The Superblast 3, the newest edition to the blast lineup (Nova, Sonic, Mega), has been getting "super trainer of the year" type reviews thus far. It's an absolute all-you-can-run buffet of a shoe -- great (not good) for runs of nearly any speed and distance. We caught up with Sr. Product Line Manager Paul Lang to learn how it all came together.
Paul, first and foremost – please introduce yourself. Who are you, what do you do, where do you hail from? And most importantly, when and what was your last run?
I’m Paul Lang, long time B-Mail listener, first time caller. I’m the Senior Product Line Manager at ASICS, and I'm a [small] piece in the puzzle that brings some of your favorite running shoes to life, working closely with our design & development teams, among countless others. I’m Boston based, but hail from Reynoldsburg, Ohio, home of Lil Bow Wow and Gold Glove winner Mike Matheny. Last night was 4 miles on the Charles River…the city is starting to come back after a brutal winter, so it was great to be out feeling the warmth and cruising along the river.
The Superblast 3 has gotten amazing feedback right out of the gate. From the 2 to the 3, what are the top most noticeable changes? What are you hearing?
As a creation team we set priorities and goals for the Superblast 3, and it’s really satisfying to see validation from runners as they get pairs on the roads. The biggest one is the underfoot experience; we set a goal of integrating the race day foam, FF LEAP, from the METASPEED series and optimizing for everyday comfort. SuperBlast 3 was positioned to be softer & lighter, while maintaining the control the shoe was known for…this is a shoe that feels bouncy & light, but offers a sense of security and protection on your longest runs. Thankfully, runners are responding in a big way to the update. The experience seems to have enhanced, and at the same time, we dropped weight from the previous version.
What is the Superblast 3… not?
SuperBlast 3…is not a speed demon. It’s a part of the runner’s toolkit, but when it’s time to rip at threshold paces, you will want to look towards the METASPEED series of racers.
We’ve got a handful of “Blasts” now… Where does the Superblast 3 fit within the bunch (SuperBlast, NovaBlast, MegaBlast, SonicBlast)?
We’ve tried to be really thoughtful about the collection and the purpose of each; while the models are connected through the idea of providing an energetic feeling while running, each has its unique experience and properties. NovaBlast is cushioned bounce for everyday running, SonicBlast adds a pebax plate and a top layer of supercritical foam for a more uptempo experience, SuperBlast is intended to be our video game cheat code of endless bounce for the long run, and MEGABLAST is our maximum expression of bounce, a bit more speedy and sleek than SuperBlast 3.
The infrared aesthetic is something we haven’t seen before from ASICS. Where did the inspo come from and can we expect more colorways this year?
The visual is a great story…our designer was in a pretty cool space while he was working on SuperBlast 3 and was trying to visualize the underfoot experience the shoe intended to deliver. He was rooted in the inspirational concept of TEMPORAL FOLD: The idea that inverting stellar mass causes a brilliant gravitational pull, folding the space time continuum, rebounding momentum at light speed.
…and yes, fresh colors coming in the not so distant future.
How many miles can we expect these puppies to stay snappy for?
A lot of variables come into play on this one; running style, surface, mileage total, are you rotating a few different shoes? Durability is a core competency of our creation process and we’ve tested SuperBlast 3 aggressively. Expect the same durability you’ve come to expect in the past from the SuperBlast series.
The “Super Trainer” market is hot right now and people are concerned about the effects of training in carbon. How does ASICS think about this new-ish category and an athlete’s full training/racing regiment?
Super trainers are great; there’s not a solid definition of what they stand for, so everyone gets to take their swing at building something special. Carbon plates are great for raceday and big uptempo efforts, but we recognize runners don’t want them all the time. If we can give the feeling of propulsion & bounce without the plate, it’s a great opportunity for ASICS to keep offering new experiences to runners. As you look at a runner training for their “A” race of the season, they’re typically running through a few different shoes. A race day shoe, a long run shoe, an every day shoe…the beauty of SuperBlast 3 is its versatility, it can cover a pretty wide range of your needs if you need it too, otherwise you can move to your more specific shoes if you need to really nail a speed workout, etc.
Any final words about the SB3?
Running shoes are a sum of countless people working endlessly. A special thanks to our superstar designer Ando-san, and our development hero Masumoto-san for the incredible work to deliver a beautiful product. I love this shoe and I hope you do too.
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Thank you to Paul for taking the time!
