ASICS Metaspeed Sky Plus Review After 100 Miles: A Race-Day Super Shoe That Holds Up

Introduction

Some shoes are built to be comfortable, and some are built to be fast. The ASICS Metaspeed Sky Plus sits firmly in the second camp. Marketed as a top-tier super shoe, it has now covered 100 miles for us across races and hard workouts, and the picture after those miles is more interesting than most race shoes manage.

Race shoes usually trade durability for speed, assuming you will only need them for a short stretch before the finish line. The Metaspeed Sky Plus challenges that assumption in a few meaningful ways, while staying true to its single-purpose mission: running fast on race day.

How We Used It

The Metaspeed Sky Plus has been used exactly as intended, as a race shoe and as a workout shoe for the fastest, farthest, and hardest days of a marathon build-up. It is not an easy-day shoe and not an everything-at-once trainer. Instead, it is deliberately race-specific, and that focus shows in every part of the ride.

Where it really earns its place is at marathon effort and especially at threshold effort. The speed at which the midsole foam compresses and rebounds works beautifully with a midfoot or forefoot landing, producing a noticeable pop with every stride. On the hardest days of training, it is the shoe to reach for.

Midsole, Foam and Plate Geometry

The midsole uses ASICS FF Turbo, the brand’s premier nylon-based racing foam. It delivers very quick compression and decompression, producing a high-bounce feel while still absorbing enough road impact to let you cover the full distance and keep training afterward.

This version adds more FF Turbo foam than the previous model and changes the way the rocker behaves. The rocker is very late, meaning the shoe does not curl up until the very end of the stride. Combined with a high carbon plate position, this creates a wider forefoot landing zone with plenty of foam to land on.

That high plate position matters more than it might sound. It keeps the plate relatively parallel and close to the foot, so you actually experience the foam rather than just the carbon. The sibling Metaspeed Edge Plus, with a lower plate position in the forefoot, feels firmer and more stable with a quicker turnover, but loses much of that squishy, bouncy foam sensation. If you love feeling the foam as much as the plate, the Sky Plus setup is the more rewarding of the two.

How It Feels Underfoot

For midfoot and forefoot strikers, this is close to a dream setup. The wide, foam-rich landing area gives a giant landing pad for every stride, and the fast rebound keeps the ride lively at pace.

The shoe is also surprisingly sensitive in a good way. When foot strike gets sloppy late in a workout or race, the shoe communicates it without penalizing you. Tighten up your mechanics and it responds with positive reinforcement, a genuinely nice sensation deep into a race when everything should be helping you along.

Durability After 100 Miles

This is where the story gets remarkable. At 100 miles, the outsole is almost impossible to distinguish from new. In the highest-wear zones, the side of the heel and the landing pad of the forefoot, there is almost no wear at all. The rubber has also been extremely grippy, with no slipping issues.

The exposed midsole foam shows slight discoloration, and testing has included rougher surfaces like gravel and hard-packed limestone, yet the foam is not chewed up. More importantly, the durability is not just cosmetic. The foam still feels fresh underfoot, and the shoe gives every indication of having plenty of life left.

At 100 miles, this still feels like a shoe you could confidently line up a marathon in, and likely up to around 150 miles. There is a caveat: visual creasing in the FF Turbo foam is noticeable, with some large creases appearing. Based on the feel underfoot, though, this does not look like it will become a functional problem.

Upper, Fit and Comfort

The upper is holding up exceptionally well, with no areas of wear or concern. The fit is a racing fit: snug but comfortable, designed to lock you in rather than pamper you.

One long-standing quirk of the Metaspeed Sky series is an aggressive curl over the toes, and it persists here. The pinky toe can feel compressed. That said, of the Metaspeed models we have run in, this is the most generous toward the pinky toe. And within reason, that snugness is part of the racing-shoe contract: strapped in tight and ready to rip.

Things to Consider Before Buying

The Metaspeed Sky Plus is not a do-everything shoe. If you want one shoe for easy days, long runs, and intervals, this is not it. Its value comes from being race-specific and workout-specific for your fastest efforts.

It is also clearly aimed at midfoot and forefoot strikers, who will extract the most from the wide forefoot landing zone and the fast-compressing FF Turbo foam. Runners landing heavily on the heel may not experience the same pop.

Buying Advice

If you are targeting a fast marathon or half marathon and want a super shoe you can trust deep into the race, the Metaspeed Sky Plus deserves a spot at the top of your shortlist. The combination of bouncy FF Turbo foam, a well-placed carbon plate, and outsole durability that defies typical race-shoe expectations makes it easy to recommend.

Buy it if you race at pace, train hard in dedicated racing shoes, and land toward the midfoot or forefoot. Look elsewhere if you need one versatile daily trainer or prefer maximum room in the toe box.

Conclusion

After 100 miles, the ASICS Metaspeed Sky Plus has proven itself as a genuine top-tier super shoe: fast enough to set personal bests, protective enough to cover the full marathon distance, and durable enough to keep going well past the point where most race shoes would be retired. For midfoot and forefoot strikers chasing fast marathons, it is about as close to a dream race shoe as the current super shoe era offers.