ASICS appears poised for a major shakeup in its super shoe lineup after three new development models, the MS5 TYPE-1, ME5 TYPE-1, and MR2 TYPE-1, were officially added to the World Athletics approved shoe list on October 26, 2025, with approval valid until October 26, 2026.
While these shoes remain under the “development” classification, meaning they’re not yet commercially available and cannot be used in World Athletics Series (WAS) or Olympic events, they’re fully cleared for use in road races, cross country, and trail competitions.
That means we could see them on the feet of ASICS elites crossing the finish line in Central Park this weekend at the 2025 TCS New York City Marathon.
What We Know About the New Models
The three models, labeled ME5, MS5, and MR2, are believed to be iterative evolutions of ASICS’ flagship racing line, the Metaspeed Edge, Metaspeed Sky, and Metaspeed Ray, respectively.
All three appear visually similar to their predecessors, featuring ASICS’ hallmark aggressive rocker geometry, tall stack heights, and the familiar FF (FlyteFoam) Leap midsole foam, which replaces or re-engineers the FF Turbo+ formulation used in the Metaspeed+ series.
The FF Leap branding, already visible on these prototypes, has drawn speculation that Asics is introducing an even lighter, more responsive compound to compete with Nike’s ZoomX and Adidas’ Dreamstrike Pro foams.
While ASICS has not publicly confirmed specifications, product filings and leaked athlete prototypes suggest each shoe has subtle but meaningful refinements:
- ME5 TYPE-1 (Metaspeed Edge successor): likely optimized for cadence-based runners, maintaining a slightly lower stack and firmer platform for turnover efficiency.
- MS5 TYPE-1 (Metaspeed Sky successor): built for stride-based athletes, expected to push the limits of stack height and rebound with a revised carbon plate curvature.
- MR2 TYPE-1 (Metaspeed Ray successor): may bridge the gap between Edge and Sky with a hybrid geometry, perhaps for mid-distance or marathon athletes looking for a balance of stability and propulsion.
Each shoe’s upper appears unchanged from current Metaspeed designs, consistent with the note that these are “design change” approvals, suggesting midsole or plate updates rather than a full aesthetic overhaul.
The Road to NYC: What It Means for Asics’ Elite Runners
ASICS athletes have been quietly testing unreleased prototypes throughout the 2024–2025 marathon season. At races like Berlin and Chicago, eagle-eyed fans spotted orange and red Metaspeed variants with modified midsoles, likely early versions of these new Type-1 models.
With World Athletics approval now confirmed, ASICS runners could lace up these shoes in New York this Sunday, marking their first official on-course appearance.
The NYC Marathon, with its undulating bridges and tactical pacing, often serves as a proving ground for prototype racing shoes. In previous years, brands have used the event to soft-launch future models under the WA development clause, the same route ASICS appears to be taking now.
The Ever-Evolving Super Shoe Arms Race
ASICS’ entry comes at a time of heightened innovation in marathon footwear.
The brand’s Metaspeed Sky+ and Edge+ series helped re-establish ASICS as a legitimate challenger in the carbon plate era, but since then, rivals have surged ahead with even more radical designs.
- Nike’s Alphafly 3 has dominated headlines for its extreme stack height and ZoomX efficiency,
- Adidas’ Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1 turned heads for its sub-100-gram weight, and
- Puma’s Fast-R Nitro Elite 2 and New Balance’s SC Elite v4 have both advanced plate geometry and foam density tuning.
ASICS, once the default choice for marathoners a decade ago, has been steadily rebuilding its competitive presence, and these “Type-1” models could represent a major leap.
Running gear analysts have speculated that the FF Leap foam may be a supercritical formulation similar to Pebax-based compounds but tuned for greater resilience and stability, a potential game-changer if it maintains ASICS’ reputation for durability while delivering next-gen performance.
What Comes Next
ASICS has yet to announce public release dates or commercial naming for the MS5, ME5, or MR2, but based on prior patterns, consumer versions could arrive by spring 2026. The company typically allows a six-month window between WA prototype approval and retail rollout.
With all three models now validated for competition, ASICS seems ready to unveil the next generation of its super shoe platform, just in time for athletes to test them through the 2025–26 marathon season ahead of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic cycle.
If you’re watching the NYC Marathon this weekend, look closely at the ASICS athletes’ feet, the future of the Metaspeed line might already be racing through the five boroughs.
