ASICS Yogiri Speed Review: A Good Shoe in a Crowded Market
Last year the ASICS Yogiri was a real favourite on my channel. It was a stable, no-nonsense racer for people who wanted something less aggressive than the softer super shoes. ASICS has now followed it up with the Yogiri Speed, which has appeared on their website and is available in limited numbers in the UK. I've spent time running in it, and my feelings are mixed. It's a good shoe, but I'm not sure who it's for.
The specs
The Yogiri Speed costs £185 and is aimed at sub-4-hour marathon runners. Underneath is a dual foam setup, with FF Leap on top and the firmer FF Blast Plus below, and a sculpted carbon plate runs through the middle. The stack is just over 40mm at the heel with an 8mm drop. There's an ASICS grip outsole and an engineered mesh upper. My UK 9.5 weighs 250g and fits true to size.
Fit and upper
ASICS fit me well in general, and this is no exception. The engineered mesh is thicker than on most race day shoes, but it's still comfortable and doesn't get hot, and there's just enough padding to feel cushy without losing the racy feel. The sawtooth laces are excellent for lockdown.
My only complaint is the tongue. It isn't gusseted, and it can be fiddly to get on because it tends to stick to the sides as you lace up.
Ride and performance
The first thing I noticed is that it's firmer than I expected. With FF Leap in the mix, I thought it would feel more responsive. I'm honestly not sure how much Leap is in there, because it feels dominated by the FF Blast Plus. That isn't necessarily a criticism, since the firmer foam is what gives the shoe its stable ride, and the Leap you do get works well with the plate.
It holds pace nicely. Marathon pace and threshold efforts feel comfortable, and it's stable enough at easy speeds that it's fine for a warm-up before a session. That fits with ASICS's target audience. Late in a marathon, when your form falls apart and you start rocking around, this shoe should keep you steadier than the Metaspeed range. The carbon plate is far from aggressive, but the scooped shape helps with toe-off and it feels well integrated.
The outsole grip is very good. I've run in the wet and along the canal towpath with no issues, and the durability looks excellent, as you'd expect from ASICS.
Too heavy for a racer
At 250g, this doesn't feel light on foot, and I want a race shoe to feel light the moment I put it on. It has more of a daily trainer feel. My favourite shoe at the moment, the 361 Mega 3 Pro, weighs close to 200g. This is nearly 50g heavier, and if ASICS is marketing it as a racer, I'd still want it lighter.
The Magic Speed problem
This is where the shoe loses me. The Yogiri Speed has a few millimetres more stack than the Magic Speed, which makes sense for race day, but I don't really notice the difference underfoot. The Magic Speed also has FF Leap in it, and it costs £100. I see the Magic Speed as more of a training shoe, but I'm not convinced the two feel that different.
Then there's the price. A year ago, the Yogiri felt like a bit of a steal because there were few stable race day options. In 2026 there are lots, and £185 is expensive for something this specific. You'd have to be quite committed to buy it, especially when you can pick up a Metaspeed Sky Tokyo for £135 at sportshoes.com.
