ASICS ANNOUNCE THE LATEST ADDITION TO THE LEGENDARY GEL-KAYANO™ COLLECTION – THE GEL-KAYANO™ LITE SHOE

ASICS ANNOUNCE THE LATEST ADDITION TO THE LEGENDARY GEL-KAYANO™ COLLECTION – THE GEL-KAYANO™ LITE SHOE

· ASICS’ GEL-KAYANO™ Lite model provides a lighter alternative in the flagship stability series, helping runners go further

· The latest shoe in this series is designed with recycled materials offering a sustainable and eco-friendly shoe

[Oct. 2, 2020 – KOBE, JAPAN] – Today, ASICS are proud to announce the launch of the GEL-KAYANO™ Lite shoe. It offers long-distance runners a shoe designed for stability and performance, making it easier to go further, perform better and reduce load on the foot, while reducing weight so they can keep on experiencing the benefits of movement.

ASICS is continuing to listen to runners needs during this unprecedented time. We’re on a mission to make it easy for everyone to experience the mental and physical benefits of movement. With the GEL-KAYANO™ Lite, ASICS brings the lightest ever shoe in GEL-KAYANO™ series, making it the recommended choice for long distance runners. This latest innovation as ASICS also embodies a more eco-friendly design, featuring an engineered mesh upper that was formed with recycled materials.

The new GEL-KAYANO™ Lite delivers comfort, stability and protection, while reducing weight. ASICS are constantly improving and enhancing the GEL-KAYANO™ series, the new Lite editions in the legendary line will offer additional products within the KAYANO™ family, to ensure every runner’s needs are continuing to be met. The new GEL-KAYANO™ Lite shoe features a sustainable midsole compound that provides excellent bounce and responsiveness keeping runners agile over longer distances. The new shoe uses fewer componentry and resources to produce the design making it almost 30 grams lighter in weight [1] .

What’s more, the GEL-KAYANO™ Lite is designed to provide maximum comfort and protection. The 3D SPACE CONSTRUCTIONTM improves stability while maintaining cushioning, and the flared midsole shape helps support runners whose feet roll inward excessively (overpronate) for a more efficient ride. Additionally, the wider base nets in the shoe’s heel and forefoot provide more surface area to create a stable landing and toe-off.

Keishi Kitamoto – designer of the GEL-KAYANO™ LITE says: “Light was the keyword that we used for design inspiration. In this shoe we wanted to adapt the original GEL-KAYANO™ model with a more simplified and sustainable approach. In the GEL-KAYANO™ LITE shoe, I focused on the idea of one unified system and minimal materials to provide stability and protection while reducing the weight of the shoe”.

Despite the ongoing pandemic restrictions, ASICS research shows that globally 7 in 10 (68% globally; 54% in UK) people are more driven than ever to return to their physical peak [2] . The ASICS World Ekiden 2020 comes in direct response to the ever-changing needs of runners and sports fans, bringing together runners of every level to run as a team and achieve a collective goal – the marathon. The GEL-KAYANO™ Lite is a soft and lightweight shoe with the stability needed to stand up to a ton of miles making it a great choice for the ASICS World Ekiden 2020.

The GEL-KAYANO™ Lite™ will be available globally for men and women from ASICS retail, online stores and specialist running outlets. Visit the product videos: the tech video: GEL-KAYANO™ Lite Tech & the sustainability-focused video: GEL-KAYANO Lite™ Sustainability and www.ASICS.com for more information.

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[1] Based on Men’s size US 9 half pair

[2] ASICS 2020 Pulse Survey: a live study of 1,250 regular exercisers in total across five markets that explores how runners are missing the connections, community, and motivation they get from team competition. Conducted by Edelman Intelligence