ASICS Institute of Sport Science | Episode 6 | METASPEED™

Shuhei Takemura of the METASPEED™ Series Development Project at ASICS Institute of Sport Science answers a challenging (and compelling) question when it comes to the best running shoes: What does “best” mean for athletes? For ASICS, it’s all about enabling athletes to run faster—even for a second. Shoes like the ASICS’ METASPEED™ running shoe series were developed with “Start by striving for the peak”, an essential philosophy of founder Kihachiro Onitsuka, that infused every step of the way as ASICS helps athletes run fast. Developing the shoes was a truly collaborative effort. ASICS engaged deeply with top runners to understand what ‘How to get faster’ meant to them. Communications with elite athletes for research and development on strides, running cadence and athletic gear was essential to the success of the METASPEED™ Series Development Project. The top runners certainly didn’t hold back with their feedback and that’s exactly what the METASPEED™ Development Project wanted. Through a rigorous discussion process, Shuhei Takemura believes the METASPEED™ Series Development Project truly created something great. The most important decision in the development process was connected to what was ultimately the most transformative decision: Deciding to produce two types of METASPEED™ shoes: one for stride-type runners and one for cadence-type runners. More and more athletes are adopting the METASPEED™ series, but there’s always opportunity to get better when you think about how t