Asics Gel Kayano 30 vs 29 Comparison Running Shoe Review

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The main difference between the Asics Gel Kayano 30 running shoes and the Asics Gel Kayano 29 running shoes is the upgraded midsole and overall geometry – translating to the most comfortable and sustainable Asics Gel Kayano ever.

Sportitude Running shoe expert Josh Willoughby reviews the Asics Gel Kayano 30 and highlights how it has evolved from the Asics Gel Kayano 29. Adjustments to the upper, midsole and outsole translate to a confidence-inspiring ride, providing a softer and smoother running experience for overpronators.

Asics have shed away the knitted upper of the previous model in preference for a more breathable and less restrictive engineered mesh material – providing lightweight ventilation and flexibility for your high mileage runs and everyday training.

The PureGel cushioning is no longer visible. Don’t worry though, it’s concealed within the rearfoot to provide the shock absorption you trust, creating a heel striker-friendly ride. The LiteTruss system has been replaced with a 4D Guidance System for stable arch support – minimising the contact time you have with the ground during the midstance phase of your gait cycle to manage overpronation.

FlyteFoam Blast Plus technology has had Eco added to the name - translating to eco-friendly benefits. It provides an energised ride with a sustainability focus, being made in part with recycled sugar cane.

The 4mm increase in stack height works in harmony with a wider, more stable platform underfoot - boosting the surface area of the outsole to combine balanced cushioning with a reliable connection to the ground.

Check out the review with full transcript below.

Hey guys Josh here from Sportitude Running and today we are going to take a deep dive look at the new Asics Gel Kayano 30 running shoes.

This running shoe has had a massive update for the mid-part of 2023 in comparison to where it has come from in the Asics Gel Kayano 29 and Asics Gel Kayano 28.

In today's review we'll talk about all the usual topics being the outsole, midsole and upper. We're going to discuss all the big changes regarding the new Asics Gel Kayano franchise. We’ll hopefully answer the questions you have around this running shoe and give you all the information you need at home to maybe make this your next shoe purchase. Without further ado, let's get stuck in.

Who Is the Asics Gel Kayano 30 Running Shoes For?

The Asics Gel Kayano 30 is still targeting the same runner, an overpronator who's searching for cushioning underneath the foot when they're hitting the pavement out on the road. It is a daily trainer and it's a workhorse, nothing has changed there.

You're going to get a lot of good miles out of this running shoe which is what you would expect from Asics' premium high mileage arch support shoe.

Upper

Jumping into the review, let's talk all things upper. In every aspect of this running shoe there is significant change and probably the least amount of change comes from the upper. I'm saying that tongue-in-cheek because there is a significant amount that they have done in executing the upper of the Asics Gel Kayano 30.

We had a knitted construction in the Asics Gel Kayano 29 which was great for durability. A lot of runners liked how it held up over the life of the running shoe. However, the feedback which we predicted in early days was that it wasn't going to be quite as breathable.

No surprises there, knitted constructions aren't as breathable as engineered mesh or jacquard mesh constructions. That was the case regarding the toe box of the Asics Gel Kayano 29. It fitted really well and had a nice amount of wriggle room. However, you're going to find the Asics Gel Kayano 30 to be lighter on your foot up top and to be significantly more breathable.

That's a really important factor when you're looking at a higher mileage shoe. You're going to be spending plenty of time out on the road and you want to make sure that you can reduce the impact of swelling, meaning ventilation and keeping your foot cool is so important.

The other great thing about running shoe is the internal heel counter. You would expect that from this running shoe because it is a high mileage, so you want to make sure that the heel counter is nice and stable.

It’s the same thing as last year. It’s almost identical to be completely honest with the internal heel counter except for the fact we had a slight beam around the external heel counter in the Asics Gel Kayano 29. That was placed there to offer a little bit more support to slow down the rate of pronation for the runner who is transitioning from contact to midstance. It’s not required in the Asics Gel Kayano 30. The reason is more due to the midsole, which we'll touch on in a second.

The internal collar is a really comfortable point of this running shoe. They increased it ever so slightly so there’s a slightly thicker amount of foam or more foam on offer around the back of the heel in comparison to last year. It’s not drastic amounts of change, but enough to notice, that's for sure.

The other big change is more around the actual tongue construction. There was no gusseted fit in last year's Asics Gel Kayano 29 which was a bit strange to be fair, because generally speaking with most mileage shoes they do use some form of gusset construction. It was a unique decision for Asics to leave that out of their running shoe for a season, but so be it. They learned and put it into the Asics Gel Kayano 30.

We have the gusset construction and a thinner tongue. The thinner tongue plays more to the breathability of the running shoe.

Outsole

Let’s jump into the outsole. The reason we're doing the outsole next is because both the outsole and the upper played to what Asics have done with their midsole which is a significant change.

In the outsole offers a lot more shoe underneath the foot. The heel, midfoot and forefoot is significantly wider than what we had on offer last year in the Asics Gel Kayano 29. The similarities between the two is that we have the AHARPLUS compound rubber. That's a carbon rubber which is strategically placed in the heel of the running shoe.

Last year in the Asics Gel Kayano 29, it was in the back. It was the same thing with the Asics Gel Kayano 30 that is catering for that heel striker making contact with the ground heel first.

However, as you transition up into the midfoot, last year Asics used that same compound upper through the Trusstic area. That aided in giving the LiteTruss medial support a bit of guidance and structural integrity.

They didn't need to do that this year because the Asics Gel Kayano 30 running shoe is on a wider footprint and also the way they have injected the PureGel into the midsole, which we'll touch on in a second.

We have a wider base regarding the overall midstance phase of the Asics Kayano 30. There's a lot more running shoe on offer as you transition through the midsection of your gait cycle. As you're coming through to the forefoot, it’s the same thing. We have a lot more running shoe underneath the ball of the foot.

The biggest change is on the outside with the vertical decoupled line. That offers a little bit more stability as you transition through midstance to toe-off. It'll keep you off the medial side of this midsole. For those late-stage overpronators, you'll probably find this running shoe to be a little bit more comfortable than last year's Asics Gel Kayano 29. It's a minor thing, but it does play to the overall performance of this running shoe.

Midsole

The biggest change is in the midsole and no surprises there, Asics have been known for making very good technologies throughout the midsoles for a number of years and that's probably where they have really grown as a brand regarding what they've executed in the Asics Gel Kayano 30.

They've taken a lot of learnings from their Asics Gel Kayano 29, the Asics Gel Kayano Lite version 1, Asics Gel Kayano Lite 2 and Asics Gel Kayano Lite 3 to help them gather enough information to put into the Asics Gel Kayano 30.

First things first, let's touch on that arch support. I've brought it up a few times, we had the LiteTruss arch support system which is that dual density medial posting on the Asics Gel Kayano 29. It was previously DuoMax. For those of you that have run in previous Asics Gel Kayano or know what we're talking about, the DuoMax dual density foam then went to LiteTruss, and now it’s the 4D Guidance System. The biggest change between the two is this is less intrusive.

4D plays on the terminology of the fourth dimension which is time. Asics are claiming the Asics Gel Kayano 30 running shoes give you less ground contact time through the midstance phase and that is a massive claim because that's exactly what we're trying to achieve for overpronators. We want to get you out of that phase of your gait cycle as quickly as we possibly can, where there's less impact.

The theory has been for a number of years that whacking up that arch support on the medial side will stop, reduce or slow down that rate of pronation. However, more of the science and the learnings from that is coming out around slowing down the rate of pronation through cushioning on entry, but also pushing us through midstance as quickly as we can. That's a great way to execute that arch support.

The Asics Gel Kayano 30 running shoe has me really intrigued. From getting my pair about two months ago and putting some kilometres into them, I've really wanted to know what this running shoe is all about. It is still catering for that overpronator, someone who's looking for some arch support. That 4D Guidance System performs extremely well. It’s very comfortable, less intrusive and I find this running shoe has a little bit more pop through toe-off which is fantastic.

The other main change within this midsole is more around the stack height. Straightaway visually there is more running shoe. We still have a 10mm heel-to-toe drop. In the men's Asics Gel Kayano 30 we have 29mm in the heel and 19mm in the forefoot. In the women's Asics Gel Kayano it is 1mm less, so it's on a 28mm heel and 18mm forefoot.

Last year's Asics Gel Kayano 29 was the same heel-to-toe offset. In the men's model we had 25mm in the heel and 15mm in the forefoot. In the women’s model it was 24mm in the heel and 14mm in the forefoot. It’s the same angle of which your foot from heel-to-toe is sitting in the running shoe, but there's more underneath your foot regarding the new model.

FlyteFoam Blast Plus technology is on offer which the Asics Gel Kayano 29 had last year. We still have it in the Asics Gel Kayano 30, but is a significantly softer and plusher underneath foot experience, potentially because there is more shoe underneath the foot. It's very comfortable and Asics are really having a good hard look at themselves and trying to reduce their carbon footprint.

There is less impact on the environment with this midsole than what they had previously with the Asics Kayano 29 and the couple running shoes prior to that. Asics are addressing that and every brand is addressing that, so I tip my hat to them and encourage them to keep putting in the hard work in that area. We are really keen to see what brands can do regarding what they’re considering to lessen their impact on the environment.

I've talked about the densities of foam, being the PureGel technology. It's hidden inside the Asics Gel Kayano 30 heel, not like in the Asics Gel Kayano 29 and pretty much every Asics Gel Kayano I can ever think of. Previously we saw the Gel in the heel and once they removed it from the forefoot, everyone got a little bit scared. However, they did strategically place it in the forefoot under the ball of the foot, we just couldn't see it.

Again in the Asics Gel Kayano 30, the Gel is there, but now we can't see it. I can assure you we have Gel cushioning in the heel. The PureGel cushioning is around 65g lighter than what they had previously used, so it's a lighter compounded Gel but it's the foam that encapsulates that Gel that does all the work.

As I touched on, we've gone over all the tech stats to talk to you about the fancy words for all the Gels and the foams, but I really want to talk about the geometry of this running shoe. We have a significant change regarding the amount of foam underneath the foot, not only in height but the width.

That cutaway or decoupled line at the back of this heel in conjunction with that concave set-up on the lateral side is not too dissimilar to what they had on offer in the Asics Gel Kayano 29. There was a concave set-up from the base of the heel down to where it flares out in the lateral side.

However, based on their testing from prototype 1 to now prototype 2 and what we have in front of us being the final production, Asics have carved away the midsole on this lateral side. When you make contact with the ground being a heel striker or midfoot striker, you will compress the foam by purely being a concave set-up.

Therefore, you can push through that FlyteFoam Blast Plus technology a little bit more, sit your heel on top of that PureGel technology to get that cushioning that you require on that first point of contact, helping transition you slower to midstance.

The 4D Guidance System on the medial side then pushes you through midstance to toe-off to get a slightly more poppy feel through the forefoot which is a great way to execute the release out of this Asics Gel Kayano 30. It's very comfortable, very soft and a very stable ride, and as you release out of your gait cycle, you want to put your foot back down again. That's how comfortable this new midsole is.

The Wrap Up

Thank you so much for tuning into today's review. We know it was a lengthy one but I wanted to give the Asics Gel Kayano 30 running shoe the time and respect it deserves so I can give you all the information that you need at home.

Let summarise the upper. It’s lighter and it's more breathable. The Asics Gel Kayano 30 uses engineered mesh in comparison to the knit upper in the previous model. It's going to be light on the foot and it's going to get more ventilation throughout the foot channelling.

The internal heel counter is pretty much identical. It’s the same amount of support around the back and a little bit more foam around the inside of your calcaneus, being your heel. The midsole has more stack, we have a lot more running shoe under the foot.

It features a 10mm offset, the same as last year, however they've gone 4mm higher in the stack height. There’s a lot of change. It’s still using the same cushioning system, however the biggest change is obviously the arch support, the 4D Guided System in comparison to the LiteTruss. It’s less intrusive and a more stable, smoother transition throughout the entire gait cycle. That's the easiest way to simplify what this running shoe does.

Last but not least is the outsole. The outsole plays to exactly what they've done with the midsole with a higher stack, wider footprint for more shoe underneath the foot and a more stable transition. This rubber is going to perform better with this midsole than what we found last year. You'll get a little bit more durability out of the outsole in the Asics Gel Kayano 30.

The last question you're probably asking at home is, “There's been so much change, what’s the difference in the weight?”. It's almost exactly the same. It's quite remarkable when a brand can put more into a running shoe and execute the same amount of weight.

It’s 300 grams in a men's size 9, same as last year. In the women’s model we have 257 grams, almost identical to last year's Asics Gel Kayano 29. It’s very similar in weight, but there's a lot of change inside this running shoe.

There you have it guys, the Asics Gel Kayano 30. There’s significant change that we were all excited about. We were very lucky to see a CAD of this running shoe in the front half of 2022 almost a year ago.

We knew this change was coming but we didn't know how much it was going to impact the market. We still don't know because it's only early days, but I am super excited regarding what this running shoe is proposing to do.

There’s lot of learnings from Asics. They've taken the history of the Asics Gel Kayano franchise for three decades now. To pay respect to a brand, we need to be kind of cautious regarding a lot of change because change is inevitable with shoe engineering. It happens, there are some brands that do small changes from one season to the next and I will probably put Asics in that category over the last three decades.

The Asics Gel Kayano franchise has been extremely popular, so if something isn't broken why should we fix it? That's a general rule of thumb with engineering, however you still need to remain progressive in today's market.

They’ve taken that Asics Kayano Lite feedback, the Asics Gel Kayano 29 and Asics Gel Kayano 28 franchise data feedback and put it into what we see today, being the Asics Gel Kayano 30.

It’s a running shoe that could talk to nearly everyone. The Asics Gel Kayano Lite was probably a little bit more dialled in for you true runner, while the Asics Gel Kayano 28 and Asics Gel Kayano 29 we're dialled in for your everyday runner.

The Asics Gel Kayano 30 is talking to high mileage runners. It's talking to your new runners and someone who's an everyday athlete that likes to get out and roll their legs over this running shoe. It’s going to cater for a lot more runners which is extremely exciting.

If you have any questions on this running shoe, please contact our Sportitude shoe experts. It is my favourite Asics Gel Kayano to date. I'm excited to say that because prior to this it was the Asics Gel Kayano 18, that's probably showing my age or how many years I've been in this industry.

The Asics Gel Kayano 18 had a big change with the heel counter. I really liked what the brand had done with that, however in the last 12 years I've been waiting for something that exciting to come to mind.

I will potentially use the Asics Gel Kayano 30 running shoe as my daily trainer. I haven't used the Asics Gel Kayano as my all-day everyday training shoe for a number of years now, but I can see myself certainly pounding the payment in this Asics Gel Kayano 30. It's exciting, it's soft, it's plush, it's comfortable, it's everything that I want out of a higher mileage running shoe.

Thank you for tuning in. Subscribe to the Sportitude YouTube channel if you haven't already done so to stay notified. We'll keep pumping out these running shoe reviews for you the running community all over the world. We'd love to hear your stories.

Stay kind to one another, be happy and we'll see you out on the road. Take care.

FEATURES

Support: Stability
Upper: Engineered Air Mesh
Midsole: Asics FlyteFoam Blast Plus Eco, Asics PureGEL

Men

Heel Height: 29mm
Forefoot Height: 19mm
Offset / Drop: 10mm
Weight: 300g / 10.6oz
Widths: D (standard), 2E (wide), 4E (extra wide)

Women

Heel Height: 28mm
Forefoot Height: 18mm
Offset / Drop: 10mm
Weight: 257g / 9.1oz
Widths: 2A (narrow), B (standard), D (wide)

For a more in-depth shoe fitting experience, you can book a free 15 minute video chat in a Live Fit session or make an appointment to discover your RunDNA at Sportitude Running@Hindmarsh.

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