ASICS Metafuji Trail Review
By Matthew Klein
ASICS Metafuji TrailPrice: $249.95 at Running Warehouse
Weight: 9.2 oz, 261 g (UNISEX men's size 9 / women's size 10.5)
Stack Height: 44 mm heel / 39 mm forefoot
Drop: 5 mm
Shoe Purpose: Super Stack Carbon Plated Trail Racing Shoe
Pros: Secure Fit, Aggressive/Faster Ride, Road/Trail Versatility
Cons: Unstable Heel/Midfoot, A Bit Too Firm/Stiff, Stiff Upper
RUNNING SHOE SUMMARY
The ASICS Metafuji Trail is a super stack height, carbon plated partial super foam racing shoe for those that want a firmer, stiffer and faster ride for the trails. A close-fitting, stiff and secure upper sits up top, providing a slightly snug and low volume fit for those who want a racing lockdown for the trails. A mixed midsole of FF Turbo and FF Blast+ along with a full length carbon fiber plate provide a firm, stiff and snappy ride that works best at uptempo and faster speeds. A faster trail shoe made for less aggressive terrain with an extremely aggressive ride, the ASICS Metafuji Trail is for those looking to go fast over short to moderate-distance trail races.
SIMILAR SHOES: None
PAST MODEL: New Model
FIT
(To learn how a shoe should fit, check out our full podcast on fit by Matt Klein.)
Matt: The ASICS Metafuji Trail fits me mostly true to size in my normal Men's US size 10. The upper is a lightweight thin mesh material in the midfoot and forefoot called Motion Wrap TR. A flexible but plastic like toe guard sits up front and makes the toe box feels tapered and close. The toe guard and lower volume upper almost made this feel short, so those who are between sizes should consider going up a half size. The slightly aggressive and late toe spring also contributes to the slightly short feeling, although the upper does break in with time to offset this. This opens into a normal width forefoot that feels narrow due to a low volume fit. This low volume approach continues into the midfoot with a low instep, normal width but secure hug front the upper. The tongue is strongly gusseted and lightly padded, providing a locked in fit that can also have the laces tightened without too much foot irritation. The heel fits snug thanks to a transition to a larger amount of heel collar padding. There is a stiff heel counter in the rearfoot that the heel collar padding does not extend down to cover. This did bother my heel, so those with irritable Haglund deformities will not do well here. The upper security is quite good thanks to the toe guard stiffnesss, lower volume, tongue gusseting and snug heel. I did not have to tie the laces tight or lace lock them to get a secure fit. However, the toe guard is abrasive and the external lining around the laces is poky against skin. Socks are an absolute must in this shoe and going sockless is not an option.
Typical Size: Men's US Size 10
Shoes that have fit Matt well: On Cloudboom Strike, Asics Gel-Nimbus 27, Xero HFS, Topo Cyclone 3, Adidas Adizero Evo SL
Shoes that have fit snug: Hoka Arahi 7, Brooks Launch 11, Diadora Mythos Vigore 3
Shoes that have fit large: Salomon S/Lab Phantasm 2, Adidas Agravic Speed Ultra
Doctors of Running Checklist
Is This a Good Shoe for Walking: No
Is This a Good Shoe for Standing: No
Is the Forefoot Flexible: No
How Flexible is the Shoe: Extremely Stiff
Is This a Good Heel Bevel:
Recommended for Haglunds: No
Recommended for Sockless: No
Durability Expectation: Above Average
PERFORMANCE
Matt: The ASICS Metafuji Trail is an super stack trail racing shoe. The midsole is an extremely tall 44 mm / 39 mm with a dual midsole of FF Turbo and FF Blast+. A stiff full-length carbon plate sandwiched between the two foams completes this, adding a high level of stiffness. Although there is a top layer of FF Turbo underfoot, the ride is quite firm underfoot. This is more pronounced in the forefoot and the heel is a bit softer but the ride is still firmer overall. It is well-cushioned and protective, but feels like a taller, stiffer and slightly firmer version of the Metaspeed Sky Plus. There is a 5mm drop, which is noticeable but offset slightly by the strongly rockered forefoot. The heel does have a small posterolateral heel bevel that transition smoothly forward. This moves into a stiff midfoot and forefoot. The forefoot features a large and slightly late rocker that does help the ride move forward. There is no flexibility in this shoe at all given the tall stack height and stiff carbon fiber plate. This makes the ride best for uptempo and faster efforts and less comfortable rolling through the forefoot at slower speeds over longer distances.
Like all the recent trail racing shoes I have received, I took this for workouts on both trail and road. The firmer and stiffer ride was immediately apparent on the road. I used these for a road fartlek and while I was able to hit faster paces in them, they still felt too firm for the road. On trail they felt more forgiving but were still aggressive. I used these for hill repeats, a different fartlek and longer intervals on trail. They felt great going at higher speeds when the stiffness was beneficial but were less comfortable when the pace slowed down. On downhill and flat these shoes also felt great as the rockered forefoot and stiff ride really popped off the ground. On uphills, the lower drop and extremely stiff forefoot were too much for my forefoot, causing discomfort along my metatarsal heads (forefoot bones). This makes this shoe an option over faster trail races and workouts from 10k to half marathon on trail for most people while elite and faster athletes will be able to take them farther.
Despite the aggressiveness of the sole, the ASICSGRIP outsole provides solid traction on a variety of surfaces. The lugs are not large, so they felt smooth over road. On trail, particularly smoother trail and gravel they provided sticky traction that gripped well. On technical, soft or muddy terrain these struggled. The lugs are fairly shallow and slide on mud. They grip rocks well but the more narrow midfoot makes technical footwork difficult. Fortunately, this is made up for by incredible outsole durability. Despite a solid amount of road work and almost entirely fast efforts, the outsole has no wear on it. I have 40 miles on my pair and the entire shoe has no wear on it. For these reasons, I expect this shoe to last far longer than others in this category.
STABILITY
(Learn more about stability in our full guide)
Matt: The ASICS Metafuji Trail is a neutral racing shoe. There are no traditional elements of stability in this shoe. For a 44 mm heel stack height, the midsole width is somewhat narrow in the heel and narrow in the midfoot. The forefoot is wide and incredibly stiff, so those with mild guidance needs that are satisfied by stiffness will do well up front. The rearfoot and midfoot are also highly stiff with a ton of torsional stiffness. However, there are no sidewalls in this shoe at all to offset the relatively narrow sole. There is a large amount of lateral sole flare in the midfoot and forefoot, which creates a medial bias particularly in the midfoot. The flare in the forefoot protrudes on both the medial and lateral sides, which further adds to the centeredness of the forefoot. There is also additional medial flare in the heel, which combined with the small posterolateral heel bevel makes for slight lateral bias in the heel. On smooth, level surfaces the heel and forefoot are fine. However, on softer surfaces, turns and aggressive downhills the heel and midfoot are wobbly. So those who need forefoot guidance will do okay while those with stiff, stable and neutral mechanics in the rearfoot and midfoot will do best.
Thoughts as a DPT: Balancing Shoe Stack Height and Width
By Matthew Klein
Shoe stack heights are getting taller. The upper 30 mm range was once considered "maximalist", but is now standard as many training and racing shoes are sitting in the 40-50mm overall stack height range (not just heel). When shoes start to get this tall, there are some additional requirements that must be integrated to ensure they are not unstable. The taller the stack height gets, the wider the shape of the shoe needs to be. Taller shoes are inherently unstable. Sole width is an easy way to offset this, with many of the original maximal shoes (Hoka) having wide soles and large sidewalls designed to keep the foot on the platform rather than rolling off. The challenge with adding more sole material is that it also stiffens the ride and transition of the shoe. Adding height and width means more material underfoot and more resistance to motion. Having a narrow midfoot and heel can certainly offset this and is a common way to save weight and improve the transitions, but it comes at the cost of stability in those regions. This is especially problematic with trail shoes, where stability on uneven, technical, and/or soft terrain is important.
Not every trail shoe needs to be a stability shoe but some level of inherent stability is needed compared to road shoes due to the more technical nature of the underfoot surfaces. Similar to architectural designs, adding something like a carbon plate can provide some level of structural stability. However, that will only go so far, given the dynamic and less stable nature of shoes compared to (relatively) static building design. This is where the challenge of balancing stack height, width and weight come into play with these new shoes. My suggestion is that until much lighter foams come around, there is a stack-height ceiling if the goal is to keep weight down. More is not necessarily better when it comes to height, especially in a type of sport like trail running where proprioception and balance are key.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Matt: While I appreciate the durability and versatility on road, the Metafuji is far too stiff for something meant for longer-distance racing, at least for the average runner. It does do well during uptempo paces, but trail runs require a variety of speeds, including slower ones. This is partially due to the stiff carbon plate but also due to how incredibly tall the midsole is. Maintaining the relatively lower weight with such a tall stack height requires sacrifices, specifically the stability of the heel and midfoot.
Therefore, my suggestions are to lower the stack height, broaden the heel and midfoot, use two layers of FF Turbo+ (instead of Turbo and Blast+), use a geometry similar to the Edge. Although the upper is fairly stiff, it is secure so the largest improvements need to be focused on the midsole. The stack height being so high is unnecessary. The weight would be far better used to make a wider heel and midfoot, which will keep this shoe stable over a variety of terrain and longer distances. The use of at least two layers of FF Turbo+ would be a massive update over the weirdly firm FF Turbo used in the Metaspeed Plus series. A widened midfoot/heel and slightly lower stack would offset the instability on trail with the use of a softer more resilient foam. This would also add to the comfort and reduce the intense feeling of stiffness.
Finally, using a more rockered geometry rather than the forefoot centric geometry of the Sky would be more beneficial in a shoe meant for ultra distances. Most people tend to switch toward a more rearfoot striking gait when fatigued and a more rockered/rolling shoe would be more efficient compared to a bouncy type shoe over long, difficult terrain. There is a great deal of potential for this shoe to execute super well in version two. Right now, the current execution will only be worth it for a unique group of runners.
WHO IS THIS SHOE FOR?
Matt: The ASICS Metafuji Trail is an aggressive trail racing shoe for those with stable mechanics who want a stiff, rockered ride for uptempo and faster efforts on less aggressive but varied terrain. The fit is lower volume, making it best for those who want a secure fit but have normal to narrow-width feet. The ride is tall but firmer and stiff, working better for those who can maintain moderate to high paces throughout their run. This shoe is a niche product that will work for those with stable mechanics given the less stable and super tall heel and midfoot. It is on the super side of shoes but is technically not a full super shoe as only the top layer of foam is FF Turbo. Those who really liked the Metaspeed Sky Plus will find this an excellent option that performs similarly on trail. Its design lends itself to workouts and racing, but it still feels like my similar disappointing experience with the Sky Plus.
Hopefully version two can balance out the stack height, midsole width and midsole foam the way the Metaspeed Sky/Edge Paris were able to. At the moment, this shoe will only work for faster/elite trail athletes. It is certainly an elite tool, particularly with the super shoe-like price tag. While the durability, plate, maximal design and top layer of superfoam somewhat justify this, it is a ton to spend on a shoe that is limited to smoother terrain and shorter/faster efforts. So while a small group may find this shoe to fit them, most of us may want to look elsewhere.
GRADES
Matt
Fit: B (Lower volume and secure upper with aggressive toe guard and heel counter. May fit some people short. )
Performance: B+ (Aggressive, stiff shoe that works well during uptempo and faster workout/race efforts over short to moderate distances on moderate terrain. Too stiff/firm for slower or longer efforts)
Stability: C [Neutral] (Stable forefoot but especially unstable midfoot and somewhat heel especially on softer/aggressive terrain)
Value: C+ (Extremely durable sole and shoe. However, price point is incredibly high for only partial super foam, unstable rear and a shoe limited to more elite/faster athlete)
Personal: C+ (Upper and midsole too aggressive/firm/stiff for me. Kinda fun running fast over level trails but not stable enough for any decent terrain. Way too firm for a shoe with any kind of true superfoam and that much midsole underfoot)
Overall Design: C+
SHOP | SUPPORT DORASICS Metafuji TrailPrice: $249.95 at Running Warehouse
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FURTHER READING
An update to their long distance racer.
A super cushioned trail runner for long distance.
Find all Shoe Reviews at Doctors of Running here.
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