We enjoyed a pre-dawn run with a fun and talented human who simply loves to run, and run fast. Mike Obery is a running coach, the founder of Must Love Hills running crew and ASICS Frontrunner who’s been giving the ASICS NOVABLAST™4 a proper whirl over the last few months. We got to spend some time soaking up his youthful energy and hearing his thoughts on the great looking, redesigned NOVEBLAST™ 4.
First, here’s some technical info on the shoe he’s really enjoying:
This is ASICS’s comfortable neutral road trainer with a lot of cushioning and energy return. It’s a striking looking shoe, especially for a cushioned trainer.
At 266 grams, size 9, it’s light for a shoe with a stack height over 40mm. An 8mm drop is pretty standard for a training shoe which with its softer upper, new lightweight softer midsole and firmer outsole including new geometry is a step forward in comfort and responsiveness from its softer predecessor.
A tongue wing integrated into the engineered woven upper with more stretch and ventilation provides increased comfort and durability. In a nutshell the shoe is for daily runs with enough zip to race in for someone not looking for the responsiveness of a plated race shoe.
Tech wise the Flytefoam Blast Plus Eco cushioning is softer and lighter underfoot but the firmer lower density ‘Ahar Lo’ outsole combines well with it to deliver rebound energy off the road surface. It has great grip too.
This model of the Novablast is a significant change from the previous models which were softer but less responsive. With a 41mm rear stack height and 33mm in the forefoot we have a trampoline effect that’s not immediately obvious until running in them.
