Asics Piranha SP 2 Review


The last 5 years I've been constantly flipping between Asics and Adidas - I've tried Tiger Paws, Gel Magic Racers, Rockets, AdiZero Pros, AdiZero Manas, AdiZero RCs and they've all lead me to one shoe at this point: the Asics Piranha. (I threw one pair of Nike's in there and they were fine, but not compelling).

I've had my eye on the Piranha's for awhile now but I always thought they looked too light and flimsy (even for me). However a few months ago I decided to give them a try anyways. After one run I was thrilled, but now after 300 miles I'm sold. They've held up great - the rubber wears down but it's still a fine surface to run on, and there's barely any padding to begin with so there's not much to break down. I've never had a shoe feel so much like an extension of my foot. 

At 4.2 oz (size 9) they're definitely the lightest flats I've got. And the flex is great since there's no hard plastic areas for flex control. There's minimal rubber on the bottom so they're not going to win any awards for traction, but I've had no problems whatsoever (disclaimer: I've run in 0 ice or snow during the 300 miles). Also, while the Rocket's tended to have too much stitching that dug into parts of my feet, the Piranha's have a very minimal seaming system which I've never noticed any blisters, cuts, or bruises from. In fact my feet are looking the best they ever have on that front. 

I've been training exclusively in these for a couple months now and while they definitely took another adaptation period (the heel to toe differential is only 4mm) now I don't think I could go back to heavier flats. 300 miles I also haven't detected any signs of shoe malfunction - they're still comfortable, they still have plenty of traction, and besides the stink they still have plenty of miles left in them. The padding is so minimal I think I'll even try tossing them in the washing machine. 

Pros: As light as it gets in the USA @ 4.2 oz, flexible, rubber bottoms (no hard tack), great stitching, lowest heel to toe differential I've seen.

Cons: The even lower than normal heel will take a little extra getting used to.


Comments

Spine said…
Thanks for the review. Just ordered a pair. I just got a new pair of Hyperspeeds and am finding them to be stiffer than I was expecting. Looking forward to trying the Piranhas.
Anonymous said…
I've also been running on a pair of Piranha sp 2s for well over 300 miles in Boston. I've run through snow, ice, slush, etc. They hold up great in it all . . . they certainly aren't waterproof, but they dry out very quickly:)

I'll be buying my 2nd pair this week because I wore a hole through the shoes right under the big toe (both shoes at the same time) and I'm taking in too much snow.
Anonymous said…
I have been looking everywhere for a pair of these, running warehouse no longer carries them, nor does my local running store. Where can I get a pair?
Anonymous said…
I LOVE this shoe too, anyone know where i might get a size 9?
Anonymous said…
P.S. The new Piranha SP 3 is HORRIBLE and a huge downgrade compared to the 1 and 2.
Unknown said…
I've run 2 full sub 3:30 marathons in a pair of Piranha SP3's with no blisters and or black toenails. I have over 550 miles on them and I am wondering if the SP4 versions are better.
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