathon go check that out it's A great day out uh happens in September
Every year and yeah it's a real good Destination race go check it out uh if You're interested in other videos on The Meta Fuji Trail we've got another first Run where Tom's Wade in with his views From his early miles in The aex Meta Fuji Trail we'll have our full review of This shoe coming up soon on the channel Once we've all done our testing uh if You're interested in other trail shoes Are going to pop a video up on the Channel you should watch now as ever Thanks for stopping by we hope you found The video useful and informative we will Hope to see you again soon on the Channel and in the meantime happy Running people
