Kayano Is King

I'm fitter than I used to be. Well, not much, but my stamina has definitely improved a lot from 3 times a week of badminton and a weekly dose of futsal. All this after a decade plus of inactivity due to laziness coupled with my double slipped discs. While my enthusiasm in sports is at an all time high, my body simply cannot take the pounding. I find a lot of injuries cropping up at my knees and ankles so I don't stinge on proper support for my feet i.e. shoes.

Click on the photos for the larger versions...










I use a well recommended Asics Gel Tactics for badminton and I've heard much about the legendary Asics Kayano (now in its 14th iteration). While Asics' running shoe cosmetics have a love/hate relationship with the populace, their performance have left many avid runners asking for more. Consistently on "Editor's Choice" lists or running shoe awards (e.g. see the respected running website, Runnersworld), the Kayano has gained much applause for its performance. The 13th version had a big reputation to follow up to in light of the stunning 12th edition but now, the 14th version has about 25% more gel installed and, though just released in Dec07/Jan08, has already garnered a lot of praise from runners around the globe.










In any case, I don't really have enough time to run/jog around that much nowadays but I try to slip in a little of it during weekends. I admit, I use the shoes mainly for walking about. The Kayano is very much a support type running shoe which means that you won't find it the softest or plushest running shoe around (you can try the Nike Pegasus+ or the Asics Nimbus 9 for that). It's meant for neutral footing position (as opposed to supinated/pronated footing) and you can compare the support/padding it gives to the solid shock absorbers found in teutonic cars (like BMW or Mercedes). While I am aware that there are more expensive Asics running shoes around (like the new Kinsei 2 and the Kinetic) and also other firm favourites from brands like Saucony and Brooks (not to mention the popular choices from Adidas/Puma/Nike etc), I have grown to love the Kayano and will not hesitate to get another pair.

Now I just have to convince my super fit Ironman buddy to get a pair hahaha... Oh btw, if any of you running shoe marketing folks are out there reading this, he's the man to sponsor a pair of shoes for review/test run.

Copyright (c) Kelvin Tan