Asics Gel 3010 Review

Asics originally developed the GEL 3010 as the Creed in 2004. Five years later it is far more refined and more comfortable for the wearer.

Who is this shoe for?

Targeted towards the runner who continues to pronate late into the mid-stance phase of gait, the shoe’s aim is to distract frontal plane forces and transform into sagittal plane forces.

There are 7 parts that make up the shoe’s outsole. With smaller outsole segments, there is less surface tension and it is easier to plantarflex the foot at the propulsive phase gait. When the body can reach propulsive gait quickly, this reduces energy expenditure.

Women specific features make it better fitting and more comfortable. During the women’s menstrual cycle, peak levels of oestrogen are released on approximately day 15. Oestrogen is a soft tissue relaxant and studies show the Plantar fascia strain reduces and the Plantar fascia drops in height. It is common for women to report arch pain during this time, (Bartold, Nishiwaki 2007). The 3010 has a women specific flexible trussic that allows the arch to drop freely at different rates without being irritated by the midshank.

The Dynamic Foot Cradle is a separate medial portion of EVA that is designed to guide the body movement forward and distract away from pronation forces at mid-stance gait.  Personal Heel Fit is incorporated into the heel of the shoes’ upper. This is a closed cell memory foam that moulds to the wearers’ heel and reduces shear forces and blistering.  Biomorphic material with 4-way stretch is added in the 5^th MPJ point where there is high deformation in the upper.  It is also placed in the medial arch of the shoes’ upper to give closer fit for individual foot types. Studies show a correlation between low levels of comfort and higher injury rate (Munderman et al 2005) so the above features that are designed to improve comfort levels may contribute to lowering injury.

In a nutshell, the 3010 is a shoe that is designed for the foot type that is slow to re-supinate. It aims to reduce eccentric load on Tibialis posterior and Soleus muscles whilst keeping the shoes’ weight low and making it easy to flex the foot at propulsion.  This shoe functions better than previous 3000 model as the outsole has been remodelled to increase metatarsal flexibility. The shoe is now therefore more comfortable under foot and its upper has been refined to improve wrap around fit whilst under dynamic load.