Asics Magic Speed 2 Ekiden 'New Leaf Black'
Colorway: New Leaf/Black · Style code: 1011B497-300 · Release date: September 7, 2022 · Price: $208 · Availability: Available now
More colorways: Asics Magic Speed 2 'Amber' (1011B443-800) · Asics Wmns Magic Speed 2 'Orchid' (1012B274-500) · Asics Magic Speed 2 'Spice Latte' (1011B443-600) · Asics Magic Speed 2 'Carrier Grey White' (1011B443-020) · Asics Magic Speed 2 'Green Safety Yellow' (1011B443-750)
Ekiden is a Japanese long-distance road relay, run in stages with a cloth sash called a tasuki passed between teammates instead of a baton. The format dates to 1917, when a newspaper staged a 507-kilometre, 23-stage race from Kyoto to Tokyo to mark the capital's fiftieth anniversary, and it remains central to Japanese distance running; the Hakone Ekiden alone draws over a million spectators to the roadside each New Year and is televised nationally.
That context matters for a shoe like this. Ekiden legs are typically raced at close to maximum effort over distances from a few kilometres to a full marathon, which puts them exactly where the MAGIC SPEED is aimed: fast enough to need a plate, frequent enough that a fragile racer is the wrong tool.
The Magic Speed 2 pairs a carbon element with GUIDESOLE geometry, the curved sole ASICS uses to reduce ankle flexion across a stride. This edition wears green over black.