ASICS GEL-FujiRunnegade Review
ASICS GEL-FujiRunnegade
ASICS GEL-FujiRunnegade Initial Thoughts
Godzilla shoes? That was the first thing that I thought of when I saw these aggressive trail runners. WOW! Look at those deep lugs…..are these soccer cleats, football cleats…come on, they can’t be a running shoe, can they? I absolutely love the color, especially the bright orange, hey I am an 80’s kid, it happens. They feel light, even lighter than my ‘go-to’ trail runner the Vivobarefoot Trailfreak. The neoprene upper looks and feels amazing, Vibram Fivefingers did this on their Lontra series and I fell in love with it. So, I didn’t wait long to take them on a run….
Making Tracks in the Trails with the ASICS GEL-FujiRunnegade
ASICS GEL-FujiRunnegade Maiden Voyage
After watching the Fedex guy crash into the snow bank in front of my house to get these to me in such a quick manner, I figured they must be something special and there was no sense in waiting to try them out. A 4 am run was definitely in order. With the temperature at a balmy -7 and a windchill of oh say about -14, just the way I like it. I slipped on the ASICS GEL-FujiRunnegades, a good fit and a great feel, the neoprene upper hugs just below the ankle perfectly. My early morning run would take me across snow, ice and wet pavement, all of which the ASICS GEL-FujiRunnegade had NO problem gripping, not even the slightest slip. Why didn’t I have these shoes at the beginning of winter? Normally in these blistering cold temps, my feet would get cold in about 3 minutes and take about 10 minutes into the run to warm up. Not with these beasts, with such aggressive lugs, these shoes kept me far enough off of the frozen tundra, that my feet never had a chance to get cold, Bonus! What a run, the shoes were comfortable, they felt light on my feet and held my foot falls right where I put them. Without a doubt, a great winter running shoe!
Front View – Aggressive Front Lugs
What about knee deep snow, some slush and a little mud? Driving the ASICS GEL-FujiRunnegade through those environments was a pleasure, the gusseted upper was able to keep everything outside of the shoe, where it belonged. The traction was again unquestionably outstanding! The shoes did allow some moisture in, but with the breathability of the shoe, it dried out fairly quick, once I was out of the wet environment.
Fully Gusseted Upper on the ASICS GEL-FujiRunnegade Keeping Out the Knee Deep Snow
ASICS GEL-FujiRunnegade Features
The weight of the ASICS GEL-FujiRunnegade is a light 9.2 oz., thanks in part to the Solyte® midsole material. The shoes have a heavy look to them but they are incredibly light to wear. They have a 6 mm heel drop, measuring 11 mm at the heel and 5 mm at the forefoot. The ASICS GEL-FujiRunnegade has a fully gusseted neoprene upper that keeps out snow, dirt and debris; I love it for the snug feel that it gives me around my foot. The bright green pull tabs are a must when it comes to the neoprene upper, as they allow for a very easy slide onto the foot application. However, the only down fall this shoe has is where the outer body, the neoprene layer, and the back pull tab come together at the heel. It brings together four layers of material and sewing, making a stiff spot in the shoe, that caused some uncomfortable rubbing on my heel. It is not huge, but noticeable if I was wearing thin socks. Throw on thick socks and the problem goes away.
Neoprene Upper, Front and Back Pull Loops
The ASICS GEL-FujiRunnegade has great cushioning consisting of the Rearfoot GEL® Cushioning System and the , allowing for a smooth and comfortable landing. The stand out feature and my favorite is the tread on this trail shoe, without a doubt it falls into the category of AGGRESSIVE. The treads grab snow, ice, dirt, mud and sand without ever losing traction. The lugs have a perfect soft rubber feel, which allows for great gripping and extra cushioning. Running both uphill and downhill was a joy, knowing I had no chance of slipping or sliding out of my stride.
Deep AGGRESSIVE Tread on the ASICS GEL-FujiRunnegade
ASICS GEL-FujiRunnegade Final Thoughts
The ASICS GEL-FujiRunnegade is a super aggressive trail running shoe built for the die-hard off road runner. The ASICS GEL-FujiRunnegade has a snug comfortable fit, making you feel sure and secure in every stride. Calling all hardcore trail junkies…I challenge you to try and find some terrain that these shoes can not handle.
Mud Running with the ASICS GEL-FujiRunnegade
For more information visit: www.asicsamerica.com
MSRP: $100
Did you test Salomon Speedcross 3? How would you compare them to Salomon?
Hey Minya, we did get a chance to review the Salomon Speedcross 3 a while back, here is the link to that review. https://www.activegearreview.com/running-gear-reviews/trail-running-shoes/salomon-speedcross-3-review/ The Speedcross 3 doesn’t have the neoprene upper which some people either like or dislike. The lugs are going to be similar in size. The Speedcross 3 provides a little more cushion in the insole. All in all, these shoes are pretty similar as they are both pretty aggressive trail running shoes. We had different testers on these two shoes, so we can’t really do a side by side comparison.
Hey Kevin,
Thanks for info. I came to pretty much same conclusion reading reviews here, just wanted to check if anyone had experience with both shoes.
Cheers,
Minya
Sounds good Minya. Having only run in the Speedcross 3 myself, I have to say that I really liked that shoe to run in. Works great on pretty much all trail types, but it might be overkill if you’re only running gravel paths.
I have the Speedcross 3 I used for last years races. The traction was great. My biggest peeve about them was the tongue was ever exposed as it needed to be large enough to tuck the extra speed lace system. This was annoying in terms of it would flap over in water & mud and help guide debris into the shoe. So much so that I had to buy the gater for them. Which come with their own problems but they worked.
After reading your review on these Asics above and a few other ones online. I decided to purchase a pair for $72 on Amazon for this years set of races. Lets see how they hold up. The built in gater is a huge uptick IMO.