Thanks for the review Ben! Just did my first run in them this morning. Almost felt like I was running downhill on flat ground in these shoes and my per mile splits were improved, but yes on wet ground there was no grip at all. Definitely a great do it all shoe and worth the wait. For shoe rotation it really depends on budget and the type and level of runner a person is at. When I started the Pegasus was my do it all daily trainer and certainly at that level it was all it needed, but as some of my runs have gotten longer and i've incorporated more speed and threshold work i've found myself picking up shoes that do those types of runs better and make them more enjoyable for me. I think 3 pairs of shoes is enough for a rotation. Easy/ Long run shoes eg. Invincible Run, Threshold/ Speed/Racer eg. Endorphin Speed and a wet day shoe eg. Ghost 14 GTX. But when new shoes like these drop the rotation always gets bigger
Watching other reviews of this shoe, it's definitely the star of the moment. However seeing and hearing your thoughts on how it handles the wet, is the first time I've heard that. Having the UK weather variable is so useful. Awesome review as ever Ben and excellent production from Sarah as ever 👍🏻
Have done about 20k in this shoe and very positive. It's replacing NB 1080v10 in my rotation and the change is for better, 100%. I got Endorphin Pro2 as race shoe up to half marathon. Most other are trail shoes.
Currently I use Clifton 8 daily easies and the Mach 4 for easy track sessions , the rocket X for races , looking forward to add the Mach 5 for training and the saucony pro 3 for races, this ASICS would also deserve a try 💪🥰
I tried to love the Cliftons and tried to use them as a daily trainer, but failed at every attempt. They are very comfortable but perhaps too 'cushioned' to my taste. Never felt any excitement when running in them, hence the Novablast purchase😅
The Novablast 2 has been my go to for anything over about 4 miles, whether I'm going easy or pushing it a little. I'm looking forward to a lighter, bouncier version of that. Not much concern about wet weather here in SoCal. We just hope the state doesn't burn down.
Just got a pair of the Novablast 3 LE and love them so far, super bouncy comfy shoe, supportive shoe which is so much fun to run in. Doing a marathon next weekend in them.
Hi Ben I just runned 5k with my new Asics Novablast 3 and what a shoe 👌👍👏🤩 The Novablast 3 is more bouncy and the return is much byetter than the novablast 2...
Just sharing for those interested as I believe many have similar concerns as mine....biggest drawback(s) i come across is folks complaining that it is rather slippery in the wet, and perhaps that it is just AHAR outsole and not tAHAR+. We do get a fair number of rainy days here (it's actually raining now) and was my concern. Bought the TR and am glad to share that there are no issues cornering 90 deg in ~ 3m radius @ 10kmh, on wet outdoor tiles, tried many times already like around 100+ corners due to usual place that i usually run at. The thicker AHAR outsole also makes it a good value shoe for the mileage that you can squeeze out of it (i got it at usd 120). Also, my wife and I could not feel any weight difference between the 2 with holding both versions in our hands at the same time in the store. With that said, i don't run on mud and it probably is not a serious trail shoe. Not a pro runner too.
Using invincible for total recovery. Rotating nova 3(on the easier side), speed 3 (on the tempo side) and speed goat evo for trail. If you want 1 shoe- if you have been running a while buy speed 3. If you are just building your capacity and running tolerance buy the nova 3. Nova 3- only downside is that i wanted to go 1/2 side down but couldn't due to tapered toe box(so needed a runner knot)
I am loving my Speed 3. I have not tried Nova 3 yet. What do you suggest for a marathon race day shoe. I will be running my first full marathon in 3 months. My goal is to finish in 4 hours or less. Vaporfly's?
@@jxy5484 I suppose that's what I look for in recovery, (in terms of softness and ease of milage) but vs the rest of the options, you get that zoom x pop so frequency does not suffer. The next day the legs are feeling great and since my previous days cadence was quality- I feel like its easier to hit tempo again. Works in the rotation for me- not a 1 shoe that does it all for sure. Def look for discounts.-) What do you look for in recovery easy runs?
@@kiteracer2497 Not the 2 but 1, normally asics I size down 1/2 compared to other brands like the noosa tri and way in the past kayano. You know how it's quite a pointy fit- I first brought the 1/2 size down, length/room was spot on but there was too much pressure from the top mesh on my big toes. So got my 'normal' size.
I think the ideal rotation has 9 shoes. 3 shoes for each category: road, trail, and speed. I like to have one lighter, lower profile road shoe, one medium-cushioned (longer run) shoe, and a recovery shoe. For speed I like to have one tempo shoe for the bulk of my workouts, one more aggressive carbon plated shoe (5K-10K), and one marathon racing shoe. For trail, I like to have shoes similar to what I explained on the road, but for trail. The exception is at least one of them needs to be confident on rocky/technical terrain.
My current rotation is Novablast 1 at 900km (midsole and sole still perfectly good), Saucony Endorpohin Shift at 1,050km (literally no visible wear anywhere at 1,000km but some slight wear now visible on sole), Saucony Endorphin Speed at 275km having not raced or done speed work much for 9 months due to injuries (no visible wear at all) and Brooks Launch 7s bought for £70 and used as tempo trainers at 650km (my least favourite trainers but still going strong at 650km. Very boring though and not cushioned enough for my liking). I totally believe that having 3-4 shoes in rotation makes them last longer individually.
Thank you for this review Ben. I was considering these but you saved me the trouble. No grip and slippery on wet is a huge NO for me, especially as we head into autumn and winter. Great video as always.
Just did 10 miles straight out of the box. Better than my previous ride - the Mach 4. True about the grip in wet conditions, i will steer clear of wet pebble-wash pavements! Other than that, a solid addition.
2 Shoes in my rotation. Brooks Adrenaline 22 for daily training and anything above 10K races. Saucony Fast-twitch for 5K / 10K races. Only shoes I need and I keep it pretty simple. Enjoyed the video and nice review Ben.
Great review. I’ve run two 10ks with it and I would say they’re fantastic. Not ran in wet conditions yet though. Felt great at toe off, forcing you to use that forefoot a bit more.
great review... was a close call between the Saucony Triumph 20 and Asics novablast 3... went for the Saucony for its more padded tongue to help with my extensor tendonitis and glad i did coming to winter runs if the Asics is a slippy shoe in the wet. My rotation will be Hoka Mach 4 and Saucony Triumph 20.
The Novablast 2 was a training game changer for me and first ASICS I’ve purchased in over a decade. Its foam midsole is something truly special and a shoe that’s capable of long recovery runs to tempo training days. Can’t wait to try the “3” and hope they make a trail version with beefier lugs than the Novablast TR.
Shoe rotation. Mach 4s for everyday road Endorphin Speed 2 for speed work. Terra Kiger for summer trail fun Xodus Ultra for trail long runs Trailfly G300s for tougher wetter trail days.
I have: 1. Asics Kayano for long easy runs 2. Saucony Speed for tempo 3. Asics Nova blast 2 for tempo 4. Nike Vaporfly version 1 for speed 5. Asics metaspeed sky for racing 6. Coming soon - Alphafly 2 7. Hoka Bondi for walking ;)
QotD: I like a 4-shoe rotation: daily trainer (Novablast), tempo + intervals (Takumi Sen 8), long runs but can pick up the pace (Adizero Prime X), and race (Vaporfly Next% 2).
Current shoe rotation: Easy runs: Nike Pegasus 39 and Nike invincible 2 Tempo / Threshold: Saucony Endorphin speed 2 Races: Adidas takumi sen 8, Nike Vaporfly 2 and Alphafly 2 Want to try more brands but this obsession is already too much for my bank account 😂
Thanks for the clear recommendation! I am running through my 3rd pair of original novablasts - love that shoe! And will stay with it and transition to version 3 now as soon as I need a new one 😋 For rotation, when running casually up to 3 times per week I’d say one shoe is fine. For me personally I like to have 1 lighter all rounder (like the novablast) 1 more stable/cushioned/grippy shoe for easy miles, light trails and bad weather 1 race shoe I don’t feel the need for an even faster shoe for workouts. But for running more miles per shoe before retiring, I often start a new pair in the same role to slowly phase out the old one. So, 4 pairs for me, 1:29 HM runner, sub 3:30 Marathoner, would be sufficient! (Got more though 😅)
Thanks for the detailed information! Can't wait for my business trip to Japan in Nov. I am planning to buy Novablast 3 and Alphafly 1 or 2 in Japan due to strong US$. Also, please share a lot of videos about BMW Berlin marathon as you did for UTMB. Enjoy your trip to Berlin!
New road runner, 1 a daily trainer, once you are more experienced 2, easy/long and a faster shoes, then if you are a pb chaser it’s 3, easy/long, faster day and a dedicated race shoe. If you are running every day and high mileage then maybe a fourth which probably means two easy day shoes, one softer and one firmer
Thanks Ben as always; love the Novablast 2 and have run Brighton and Southampton Marathons as well as Fleet half, GNR and many other runs and love them. Will definitely be looking at the 3s for the rotation. Take care and stay safe
Awesome! I'm running Brighton Marathon in 3.5 weeks...looking at the Novablast 3 for the day. How did you find the 2s during the race, especially towards the latter parts when no doubt your legs were tired?
Have now got the 3s and wore them during the Cambridge half last weekend; really good for me and helped me achieve my goal, even when my legs were tired.
@@darrenhall5783 Nice one, thanks for the info and congrats on the race! Doing a precursory spec comparison on the runrepeat website, it doesn't look too dissimilar to what I'm using now, at least in terms of flexibility and cushioning, which is the Saucony Triumph 20 (which has decent enough grip in the wet in road). Think I may well give the Novablast 3 TR a go for that extra traction for the current/pending rainy weather 👍🏻
in my rotation I have only shoes I can afford🙂so I really loved your 'best everyday running shoe' video Ben, thank you for these and thinking about 'everyday' runners as well 👍
My daily trainer is the Hoka mach4/ Puma velocity nitro and they both work well. Will need an upgrade in a few hundred km and this is top of the list. Always wanted to try the ffblast foam. Great review Ben!
I’ve been looking at these as a complete change from my UA mega 3 clone. I want something lighter but still cushioned as I’m a big lad. These sound like they will be perfect for me.
3 Shoe rotation. Going all Saucony for 2022 - Triumph 20, Speed 3 and Pro 3. If I had to add a fourth for a max plated then it’s the Alphafly v1… didn’t pull the trigger on the AFv2.
Put 750km on Novablast 2, loved them, put 650km on novablast 3, theyre great but toe tread slippery on wet bitumen and foam is now flatter than the used 2s. Have just bought my 2nd pair of novablast 2 = superior (although uglier) than the 3.
I'm currently rotating 2 pairs of Nike Air Zoom Pegasus, a pair of Asics Magic Speed for faster runs (occasional) and Inov8 TerraUltra G270 for trail runs. Would love to throw a pair of these into the mix...
I have the first Novablast did almost 150km with it already and still love every run in it. Can't wait to get the 3rd version when this one wears out on me.
My pair came in Thursday, I've done a 5 mile varied pace, and a 5 mile progressive run.(both in dry weather) ..very comfy and responsive, on par with my saucony speed , the speed aren't that good in the wet either... the N3 will be my daily running shoe for the foreseeable, hopefully no big issues in the wet weather though.. keep up the good Work BP..👍🏃♀️👌
I just started running about 2 months I bought novablast 3 and the pegasus 40 . I really love the novablast I’m at the moment a 10k runner making my way up to 21 k to run in march half marathon in Ghent .
I think for a beginner, just pick one versatile shoe. But as you get more experienced you're gonna want shoes for different occasions. Right now I just have Brooks Hyperion Tempo for my faster workouts, and just ordered the NovaBlast as my new daily trainer.
We must have run on the same day (and the same place) when it was raining, it was bearable like Hoka Mach 4. I would be cautious doing speed work in the rain though. But I could do it in Fuelcell TC which hasn't been too grippy either.
Top one again Ben. 👍🏼👍🏼 My daily trainer is the 1080V11 which need replacing and thinking the same again but this is making me think…….. Races ……… it continues to be the Alphafly and Vaporfly’s for me but the new Puma and Metaspeed Sky+ are beginning to turn my eye for a bit of a play. Keep up the good work 👏🏼👏🏼
I would get by fine with a single road shoe, and a single trail shoe if they were just right. The main reason I have a ton of shoes is that most of them have something that doesn't work optimally for me and I end up bying something that is better in one aspect, but has other issues.
I was between this shoe and the Hoka Mach 5. Went Mach in the end (got the 4 on sale) because I have the Nike Invincible Run 2 which seems to do exactly the same job as the Novablast (slow long runs - but not terrible if you do want to pick up the pace).
Thanks Ben - I had to return mine after 2 runs. It felt bouncy and comfortable initially, but I need a £135 daily trainer to handle any weather and I slipped on my arse on a wet run this week. Also I found it very hard to get a good lockdown which meant my foot slipped forward and made my toes feel cramped in the box. And the tongue seemed to have too much lumpy material. Very disappointed as I need something to replace my fave ever 1080v10s which are now impossible to get (the v12s are boring!) All the best for Berlin mate 👍👍👍
How could you return something you ran in twice! I hope that didn’t work for you… if you take a run in a new pair of shoes, there should not be any return…
Invincibles on their way out, 1080V12 everyday shoes, nike tempos for workouts, alpha flys for races. Looking for a long distance trail shoe for the winter and some x Country spikes.
I have 3 shoes in rotation , I have heard there is some evidence that rotating a few models can prevent injury . I have NB 1080 v12 and puma deviate and saucony endorphin speed 1 that I rotate .1080 for most of my easy runs and puma or saucony endorphin speed for faster work outs
I usually have two or three road shoes at a time. Basically a do-it-all and a racer. Right now, I have the Rincon 3, Novablast 3, Metaspeed Sky Plus, and Endorphin Pro 2.
Just bought them. Half size down for me. Will run them tomorrow for the first time at Marathon pace blocs 😊 i had 1st and 2nd version. I did want to move away because of the tongue, but this 3rd version seemed to solved my issue (as it is a lot thinner). I will see
Hi Ben, just bought mine last few days. Have yet to try it but I oredi have the previous model which Nova Blast 2. Have to agree with you that the cushion, comfortability n stability is good but during running in the wet weather it has no grip and the confident dropped during running around bends. Hope to try the new shoe by this week and get the same results as the Nova Blast 2. Cheers mate frm Singapore.
3 shoe rotation Adidas Adizero Pro (uptempo, races inc Sunday’s Sydney 1/2 marathon) Adidas Adios 3 (uptempo and long) Hoka Mach 5 (recovery and long) And a pair of trail shoes
Love the review Ben, always truthful and easy to understand. Personally didn’t like the V2 and more recently bought the ASICS Noosa Tri 14, would be interested to get your view on that shoe!!
I recently made the switch from Ultra Boosts, to NB 1080s v11, and currently have two in rotation. I'm training for a half, and will begin marathon training in December. The only thing I've noticed is the tread on my oldest pair, which after 360 miles is looking a bit worn. Am considering adding a pair of NB Fuel Cell to the arsenal.
Dear Ben, I am a beginner at running. I took up running this spring, just to free my mind of war ( I live in Ukraine). I had never been a runner, at school I would look for a way not to run, I simply detested it 😅 Since spring I have been training now and then, last week I even purchased your plan to improve my 10km pace. I have only 2 pair of shoes: Nike Pegasus 38( it’s an ok shoe, just not a big fan of Nike) and Adidas Adios Pro3, which I absolutely love. My pace in the last ones is much better without any extra effort. I don’t have much experience in running shoes. I would like to purchase one more pair. I am considering Brooks Hyperion Tempo and Asics Novablast 3. Which would you recommend? Looking forward to your answer😊
Hmmm.. the only difference between the novablast 3 and 3 tr. Is that the tr is 24 grams heavier due to the trail pattern outsole. Hard to see that Makes it bulkier than the road version :)
I had the Novablast 2, and loved it for my longer , slower runs. Ran over 900 km in them. Now I have run 300 km in the Novablast 3, and they just don’t work for me. It feels heavy (even though it’s lighter than the 2) and unresponsive. I prefer the Saucony Endorphine speed 3..best daily trainer ever!
Havent tried the shoe I went for the endorphin speed 3 instead. I think it looks good but too similar of a shoe to the saucony. I have 4 pairs in my rotation currently. Newly acquired nike tempo next % Saucony endorphin speed 3 Saucony triumph 19 And some adidas trail shoes i got given unused. I'm still chopping and changing shoes as I'm new to running and can't seem to find the one I love.
Spot on take on the grip, for me Asics' outsole hasn't been good enough on wet surface starting from 2021, not just the novablast series but on their other road running shoes as well. Hope they can improve the grip next year!
Found this week in the wet- its not the wet/puddles/mud that's any issue due to the width/balance, but any grit/sand on the paths. Maybe those days are just best for other shoes anyway
ASICS are a solid brand and I’m glad to see some ASICS being reviewed on your channel, especially when it’s clear that you’re a Nike fan! How many shoes should one have?-a shoe lover will say many. A regular runner running on a budget will say two: one for road and one for trail/winter running. However, I do see value in having about three different shoes all at varying drops to try to help avoid injury.
absolutely the wet grip was pretty much non existent. i remember the first time running in these, started to rain mid way, and the grip was GONE straight away. basically anything other than the concrete slab (road surface), you can skate in them, not fun. except for this one caveat, a great everyday shoe
I always used to say have two as a minimum (two different types mean your body doesn't get into a rut with the same dynamics .. which helps as another factor in keeping you injury free).. but for me I find as a minimum.. 1. Easy day cushioned 2. Faster paced and long runs (I do long runs in a shoe that is closer to a race day shoe to help build up strength) 3. Trail shoe 4. Race day shoe (for marathons) And a new one.. I got gifted a brooks adrenaline (I'm a Brooks ambassador) and a cushioned shoe with some extra stability is an eye opener.. great for days after a race or when I am coming back from a niggle, or have very tired legs
I have 3. For race day I like the New Balance RC Elite 2. I’m waiting for the SC 3 & will run my November marathon in the Saucony Pro 3. For faster training days, I use my Saucony Endorphin Speed 2. I tried the 3 recently & actually like it a lot better, but don’t want to buy yet another shoe. Still searching for a great daily. Love my Saucony rides, but need more cushion. Will try the Triumph 3. ASICS don’t work well for me. Hated the Blast 2 (felt like a clown shoe)& didn’t care much for the Metaspeed Sky. Thanks for the unbiased review.
Nice mate springy bouncey I use ASICS a lot good trainers might get pair off These I've been using the brooks GTS 20s they are really good aswell 👍👍🏃🏃💯
