Asics Wmns Novablast 2 'Thunder Blue'
Colorway: Thunder Blue/Soft Sky · Style code: 1012B049-400 · Release date: July 2021 · Price: $2682 · Availability: Available now
More colorways: Asics Wmns Novablast 2 'Birch Pink Rave' (1012B049-200) · Asics Wmns Novablast 2 'Mist Soft Sky' (1012B049-402) · Asics Wmns Novablast 2 'Smokey Rose' (1012B049-700) · Asics Wmns Novablast 2 'Platinum' (1012B131-020) · Asics Wmns Novablast 2 LE 'White Pure Silver' (1012B177-100)
The original Novablast was not built to be a major shoe for ASICS. It became one anyway: a bouncy, high-stack trainer at a mainstream price, and quickly one of the brand's most popular road models. The second version had the harder job: fixing what the first got wrong without losing what made it work.
The complaints were specific. Not enough foam under the forefoot, an unsteady heel, and a scratchy upper. ASICS answered each. Forefoot cushioning went up, midfoot sidewalls were raised to steady the landing, and the heel stack came down, taking the offset from 10mm to 8mm, roughly 30mm at the heel and 22mm at the forefoot in a men's nine. The upper was rebuilt in double-layer jacquard mesh with a gusseted tongue, external heel overlays and a plush collar, which is where most of the gain in feel came from.
What carried over is the ride. The midsole is thick enough that the foot sinks into it like a piston, and deep channels cut underneath produce the trampoline sensation the name trades on. It weighs 9.7 ounces and sold at a hundred and thirty dollars.
Thunder Blue with Soft Sky is a July 2021 women's colour from that run.