when will it end?"Based on this comment, ASICS asics gel lyte appears pretty content to avoid following its major competitors (e.g., Saucony, New Balance, Nike and soon Brooks) into the minimalist fray. To be honest, I don't really care if they do  there are plenty of options out there nowadays from other companies, and it's ASICS loss if the movement continues forward and they lose out on a growing sector of the running shoe market ( according to Leisure Trends Group , minimalist models made up 39% of all trail shoes sold in April 2011  they accounted for only 3% in 2010)." Firstly, your photo caption erroneously states " if Asics had its way, all runners should be perfectly content to continue as over-striding heel-strikers."

Not sure where that came from, certainly not me. I beleive some runners should forefoot strike. for example, if one has less than 10 degrees dorsiflexion, which many runners do, that asics gel nimbus runner cannot achieve heel srtike. But you know what.. humans are very varied, and lots of runners heel strike and run well and efficiently.There is no problem midfoot striking or forefoot striking in an ASICS shoe.. I recommend it all the time, especially if I think a change in form will help. asics tigers But not to everyone ."Bartold then discusses that he believes some runners should forefoot strike, and I agree.

If you are running pain free in ASICS 2100 series shoes, by all means, keep doing so. Being able to run is what is important after all, and why mess with what's working. However, as Bartold points out, humans are variable, so why should we expect the 12mm lift, heel strike model to work for everyone? This is why I'm so perplexed at his willingness to fight the minimalist movement. If some people are benefiting it, why all of the resistance? Sure, ASICS makes racing flats asics trainers mens that are similar to many minimalist shoes, but good luck to the recreational runner who wants to find a pair to try on and doesn't have access to a specialty running store.

Again to Squadrone and Gallozzi, 2009. Running in zero drop Vibram Fivefingers compared to traditional shoes reduces oxygen consumption and reduces ground contact time (which has been shown to be associated with greater speed). Maybe it's not a perfect example, but the claim that there is NO evidence is false. We can turn this around and ask for peer reviewed, published evidence of a benefit to running in ASICS shoes. What is the benefit of a 12mm lifted heel? You'll typically hear about reduced Achilles problems, but has this been proven? Richards et al., 2008 state that "& the overall impact on injury rates of running in a shoe with an elevated heel remains untested in clinical trials ."

Finally, there's a snide remark about minimalist shoes following the path of toning shoes. However, I have a big problem with this. Toning shoes are an aberration that deviate humans farther from the condition we are born with (barefoot). Minimalist shoes bring us closer to our natural condition (barefoot). I would argue that the Asics Kinsei or Kayano has a asics womens running shoes lot more in common with a Sketchers Shape-Up than the Vibram Fivefingers do. I, for one, was not born with a hunk of unstable cushioning under my foot (like the Sketchers provide), nor was I born with my heel lifted 12mm off the ground with a support element wedged below my arch.

Instead, when I go to my local Fleet Feet running store there are about 60 highly-cushioned shoe choices and only about 6 "minimal" style shoes. I know you can't speak for the shoe industry so just speak for Asics or what you've come to learn in your employment at Asics (if possible).