Article by Matt Kolat
ASICS GT-2000 13 (£139.99, 159,99 €, $140)
Introduction
If you have beena regular reader of RTR you might have noticed that I am one of the few reviewers who prefer, above all else, shoes which could be classified as stable neutral, inherently stable or sometimes outright stability shoes.
Last year I had the pleasure to review many shoes and pieces of gear for RTR but hands down the best stability shoe I’ve reviewed was the Asics GT 2000-12 (RTR Review). It was one of those magic stability shoes that does not feel like one, provides huge amounts of fun on the run yet remaining stable enough for the vast majority of runners who need their pronation “controlled”. Let’s have a close look at what has changed and what has remained as before.
Pros:
Largely unchanged from last year
Very stable
Does not feel heavy
Small weight drop compared to last year
Cons:
Ever so slightly less dynamic compared to v12 (but I am nit picking!)
Please find the testers full run bios at the end of the article after Comparisons.
Stats
Spec Weight: men's 9 US 9.7oz / 275g
Prior Version Weight: men’s 12 US/11 UK 11.3oz / 320 g
Sample Weight: men’s 11.1oz / 317g 12 US / 11 UK
Stack Height: men’s 32.5mm heel / 24.5mm forefoot (8mm drop spec)
Platform Width: 103mm heel / 81mm midfoot / 119mm forefoot
First Impressions, Fit and Upper
When our friends at Sportsshoes.com offered the opportunity to review the new GT 2000 13 I got very excited because, as I said before, I really loved the 12s. Whenever you are happy with a pair of running shoes and the next iteration comes out there is one thing you are hoping for - that not much has changed. The good news is that indeed not much has changed between the 12s and 13s however there are subtle differences which I will mention as I go through the review.
The upper material is made of mesh which is thin and firm, maybe a little less soft than last year but not to an extent which is noticeable on the run. It’s hard to see this in the pictures but the toe bumper is reinforced.
The shoe laces are a little bit too short if you are planning to utilise the ‘runners’ knot and you might need to replace them if you have high volume feet (and therefore you don’t cinch very much). The tongue is very thin, almost racing like, but the double gussetting ensures that it stays in place. The heel counter is very firm and holds everything in place very well. 13s get a little bonus in the form of a pull tab which is more than welcome.
The fit itself is true to size, no need to size up or down, however if you have high volume feet (either horizontally or vertically) you might want to consider the 2E (extra wide). As usual Asics is treating us to two large logos on either side of the shoe which contributes to both stability and support.
Midsole & Platform
The midsole is made of FF Blast Plus foam which I would describe as a relatively soft compound, especially as far as stability shoes are concerned. There is also Pure Gel insert which is not visible so we cannot accuse Asics of using the GEL for aesthetics only.
That said however I am not sure if it plays any part in the midsole or if it’s there for legacy / legendary purposes only. The midsole feels great underfoot but I will speak more about that in the Ride section of the review.
The only noticeable difference between V12 (green pair of shoes) and V13 (close up) in terms of midsole is the back portion of V13 sticks out a little bit more. This has a slight impact on the experience as V13 feels slightly less dynamic but a bit more cushioned on longer runs.
The platform of the shoe is relatively broad at 103mm heel / 81mm midfoot / 119mm forefoot with the narrowest part (midfoot) being as wide as the heel on many racing shoes. This again adds stability to the shoe and makes you feel reassured if overpronation is something that you worry about - you are in safe hands.
Outsole
The outsole is very similar to last year’s, there is marginally less rubber coverage on the medial side which most likely contributes to the minimal weight loss of the 13th version of GT.
The grip is excellent and as usual if there is nothing to report in the outsole department that is normally good news. After doing around 30 miles in the shoe there was no wear and tear at all.
There are multiple factors to consider here with regards to the above statement. First of all I am on the heavier side of runners at 82 kg / 180 lbs / 13 stone. Second of all due to the current weather conditions in Scotland I only had a chance to run in the GTs on a treadmill and snow / wet pavement which does not wear the outsole as much as running in heat. That said the outsole is so similar to the 12s, which I have put many miles in, that I am fully confident that the GTs will last well above the average for a modern daily trainer.
Ride, Conclusions and Recommendations
As per my usual process I have tested the GTs on treadmills (which makes me kind of a specialist because most of my RoadTrailRun colleagues hate the mill) and then later on local pavements. Happy to report that the shoe is very universal and performed great on the treadmill and even better on pavements (which is British for sidewalks - for my American readers). Last year’s model (v12) was my favourite stability shoe of the year.
In short the reasons for that were - as super dynamic transition and very stable ride despite a relatively soft midsole. The question is - how has the v13 changed? TLDR answer is - not much - which is great news. Long answer is there are very subtle differences in v13. The ride feels about 5-10% less dynamic due to the ever so slightly softer midsole and midsole being more extended towards the back of the shoe (please refer to the midsole section). This makes the landing a tad more sloppy and slows down the transition. But please rest assured I am using my finest comb here and those differences and miniscule with regards to last year’s model.
During my workouts the shoe was plenty of fun, I was never under the impression that it slows me down, which is sometimes what stability shoes are accused of. Starting at about 5:45 km and ending at 4:15 km was effortless. On longer runs the cushioning, which is soft, really eats up the mileage and I found that during the final miles where I normally would be quite fatigued from pounding in firmer shoes, I felt quite fresh.
Nota bene this comfort does not come at the price of stability and support which sometimes can be the case where we are faced with a choice between stability and softness - GT2000s give us both. The 3D Guidance System works based on the geometry of the shoe and can be seen as inherently stable which can be attractive to neutral runners as well as there is no medial posting.
In terms of the application of this shoe - it’s the perfect daily trainer. I would encourage runners to try it even if they don’t normally run in stability shoes. A great many runners need extra stability at the latter miles of longer training sessions and typically that’s when injuries can happen. If you are worried that you are ‘too neutral’ for this shoe - give it a try anyways as its softness can be almost misleading making it feel like a stable-neutral shoe. With regards to distances I would see it ideal in the 10k to HM bracket but heavier runners and those with max stability needs might find it awesome on 5k distances and those of with excellent biomechanics can take it as far as the marathon distance.
Running shoes typically get re-invented every two years, so I was not very surprised to find that v13s are similar to v12s. What I wish for is that Asics breaks that cycle and does not reinvent GT 2000 v14 but sticks to the awesome formula which in my opinion can work very well for so many runners. If anyone from Asics is reading this, what I would wish for is an Asics racing stability shoe - Asics Meta (insert cool word) as I think it’s a pretty untapped market.
Score: 9.88 /10
3 Comparisons
Asics GT 2000 12 (RTR Review)
A very - very similar experience to the 13s. Perhaps ever so slightly more stable due to an ever so slightly firmer midsole and snappy ride. But this is nit picking and if you were/are happy with your GT 2000 12s you should be more than happy with 13s.
Brooks Adrenaline GTS 24 (RTR Review)
Despite utilising a different stability system (GuideRails) Adrenaline provides a similar experience to the GT 2000. This is due to the fact that Adrenalines over the years have become much softer and are realistically a stable neutral shoe with GuideRail higher midsole extensions (firmer on the medial side) on both sides of the shoe for those who need them. I would choose Adrenalines over the GT 2000 for a longer slower experience and GT 2000 over Adrenalines for a faster workout.
Hoka Gaviota 5 (RTR Review)
A much firmer experience than Asics GT 2000 and noticeably less cushioned. Gaviota would perhaps work a little better on shorter distances because while albeit not being the lightest trainer it feels very light. The support system is also based on a completely different formula (H Frame embedded as firmer foam in the midsole) and can be helpful not just for overpronators but also supinators as the H Frame centers the foot rather than only countering overpronation as a traditional stability shoe would do.
Index to all RTR reviews: HERE
Maciej 'Matt' Kolat- 39 years old, hailing from Poland but pounding Scottish pavements and trails since 2007. Mainly runs shorter distances on pavement 5-10 km and reserves longer runs for beautiful Scottish Glens. Matt’s opinion sometimes may differ from other RTR testers as he is the slowest of the bunch (5k at 25:38). Matt also uses running as a way to stay healthy having shed 100 lbs so far (and counting).
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