Since it seems as though I am running primarily in “old” model year shoes, the need to go into outlandish details regarding the stats and other stuff is kinda – well unnecessary. Simply because these shoes are or have been replaced with the next model in the series and can be found usually in the clearance racks or part of closeout deals.

Pretty soon it will be tough to find the shoes I am writing about, but if you look around you can usually find someplace that has them in your size.

Even so.

How have the Asics Hyperspeed 6’s performed for me?

Absolutely the way that I want them to.

They are a light, fast feeling shoe that looks good and unlike most racing flats I have run in, very comfortable. The 8.5’s fit me the way that I want a pair of shoes to fit.

Asics Hyperspeed 6

The Hyperspeed 6’s are a very forgiving shoe for something that are designed to run fast in. They feel more cushioned than they should based on the stats that are given.

Unlike many of the other shoes I have worn lately they do not bother my feet and more than a couple of times when I was really frustrated, I would run a slower training run in them, just because I knew that I could run comfortably in them and not have my feet hurt during or after the run.

Although that is not something I want to do regularly from psychological stand-point – I want to put myself on notice when I put these shoes on that it is time for me to run fast.

In other words no drag-ass running in these shoes.


However, it is a sad state of affairs when your race day shoes are that much more comfortable to run in than your daily trainers

Based on how much I liked the Hyperspeed’s feel, this last time when I was shopping for a new pair of trainers, I compared the prospective daily trainers cushioning directly to how they compared to the Hyperspeed 6’s. It was surprising to figure out that there were quite a few trainers that felt a hell of a lot more firm than the Hyperspeed’s and not nearly as comfortable.

They are a good measuring stick for me.

Race Day Shoes

You notice that I keep calling them race-day shoes. While they are under 7 ounces in weight, they are not racing flats, they are too cushioned to be that, don’t have a harsh feel on landing and don’t strangle your feet because the are so snug – let’s call it what it is…to damn tight.

If you look closely you can see where a sharp rock down-back went between two of the pods in the heel unit, yes I felt that one and is one of the reasons I would question their durability.

Yet for me they are not quite up to what I would call a light-weight daily trainer due to durability concerns. I don’t believe that I will get much over 200, maybe 300 miles out of the Hyperspeed’s before they are pooched. Which is pretty good for a pair of racing shoes, but not quite what I would expect from a trainer.

So I try to save them for faster running and the treadmill, which doesn’t wear shoes out as quickly in my opinion and keep them out of my daily trainer rotation. Well for the most part, like I said before, they were the most comfortable shoes that I have had to run in a while and on those days when I got particularly frustrated with how my other shoes were making my feet feel, I used them for runs other than speedwork.

I have run down-back in the rock-infested dirt road, some light trails, the track and roads and every where that I have used them they have done well. Even in the rain on the roads they have done well and provided a grip that gave me confidence to move my butt faster than I would in some of the other race day shoes that I have run in.

I have run in them up to 10K and wouldn’t hesitate to use them for any distance that I race, so they can handle the distances just fine. After they are supposedly Ryan Hall’s marathon race day shoe.

A lot of runners wouldn’t think of using the Hyperspeed’s as their primary 5K-10K racer, but that is what I got them for.

Unlike many of the classic racing flats, they give a little more protection and cushioning that these old legs, with a lot of miles need.  I am finding that the so-called marathon racing flats, work the best for me when it comes to running faster nowadays.

They might not have the “snap” or “pop” some runners look for, but they can get you to the finish line pretty damn quick. Well as fast as an old fart can get there and not feel like someone took a baseball bat to my feet after the race is over or sometimes during the last mile a fast 5K, when the pop is gone from your legs and you are just hanging on to finish – more on your heels than your toes, that little extra cush, feels pretty damn good.

The reality is that

I have been very happy with how the Hyperspeed 6’s have worked for me. They have proven themselves to be a very comfortable, yet fast race day shoe that I will keep running in. I have found that as I get older as a runner, I value the comfort factor more and more every year, even in the shoes that I choose to run fast (for me) in.

When these eventually wear out, I plan to look at getting another pair in the Hyperspeed series – as long as Asics doesn’t change them up too much and screw around with the fit and feel of the series.

Yeah, in other words I like them – a lot.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I purchased this pair of Asics Hyperspeed’s from an online retailer. The opinions I have expressed are my own and your experiences with this product might be different from mine. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” –