A Top-Selling Asics Running Shoe, NovaBlast, Gets Unique Midsole Update

The new Asics NovaBlast 6 launches July 1.

Asics

Asics took a step forward in redesigning one of the brand’s top-selling running shoe lines. As the Japanese footwear maker unveils the NovaBlast 6, a trainer known for energy and bounce, a completely fresh approach to forefoot cushioning gives the familiar fit and feel of the franchise a technological upgrade.

The new shoe, releasing July 1 in the United States, will feature what the brand calls an FF Turbo Squared trampoline pod. “The NovaBlast franchise has been known for its energetic running experience, so with this update, we aimed to upgrade our energy,” Paul Lang, Asics senior manager for global performance run product, tells me.

To make it happen, Asics cored out the entire forefoot of the midsole, giving a “full contact experience from the top of the foot, all the way down to the outsole of the shoe, allowing the foot to compress this trampoline pod and improve an elevated running experience from previous versions.”

Lang calls this new two-piece midsole the “key to our new running experience.”

By creating a technical two-piece midsole, Asics says the runner’s foot gets full contact on the FF Turbo Squared cushioning material. The piece of technology embedded in the midsole takes up nearly the entire forefoot area and then drops down into a somewhat conical shape as it reaches the outsole.

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“The NovaBlast franchise is known for its fun, bouncy ride, so we really focused on enhancing that underfoot experience with the FF Turbo Squared forefoot,” Lang says. “This high-performance foam helps to power the experience.”

While the new two-piece midsole construction garners the attention on the new NovaBlast 6, Asics also crafted a fresh woven upper that Lang calls lightweight and breathable, meant to help deliver a secure fit with flexible comfort.

The brand added AsicsGrip rubber to the forefoot, helping boost the grip and traction on the latest version. “Having heard the request from our runners in past versions,” Lang says, “we prioritized this upgrade to help improve the run in wet or slick conditions.”

What Asics didn’t want to change was the fit profile, something the franchise has received positive feedback on. The last—the foot form the shoe is built on—remains the same from the previous version to ensure consistency. The NovaBlast 6 also retains the same stack heights and heel to toe offset so that seasoned NovaBlast runners can gain a “sense of familiarity to go along with the enhanced energetic feeling and added grip.”

Lang says NovaBlast was once known for a visually disruptive midsole design, something the brand has returned to in the latest version with geometric designs throughout. “Our goal was to deliver a NovaBlast update with a fresh visual, enhanced energy underfoot and confident underfoot traction,” Lang says, “that makes this the everyday trainer for runners.”

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