The Asics Metafujitrail is a performance shoe designed for hitting the trails at speed. It combines a full-length carbon plate with a noticeably high stack of FF TURBO and FF Blast Plus cushioning. That dual-layer foam is built to balance energy return and comfort while keeping the weight as low as possible.
The upper is made from a breathable NEXKIN mesh which aims to improve lockdown due to reinforced areas and Pebax yarn in the midfoot.
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CHAPTERS:
00:00 – Intro
00:18 – Stats
00:29 – Design
01:10 – How’s The Fit?
02:26 – The First Run Test
10:40 – Early Verdict
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Hey Tommy from the Run testers in this Video we are going to be doing a first Run review of The aex Meta Fuji Trail Let's have a Look the as meta Fuji Trail costs £220 Or $250 it weighs 267 G or 9.4 Oz for Men in a size eight and the drop is 5 mm The aex Meta Fuji Trail is a performance Shoe designed for hitting the trails at Speed it does that by combining a ful Length carbon plate with a noticeably High stack of both FF turbo and FF blast Plus cushioning that dual layer foam is Built to balance energy return and Comfort while keeping the weight as low As possible the upper is made from a Breathable NEX King mesh which aims to Provide lock down due to reinforced Areas and paback yarn in the midot on The outsole is a healthy layer of the Brand's ax grip outsole rubber for a High level of grip on both wet and dry Services providing plenty of durability There's also an extra layer of rubber That's meant to shed dirt and mud while Also improving Traction so when it comes to fit I've Been testing my regular ax size which is A UK 8 A2 and I found the fit of these Shoes pretty good you notice there's Plenty of room up front in the toe box For length and across the top of the Toes I found it easy to get a good Locked in fit they've got lock laces
Here which I really approve of get a Good secure hold across the midfoot Section they're not too tight and too uh Snug around the toe Knuckles which is Great I had no slipping off that midsole As well the heels I found also hell well Because they've got these kind of padded Heel colors so that was overall sort Happy with the fit in these shoes and if The ride works for you I would say There's a roominess to cope with Slightly longer time on feet I would Recommend going true to sizeing the Shoes as well so the fit for me in the Meta Fuji Trail uh it I'm size in the UK This is a size eight for a trail shoe I Found it to be very comfortable in that Size I had no issues at all on the first Run that I used it on it didn't feel Like my toes were rubbing found it there Was plenty of space in the for foot and Midfoot for me uh didn't have any Problems didn't feel too restricted or Anything and I've got a fairly average Sized foot um so I would say that uh Stick to your size in this shoe F very Comfortable plenty of padding and the Upper is nice and um nice and locked Down but it's easy to get a nice Comfortable fit in as Well so for my first couple of runs I've Taken the aex meta Fuji Trail out for a 2 and hour half marathon yump around the Trails of the New Forest National Park
Here in the UK that was all nice and Slow nice and easy I also raced the New Forest Marathon clocking a 308 and that Was a course PB on that I've done that Eight times for both runs I was running Mainly groomed pars mostly firm and Compacted gravel some wild horse trails When I ventured off the paths there was A bit of mud and sloppiness when it came To the marathon cuz it had been wet I Also took in some softer Forest Floors Plus compacted M and grassier sections Plenty of Road section as well moving Between the trails and getting uh to Those trails in the first place but Overall we're talking about really Runnable know very very runnable Attackable Trails for the marathon Things got sloppy and it rained sort of Heavily and I got to put the metap Fuji Grip through M across wet grass and Ended up hammering through lots of Puddles no steep climbs or crazy Technical descents or particularly Rocky Stuff in the test I've done so far so You're talking about kind of tame but Attackable Trails basically Now The Meta Fuji Trail is the latest Trail shoe to Sort of deploy this super foam carbon Plate combo that you've had in Road Shoes now coming to Trails it joins the Lights of the Adidas terx speed Ultra It's the hok techan X3 as well almost Translating that road shoe Tech over to
The trails The New Forest is a place Where you can get away with the road Shoe if it's dry and I feel like it's Almost perfect territory for this kind Of shoe where you want you know Road Shoe performance if you want but with Trail grip and protection security and From these first runs I think this shoe Gets an awful lot right I like the feel On the foot it's definitely got energy When you're moving with intent it's Another Trail shoe that really wants you To move fast this one I think really Almost needs you to move fast in order To really bring it to life so when I was Hitting marathon pace it felt smooth and Energetic without being overly Aggressive like a Tamer Trail metas Speed Sky Paris perhaps with a bit more Kind of width in that midsole but there Are some question marks for me the main One really is just about the stability Particularly at my slower Paces in that Kind of first half where I was moving Really easy along the trails yeah more Like I might do during an ultra I guess So 9 Minute miles or slower at this clip I found the landings a little bit soft There was some wobbliness as well from That kind of footed almost a bit too Spongy at times with you know too much Movement across the foot bed Particularly when I was on sort of Softer Trail grounds sometimes moving at
Sort of faster pce like marathon pace 645 minute mile marathon pace it didn't Take very much in terms of like rocks And small stones to feel my foot tilt so There is a stability thing but up on my Foref foot engaging the plate on the Tarmac or firmer sections that was less Of an issue but for a lot of the run Where I was at middlings easy Pace I Think I wanted a bit more stiffness and Control actually to S of offset that Softness during both runs I think I Actually enjoyed the shoes a bit more on The road than the trails I think they Operate better on the harder ground Where you get more back from the foam And plate combo than when you hit the Softer Trails now compared to regular Firmer trail shoes you're still getting Much more bounce than you would from you Know some of the classic kind of Innovate shoes those kind of trail shoes But sometimes when I'm on softer terrain I would like a stiffer snappier feedback From the shoes that's what I wanted from Them just to offset that soft ground a Little bit what I will say is the grip Is excellent the 4 and a half mil lugs Were nicely sticky for the terrain that I ran but not too sticky when I went Back to that kind of bone dry Trails or The road they're grippy but shallow Enough to allow easy movement when you Hit the tarmac in the soaking wet
Conditions for the marathon I found they Also stuck nicely to the ground overall That they're not built for the S of Heavy thick or really kind of slippy mud I can't vouch for how they grip on Anything steep but for the marathon I Had no problems on some quite testing Wet going underf foot now the uppers are Also nice and lightweight really Breathable and Airy I ran in 23° for the First bit of that half sort of test that I did and it's like these were built for Those conditions nice and breathable Airy and then having prowled through a Load of Puddles as well I didn't feel That they had too much water and they Stayed light and shed the kind of excess And dried out quite quickly as I was Moving so that's another tick in the Box On that kind of first run so my first Run in this year was a 13k run around The countryside of the uh of Sussex so Um I didn't actually go up on the Downs In these but I ran around various parts Of the countryside so some Commons some Woods um some Forest areas around where We are the ground that I ran on there Was a mixture of quite wet mud it was Was rocking there was Road uh and there Was grass and Fields as well so I tried To get a few terrains uh in this shoe um So obviously the shoe is a performance Shoe it's a shoe that has a lot uh a lot Of similarities to shoes like the um A6
Metas speed Sky Paris uh in the way that It looks in the way design and in many Ways in the way that it feels um it is a Shoe that is trying to apply the rules Of carbon plate race shoes to the trails Uh and it's something that a lot of Shoes haven't really I haven't found Many shoes that do it really well Certain shoes like the tekon X and X2 I Think do it really well because they had A very subtle level of carbon uh feel to The shoes um but really they just run Like a really comfortable uh Trail shoe That just feels very light and nippy um This I'm glad to say on that first run Feels very much like that sort of shoe For me it feels like a shoe that uh it Doesn't feel like it's really bouncing You forward it's not really overtly Um responsive and energy returning from That carbon plate it does feel very Efficient you can pick up the pace Nicely in the shoe and it does feel very Lightweight on the feet when running on Road sections um the midsole and the out Soole does feel a little bit firm um but I wouldn't probably wouldn't use it very Often on Hard Road uh it's definitely a Shoe that's better designed for those Slightly softer Trails when I was Running through the forest on the Compacted mud felt great felt like a Really could pick up the pace in thiss Felt like a very nippy shoe felt like a
Shoe that um was definitely designed for Really taking control on that sort of Ground uh and felt really good so Definitely a performance shoe that Really hits it stride when you're on SL Slightly softer ground uh when I was Hitting the fields felt good as well I Think this outsole is actually it's not They don't have the biggest lugs on this Outsole um but they do very well on soft Ground and muddy ground um not on really Wet mud so when I was running through The forest um there was actually quite Thick wet mud um and it did slip a Little bit on that but the looks just Aren't big enough for that that that Sort of running I think it's very much Designed for those um more accessible uh Forest paths uh where it's just a little Bit softer ground not too mushy uh not Too boggy um and you want something to Get the best out of that that plate and Those mid Foams if you're running on Really soft ground in this shoe you're Probably not going to get the best out Of that that technology in there but Once you hit that ground it really kicks Into gear it feels like you can pick up The pace quite nicely you do feel a bit Of that plate in there and it's Definitely a shoe that you can run fast In over that sort of terrain um so of Over the course of that run what I found About the shoe is that it's definitely a
Shoe that is designed for Speed um I Wouldn't use it for an easy day run I Don't think um just because it feels a Little bit too lightweight on the feet For me I like to have quite a sturdy um Heavyduty trail running shoe on most of The time when I'm out running on the Trails around me cuz I like a lot of Support I like a lot of padding in the Mido but this does have quite a thick Midso in it it's not the widest shoe so I did notice at some points when I was Running across um mixed terrain and lots Of wood and Roots sticking out I did Feel like it was a little bit unstable I Do like a thicker softer uh midsole on My trail shoes with the sort of trail Running that I do but it was absolutely Fine I didn't have any major issues in It uh it's just it's just a shoe that Very much feels like a a road shoe with A slightly harder mids cell foam uh Instead of a trail shoe that's really Designed for full-on hard trail running Where you need something that's got a Lot of support in it as well and Protection uh you do get the protection From that midell cuz it's quite thick uh But it's just the narrowness of the shoe That I think does make a difference when You're running on trickier Terrain so my early verdict on The aex Meta Fuji Trail is that I think it's a Really solid uh entry into the
Performance Trail shoe market there's a Lot of Brands now most brands probably That are trying to release uh trail Shoes that have plates in them that have The uh more performance f Mell Foams in them and it is a tricky Market because I think a lot of people Don't necessarily need them um for most Of the tra ones I do I don't need lots Of performance features in them my trail Running generally tends to be relatively Slow I tend to run at my um comfortable Base Pace I won't normally go over 550 Minute kilm for a Trail Run Road running I'll go 340 350 which is when I'll use My performance um uh running shoes Whereas on the trails I don't really Need that the trails I look for Something different I look for something That's a little bit more stable a little Bit more comfortable um and a shoe that I just feel like um it's just very much Solidly holding me onto the ground and Making sure that I'm not slipping around And things like that um so I think shoes Like this are a little bit of an issue For a lot of people uh and I I think if You're a trail Runner you're probably Going to be need to ruining on the Specific terrain that this works well on Which I think is that softer ground um Over long distances to really get the Best of this shoe I don't think it's a Great shoe if you you're going to be
Running in the late District um if You're going to be running uh in the Winter when it's really wet uh I also Don't think it's going to be Particularly good shoot if you're Running on hard ground as well so if You're in the mountains and things like That where you may be running on really Rocky um surfaces a lot of the time I Think that midso is a little bit too Hard um to really get the best uh out of It it's just it feels a little bit too Hard for me on that surface it just Works really well on that softer um Comfortable Forest paths Canal paths um Things like that and Fields as well uh And I think it's definitely a sh that if You're looking to race the trails uh it Would work quite well but for most People I think um it's quite an Expensive shoe if you're planning on Just enjoying the Trails um and not Going uh all out because I don't think You get the best of um the technology Unless you're really running on the Perfect ground and uh running it as fast As you can basically verdict then and These two runs took in kind of one Particular type of Trail terrain so this Is very much an early run reaction I'm Not going to get carried away with a Sweeping verdict on The aex Meta Fuji Trail but on that fresh out the box half Marathon I enjoyed the ride there's no
Doubt this is a lively Trail shoe Particularly when you compare it to more Traditional trail shoes obviously things Are shifting that way with new tech Coming into trail shoes and changing Things up you know it's it's a bit more Punchy than a speo or me meral agility Peak or an ax gel truko those kind of Shoes but it's got an easy feel on the Foot decent room and airiness and a mid Sole performance from that big stack That in all honesty wouldn't be out of Place on the road I always say this I've Run worse Road shoes recently but that's Been c a common theme in so-called super Trail shoes before you invest in this Shoe though I think you need to ask Yourself whether you really want soft Bouncy and energetic on the trails or You prefer more ground Feld and more Control I think the brands are certainly Ushering us down the trail Super Shoe Path where it's a bit more about the Spring and about the energy and for Runable Trails I can see real potential Upside to that when it comes to trail Shoes like that I think the Fuji Trail Slots in alongside the agravic speed Ultra from Adidas and the HCT the next3 In this got a new wave of turbocharged Trail options and it's a good performer For mixed terrain Trail runs and Marathons where you're going to be on 80% attackable off-road I think the Fuji
Trail has performed well so far that Lack of stability is a bit of concern For me particularly if you're an Averagely gifted Trail Runner looking at Technical terrain of which I kind of Count myself one people who might need a Bit more support and control when taking On technical stuff yeah this might be a Bit wobbly for you it's the same story Though I think for the techon X3 and the Agravic speed Ultra right now I'm Leaning towards the tekan X3 as the fast And more energetic shoe out of those Three I love the agravic speed Ultra for The ease of the ride and the Disappearing feel on the foot but from My early testing I think the meta Fuji Has some really strong Merit in this Place too maybe sitting somewhere in Between the agravic and the tekon X3 That's it from us on this first run Review of The aex Meta Fuji Trail thanks A lot for watching don't forget to like Subscribe click that little bell and if You're going to catching though you can Find to our podcast which comes out a Couple of times each month thanks a lot For watching catch you next time
