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The RW Takeaway: Lighter, more stable, and more responsive than previous models, the v3 brings speed day potential to the ultra-soft NovaBlast.
- Midsole now uses softer, more resilient FlyteFoam Blast+ foam
- New upper mesh offers better structure and breathability than v2
- Outsole slips a bit on wet roads, but grips dry surfaces well
Price: $140
Type: Road
Weight: 8.9 oz (M), 7.8 oz (W)
Drop: 8 mm
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Earlier this year, Olympic marathoner Sara Hall shared on Instagram that the NovaBlast was the Asics shoe currently earning the bulk of her mileage. (At the time, only the shoe’s second version was publicly available.) I was surprised. The NovaBlast 2 is a great shoe; I just couldn’t imagine Sara wanting to log 100-plus-mile weeks in it when she had much lighter options. I’m no pro marathoner, but I, and many of our testers, found that the shoe could feel clunky, especially when you’re 10 miles deep into a long run on tired legs.
Pros
- Lighter than the NovaBlast 2
- Soft, max cushioning for long runs
- Improved energy return and stability at faster paces
Cons
- More expensive than v2
- Length and laces are slightly long
When Asics released the NovaBlast 3 to the masses, Sara’s pick immediately made more sense. The third version weighs an ounce less, but feels even lighter because of the bouncier Blast+ foam. Asics discloses only that it’s a “proprietary EVA blend.” Our experience with similar foams suggests added olefin block copolymers (OBC), compounds that deliver a mix of flexibility and elasticity. According to the brand, this new formula makes the NovaBlast 3’s midsole 15 percent softer, 15 percent lighter, and 12 percent bouncier.
I didn’t notice any bump in plushness—the shoe was already incredibly soft—but I certainly noted the drop in weight and the boost in responsiveness. It still has the familiar trampoline-like spring. You just don’t sink into the midsole as much on landing; the rebound happens much more quickly after you touch down. In Sara’s case, that makes it capable of handling triple-digit weekly mileage—or any amount of daily jogs and training runs on the jam-packed calendars for the rest of us mortals.
“I wish I’d had the NovaBlast when I just started out running, because it is exactly what I was looking for: bouncy and seriously plush. It feels even softer than the New Balance Fresh Foam X 1080 v12,” said one tester, who began running before the COVID-19 pandemic and became a competitive marathon racer in the process. “I really enjoyed just bouncing along on the pillow-soft cushioning on 10- to 14-mile-long runs,” he said. “I can see other runners pulling these out for speed, but for me, they were a little chunky for track work and 5K pace.”
Another tester, who stands around five feet tall, agreed that the shoes were “too soft for [her] taste” during faster efforts. “On a tempo run, I felt like I was sinking into a marshmallow with every heel strike,” she said. That’s preference, though. As a smaller runner myself, I loved lacing up these marshmallows for my less-structured fartleks.
Those who ran in the NovaBlast 2, and especially those who got in on the ground level with the first version, will likely remember those shoes as being anything but stable. Rounding a corner could be a hair-raising experience. That’s no longer the case. Despite an extra millimeter of foam in the heel and forefoot, the 3 actually feels more planted than either of its predecessors. On the hairpin turns of my neighborhood’s grid of sidewalks, I wobbled much less in the new model when I ran back-to-back in the 2 and the 3.
While the shoe does have a redesigned heel counter, the overall widened platform feels more stable throughout my full gait cycle, not just in the rear foot. The new upper helps, too. An engineered monofilament mesh feels more secure because it’s a bit less stretchy, and it also breathes better than the previously used double-layer design.
I agree with our tester who found the toebox a bit long and shallow. It grazes the tops of my toenails, and I wouldn’t mind a little more room there, instead of at the tip. That said, I found it began feeling considerably more accommodating after I’d logged about 75 miles. That may sound like a long break-in period, but I put 550 miles on the shoe before I experienced major durability issues. (At that point, I’d worn away most of the outsole tread.) While I wouldn’t recommend pushing your Novablasts to 700-plus miles, you’ll likely get a longer-than-average life span from the shoe—most pairs will last for around 400 miles.
More Testers’ Takes
Scott B. | Tester since 2014
Arch Height: Average | Pronation: Neutral | Footstrike: Midfoot
“My number one shoe is the New Balance FuelCell Rebel 2, and the one thing it has in common to with NovaBlast 3 is excellent cushioning. While the Rebel feels much faster and is more likely to score me some great times, the NovaBlast offers a solid and well-cushioned ride to withstand pounding for mile after mile. To me, these shoes are like a bouncier version of Hoka’s Clifton or Bondi—there is a fair amount of stack height, but the NovaBlast isn’t nearly as stiff in the sole. Still, I wouldn’t grab these shoes for speedwork, as I felt some slipping on wet roads, usually during the push-off of my stride.”
Melinda L. | Tester since 2017
Arch Height: Flat | Pronation: Overpronator | Footstrike: Midfoot
“I took these bad boys out on many hot and hilly runs while training for Quadzilla, and I was impressed by the durability. The cushioning felt like I was running on a bouncy bubble, providing a little spring to my step. (Though I was initially unsure of the feeling, I found I liked the floating feedback on longer runs.) However, I tend to scrape the inside of my right shoe with my left foot when I run. Since this shoe’s sole is wide, I’d sometimes catch one foot on the other.
“While I prefer a stability shoe, I can get away with a neutral shoe. This shoe provides support without any hard posting. The fit was snug and my foot did not move inside the shoe when rounding corners or going up and down hills. I was shocked at how well this shoe handled hilly dirt roads through farms near my house. During a trip to Alaska, the NovaBlast held up well on Homer’s roads and trails, too—I had no problems with grip when running hill repeats.”
