The Asics Metaspeed Sky Paris is one of the best carbon plate running shoes you can get, and our preferred pick in this category overall, partly thanks to the fact two of the Run Testers have logged their marathon PBs in the shoe.
It’s incredibly lightweight and responsive while still being cushioned enough for longer races, and one of the best running shoes available, with a couple of the key rivals in its category being the Nike Alphafly 3 and Adidas Adios Pro 4.
Design & Key Stats
- Price: £220/$250
- Weight: 188g/6.6oz (men’s UK 9 / US 10)
- Drop: 5mm
- Upper: Lightweight MotionWrap 2.0 mesh
- Midsole: FF Turbo Plus foam with full-length carbon plate
- Outsole: ASICSGRIP rubber covering forefoot and sides of heel
Asics Metaspeed Sky Paris review
How’s The Fit
Nick, Mike, Tom and Kieran have all found that the Asics Metaspeed Sky Paris fits well in their normal running shoe size. The upper is designed to be lightweight so doesn’t have much padding, but has been comfortable for us even throughout longer events like marathons.
The Run Test: Likes
The Metaspeed Sky Paris is exceptionally light even compared to other racing shoes which makes it easier to keep turning your feet over late in long races. Despite being so light, you still get a high stack of foam to protect your legs during marathons.
While it’s not the softest midsole, the FF Turbo Plus foam is very responsive and delivers a lot of energy return. We also found it easy to engage the plate and get a propulsive feel to the ride even when our form started to break down in the latter stages of marathons,
It’s just a flat-out fast racing shoe, and one that works for any distance. Nick has his half marathon and marathon PBs in the shoe, running 2:25 in it at the Seville Marathon in 2025, while Kieran set his marathon and 5K PB in it in consecutive weekends.
We’ve also found the Metaspeed Sky Paris to retain its bounce well into testing. Nick has run over 350km in one set and they still feel just as lively underfoot, though a little softer and less stiff than a new pair.
The Run Test: Dislikes
The Metaspeed Sky Paris is not the softest and bounciest carbon shoe, and some might prefer the squishier feel of options like the Nike Alphafly 3 or Hoka Cielo X1 2.0. When Tom ran the Valencia Marathon 2024 in the Metaspeed Sky Paris he wasn’t having a great day and found the shoe quite firm in the second half.
The outsole rubber also doesn’t cover the heel completely, and if you heel strike like Nick then you might rip up some of the exposed foam at the back of the shoe, though this hasn’t had any impact on performance yet, only aesthetics.
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This isn’t a dislike, but it’s a little confusing that Asics also has the Metaspeed Edge Paris, which has a slightly more scooped plate than the Sky Paris. The two shoes are meant to complement different running styles, but we all slightly prefer the Sky Paris of the pair, and would just go with whichever feels the best if you have a chance to test out both the Sky Paris and Edge Paris.
Verdict And Alternatives
The Asics Metaspeed Sky Paris is our favourite racing shoe overall at the moment. It’s one of the best marathon running shoes, but also works well for shorter events, and is reasonably-priced for a carbon shoe.
If you prefer a springier feel underfoot then the Nike Alphafly 3 or Hoka Cielo X1 2.0 are both worth looking at, and the Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 3 offers a high level of performance at a lower price than the Asics.
There are so many great super-shoes available now and your preferences might be different to ours, but the Metaspeed Sky Paris is certainly one to consider if you are set on chasing PBs in the coming months.