Here's a shoe you probably don't need to buy right now, but that's not a bad thing. This is the new ASICS Blazeblast, and while it might not make sense for the dry, baked trails we're currently running on here in the UK, in a couple of months' time it's going to become one of the best shoes in your rotation.
What's New
The Blazeblast effectively replaces the NovaBlast TR. Whether ASICS continue to make the TR version alongside it remains to be seen, but if they do, I wouldn't bother with it. This is a road-to-trail shoe sitting within ASICS' trail lineup, and it's a genuinely new model for this year rather than a simple update.
On spec, the Blazeblast will cost £140, though there are ways to bring that price down. It weighs 280g in a UK 9.5 and fits true to size. Underfoot you get FF Blast Max foam, the same compound found in the NovaBlast 5, paired with an 8mm drop and roughly 40mm of stack height in the heel. The upper is a woven mesh with reinforced overlays around the toe box for added protection, though there's no dedicated toe guard. The tongue is gusseted and generously wide, which helps keep the shoe feeling stable and locked down, though it's worth noting there's no pull tab on the heel.
The outsole is where the real investment has gone. It uses ASICS' grip outsole with 2.5mm lugs, which is a meaningful upgrade over the NovaBlast's standard outsole. There are also some genuinely excellent laces on this shoe that lock down really well, which matters a lot on a road-to-trail model like this.
I was a big fan of the NovaBlast TR for the last couple of years. It was a more durable, wintry version of the standard NovaBlast, and it earned a loyal following because the regular NovaBlast's outsole simply wasn't strong enough to cope with wetter conditions. In fact, if your shoes wore out heading into autumn, the TR was often the smarter buy over the standard version purely because of how much better it performed once the weather turned. I'm glad ASICS have now given this concept its own standalone model, because it deserved to stand out rather than exist as a variant.
The reason I'm saying you don't need this shoe immediately is simply down to conditions. Right now, in dry UK weather, you could run the trails, fire paths, and dirt tracks I usually cover in pretty much any daily trainer. The Blazeblast isn't a technical trail shoe, so on bone-dry terrain it's a bit wasted. But give it a few months, once the rain returns and those same paths turn mushy, slippery, and unpredictable, and this shoe comes into its own.
Comfort-wise, it's excellent. The FF Blast Max foam feels lovely underfoot, the fit locks down securely, and it's the kind of shoe you can comfortably rack up serious mileage in. Because the lugs aren't overly aggressive, it transitions well between road and trail, which makes it ideal for those wet, slippery early morning runs when you're heading out before it's fully light and need something that can handle mixed terrain without hesitation. I've tested it on tarmac, canal paths, and dirt trails, and it's held up well across all of them.
I'd also rate it as more comfortable than the Evo SL ATR, which is a faster, more winterised shoe by comparison. For pure daily trainer comfort, the Blazeblast comes out ahead.
This is a shoe built for a very specific but very common UK problem: wet, sloppy, unpredictable winter conditions. It'll suit anyone training through the colder months, including winter parkrun courses, and it's the kind of shoe I'll be reaching for again once winter marathon training rolls around and I need something dependable on wet, skiddy routes.
At £140, it isn't cheap, but the good news is that since ASICS have launched it in summer, when demand is naturally low, it's likely to be discounted before you actually need it. If you're a 40 Runs Running Club affiliated member, you can also get 15% off at sportshoes.com, which applies to ASICS shoes and will bring the price down further. Membership costs around £20-something a year and gives you access to over 50 running clubs across the country, all free to join.
My advice: don't rush out and buy this today. Wait a couple of months, let the price settle, and then pick it up in time for the wet season. If you're reading this in autumn or later, though, go ahead and grab a pair now. This is a genuinely well-made road-to-trail shoe, and ASICS have clearly spotted a gap in the market that needed filling. It would be great to see a Gore-Tex version down the line for even better winter protection, but even without one, this is an easy shoe to recommend.
You can get discounts on your next running shoe purchase at Sportsshoes.com by either becoming an affiliated club member with FORDY RUNS Running Club where you will get 15% off or you can join the club for free and get 10% off your next purchase by getting our latest discount code from our website
