The ASICS DynaFlyte was a popular choice with the FrontRunner team
Photo credit Nick @manofsport
The DynaFlyte running shoes, part of the FlyteFoam family encourage their users to ‘fly’ with passionate claims to be one of ASICS lightest ever cushioning running shoes. Packed with a full length FlyteFoam midsole and rear foot gel cushioning system these boastfully claim to be a bouncier shoe suitable for any distance. At only 230g that is a hefty ask of a light shoe.
I was fortunate enough to be gifted a ladies pair of these shoes as part of my ASICS FrontRunner UK kit. At first I was dubious, I was given them on the Friday evening ahead of running the last 11km of the Manchester Marathon relay the Sunday morning. I’m always nervous of running in new shoes, however this was intensified by the fact that ten days prior I had spent a day being x-rayed in A & E followed by a weekend on crutches after a sudden and severe bought of Plantar Fasciitis I hadn’t run for over two weeks, and the challenge of coming back from injury and straight into a weekend of running was playing on my mind, but to add new running shoes into the mix sounded like a recipe for disaster.
I spent all day Saturday in these shoes. I took them for a light 5k fun run around Manchester City Centre and was so pleasantly surprised. Not only did they look the part, but hands down these are the most comfortable shoes I have ever put on my feet. They support your entire foot, including the ankle without wighing you down and the padded insole offers bespoke arch support. I never realised how unsupportive my previous running shoes were (they just don’t do it if you catch my drift).
I comfortably ran the 11.39km of my relay leg in these (after only having worn them for ten hours previously) without any foot cramp, rubbing or blisters. I’ve also noticed since the race I haven’t suffered with sore calves as I usually do. These are now my go to running shoes. They’ve had a few Parkrun outings, accompanied me on a very wet and slippery guide running session where they coped superbly and ran my first ever half marathon distance in 1:58:23- prior to this I had never gone beyond 18km without easing off due to foot pain. I have really high hopes that these shoes will push me to not only run faster (as they claim) but run further as I am no longer having to endure painful arches. After reading reviews online it seems other users have made similar comments about them reducing impact and helping prevent injury.
Curious to see how these would perform across all aspects of my fitness training, I’ve also sneakily taught a two hour Zumba class in these. They really are so comfortable and my feet feel supported.
Reading online reviews, other users draw attention to the grip in the wet. To be totally honest I too did notice a slight decrease in the grip when running through surface water around the water stations, however it is worth noting that this is something I am extremely pedantic about. Last year I took an extremely nasty fall whilst running in damp conditions in a competing brand. Not only did I end up with a bruised ego (and a bruised behind!) but my boyfriend spent an hour picking gravel out of my thigh and its left me extremely cautious of running in the wet since. In order to fully test these I have taken them out on wet footpaths at my local Parkrun, which includes a downhill sprint finish. I didn’t feel the grip let me down at all and I haven’t slipped in these, therefore I feel comfortable and confident that these will be my all round running shoe whatever the weather.
One main recommendation is be prepared to go anywhere between 1/2 to a full size up in these. I take a 5 1/2 to 6 in other brands and wear a 7 in the DynaFlytes. Even with a larger size they fit well and do not feel bulky.
All in all, an absolutely amazing running shoe and one I will be championing to all my runner friends. I’m not sure I’ll run in anything else now, and I’m certainly going to be investing in another pair to teach Zumba in. When paired with the ASICS cushioned ankle socks these are actually comfier than my slippers! I definitely recommend trying a pair!
If the dynaflytes aren’t for you, then there is also the Noosa FF another gel packed super lightweight shoe. These are next on my list to try!
This Bunny Runs 