Designed to enhance training sessions and amplify races, the MAGIC SPEED™ running shoes by ASICS have a soft yet bouncy underfoot experience with a carbon plate embedded in the forefoot for better toe-off and landing.

I first got my hands on the MAGIC SPEED™ to try, at a running clinic organised by ASICS a couple of weekends ago.

My first impression had been that the shoe feels strong yet light, thanks to the engineered mesh upper design that is both breathable and solid.

This makes the MAGIC SPEED™ perfect for running in Singapore’s muggy tropical climate.

The MAGIC SPEED™ is a neutral running shoe. They weigh 193 grams for a US women’s 7.5.

Cutting and roominess

The cutting of the shoes may be a tad on the narrow side. So the roominess in the toe box may be a bit snug for those with wide feet. 

If this is you, then you may want to try out the shoes prior to purchase, or else size up by half a size.

Easy and enjoyable to run with

These shoes are easy and enjoyable to run with. It is fairly responsive and there is a decent amount of cushioning present (5mm drop).

A firm ride with snappy propulsion

If you are expecting a soft and bouncy carbon shoe, then the MAGIC SPEED™ is not it. 

Instead, it offers a firm ride with a snappy propulsion of the toe. This is because of the presence of the carbon plate there. 

There is some rocker feeling thanks to the GuideSole technology. This gives the shoe a roll-through feeling to keep your leg moving.

While there is some pop, it is not the same type of pop as compared to a shoe with a full-length carbon plate.

Despite the name, I have found that the MAGIC SPEED™ shoes are, surprisingly, quite versatile at all types of paces.

Running on the road with MAGIC SPEED™

Since the treadmill session, I have tried the shoes out on the road, testing them out at varying paces. 

These range from slow easy warm-up paces to tempo runs and interval sessions with my running club, Coached.

When running at easy paces with the MAGIC SPEED™, they were comfortable enough and did not feel awkward. 

This is despite these being a shoe engineered for speed.

I had first experienced the versatility of the shoes during the 5KM treadmill session.

But the feeling was more pronounced when running on the road with the MAGIC SPEED™.

Shoes work best at tempo to interval paces

But as the name suggests, these shoes still perform best and shine the most at faster paces – that is for tempo pace and intervals. 

At tempo paces, the MAGIC SPEED™ felt very fluid and I could feel the shoes pushing and propelling me to keep moving, constantly tempting me to push the pace and not to slow down.

It definitely felt a tad easier running tempo paces with the MAGIC SPEED™. But then again, it could be the placebo effect at work.

Pushing the pace up from tempo to interval pace with the MAGIC SPEED™ feels very easy. 

The shoes simply rolled along without feeling awkward at all, again thanks to the GuideSole rocker technology.

Shoes are not grippy

However I found one negative about the MAGIC SPEED™; the shoes are not very grippy. 

In wet weather, they tend to slip easily.

This is a drawback when running in Singapore’s unpredictable weather. 

This is because it can be dry one moment and then the next minute, the skies open up and it pours.

Conclusion

Otherwise the MAGIC SPEED™ is a great shoe for tempo running and race.

Competitive pricing

At S$219, it is also significantly cheaper than ASICS’ elite carbon plated racer, the MetaSpeed Sky (S$349).

This makes it more appealing to your wallet if you want to ride on the carbon plated hype but you have a limited budget.

Where to get the shoes

The MAGIC SPEED™ is available online at https://www.asics.com/sg/en-sg as well as at ASICS retail stores across Singapore.