Asics Fuji Speed 2 First Run Review: A Carbon Plate Trail Racer With Real Range

Introduction

The Asics Fuji Speed 2 is the brand’s carbon plate trail racing shoe, now in its second edition. The headline change is underfoot: the plastic plate from the original has been replaced with a full-length carbon plate. Priced at £160 in the UK, it undercuts many plated trail rivals that push north of £200, and it weighs 257 grams in a UK size 9.

Design cues come straight from Asics’s road Magic Speed line, particularly the Magic Speed 3. That shared DNA gives the Fuji Speed 2 a racy, versatile character that feels more at home across a range of trail speeds than dedicated ultra-distance options.

Design and Build

The midsole uses FF Blast Plus, the same foam as the Magic Speed 3. It is not Asics’s top-tier FF Turbo foam, but it is lightweight, bouncy and resilient, and it should stay reasonably stable on trails. The full-length carbon plate adds pop to your step, and the guide sole rocker creates a flowing ride while reducing a little ankle work to save energy.

Outsole grip comes from Asics script rubber with three-pronged, stepped lugs around four millimetres deep. These are not the deepest lugs around, which points to a shoe built for mixed terrain rather than pure mud. The finished prongs should bite into soft ground, while the lug coverage keeps the ride reasonably smooth on harder surfaces.

Up top there is a woven upper with a fairly significant plastic toe bumper, a lace garage, a heel tab and some padding around the heel. It is resilient but stripped back to keep weight down.

Fit and Sizing

In my normal UK size 9 (US 10), the fit was spot on, but note this is a narrower, shorter shoe than some Asics models in the same size. Unlike the roomier GEL Nimbus, the fit here is closer to the Magic Speed: racier and more compact.

For narrow feet this works really well. There is a good amount of room in the toe box without the toes hitting the front on downhills, and the midfoot and heel feel secure, which suits a nimble, aggressive trail shoe.

First Run Impressions

The first outing was an easy-to-steady 45 minute run of just over 12K through a mix of road, grassy fields and well-groomed forest trails, with strides at the end. Running by heart rate and feel, the pace came out quicker than expected on slightly undulating forest paths, exactly the kind of effect you expect from a carbon plate shoe.

The shoe feels very nimble on the foot, almost torpedo-like, and its narrower shape helps on tricky, uneven, rutted ground where it feels agile despite the plate. It aids fast turnover on runnable stretches and narrow singletrack, feels strong uphill with some nice oomph, and lets the legs spin easily on flatter sections. Grip on the day’s mostly dry terrain, including the odd muddy patch, was never a concern, and it was fine on the road sections too.

Compared with a softer, bigger, heavier plated option like the Nike Ultrafly, the Fuji Speed 2 feels firmer and more versatile, geared toward speed sessions and shorter trail races rather than the long haul. It is slightly less aggressive than the Magic Speed 3, which arguably gives it a bit more versatility as a training shoe.

Who This Shoe Is Best For

The early verdict after one run: this is a strong addition to the carbon plate trail category. The £160 price is very competitive against rivals like the Ultrafly and The North Face options going past £200, and the ride, which feels akin to favourites like the Magic Speed and even the old Endorphin Speed 2, is narrow, direct and firm, but with enough comfort to go long in when needed.

It is an option worth considering for runners who have not explored this category before. You can run a fast 5K in it, and it should also be comfortable for longer runs, though more testing is needed to confirm comfort levels against plated alternatives like the Tecton X, Ultrafly or Endorphin Edge. Wet-weather grip on softer ground also deserves more testing.

Conclusion

The Asics Fuji Speed 2 makes an excellent first impression. FF Blast Plus foam, a carbon plate and smart geometry combine to create a trail shoe that rewards faster paces while remaining usable for daily training, much like a rugged super trainer for the trails. If your racing leans toward varied trail distances rather than ultra-specific comfort, this deserves a spot on your shortlist.