Asics Metaspeed Edge Tokyo

Within Asics' Metaspeed™ range of plated racers, the Metaspeed Edge Tokyo is the one supposedly aimed at runners with a higher cadence, while its counterpart, the Metaspeed Sky Tokyo, in theory targets those who lengthen their stride. These concepts are a little hard to pin down, and it does not help that both share the same upper and are hard to tell apart at a glance unless you look at where the foams sit in the midsole. Above them (not only in performance but also in price) sits the Metaspeed Ray, the ultralight model with a full FF Leap midsole reserved for the elite. This fourth edition takes its name from the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo and is sold as a unisex model, with no gender-specific versions.

Compared with its predecessor, the Metaspeed Edge Paris, the Tokyo is lighter and faster, but also more radical and less forgiving. The weight saving is very noticeable: a men's US 9 (UK 8, EU 42.5) weighs around 170 g, well below previous editions. The Motionwrap 3.0 mesh upper is light and breathable, with a snug fit that trims grams across the whole shoe, although it feels a little narrow in the toe box. Better to try them on before deciding, because the outlay is far from small.

Underfoot, the dual-density midsole combines the new, softer Flytefoam Leap directly under the foot, Flytefoam Turbo+ in the lower layer and the carbon plate, with a slight curve, between the two. The result is a more comfortable but bouncy forefoot and a firm push-off that does not fade, with a 5 mm drop and 39.5 mm of stack height at the heel, close to the maximum allowed by international rules. A pure racing shoe for going all out on race day.