The two lightest marathon shoes ever sold, and £200 apart. Both are race-day-only purchases — the arithmetic matters more here than anywhere.
The ASICS Metaspeed Ray is 9g lighter (129g against 138g), the ASICS Metaspeed Ray is £200 cheaper at RRP (£250 against £450), and the ASICS Metaspeed Ray stays fast for roughly 10km longer (~130km against ~120km). Both are inside the World Athletics 40mm road limit.
Weight · men's US 9
Price · UK RRP
Competitive life · km before the foam fades
■ marks the better figure, where better is not a matter of taste
Adizero Adios Pro Evo 239mm — road legal
Metaspeed Ray39.5mm — on the limit
| Specification | Adizero Adios Pro Evo 2 | Metaspeed Ray |
|---|---|---|
| RRP | £450 | £250 (advantage) |
| Weight | 138g | 129g (advantage) |
| Stack | 39 / 36mm | 39.5 / 34.5mm |
| Drop | 3mm | 5mm |
| Road legal | yes | yes |
| Plate | carbon fibre | carbon fibre |
| Foam | Lightstrike Pro | FF Leap |
| Competitive life | ~120km | ~130km (advantage) |
| Price per km of life | £3.75 | £1.92 (advantage) |
| Fit | narrow | narrow |
| Underfoot | demanding | demanding |
| Built for | Half · Marathon | Half · Marathon |
| Economy gain | 3.8–5% | 3.7–4.9% |
= 5:20/km
Modelled economy gain adjusted for pace and your current shoes; ranges reflect the spread published between individual runners. Full method.
| Race | For the time | For the money |
|---|---|---|
| Half marathonat a reference 1:45:00 | Adizero Adios Pro Evo 2−1m 43s to −2m 23s | Metaspeed Raycheaper per second saved |
| Marathonat a reference 3:45:00 | Adizero Adios Pro Evo 2−3m 26s to −4m 46s | Metaspeed Raycheaper per second saved |
Reference times, trainer baseline, whole-life economics. Your own time changes the answer — use the reading above.
The lightest marathon shoe ever sold and, on the evidence, the fastest. At 138g it is closer to a track spike than a road shoe.
■ Caution The reason it is on this list twice over: at £450 with a competitive life around 120km, this is comfortably the most expensive shoe per race you can buy. Run the numbers before you buy — that is what the calculator is for.
ASICS answering the Adios Pro Evo directly. At 129g it is the lightest shoe here, and it feels like almost nothing on the foot.
■ Caution Stripped-back uppers and minimal outsole buy that weight saving. Expect a short competitive life and treat it as a race-day-only shoe.
Manufacturer-stated specs unless marked estimated on the shoe sheet · last reviewed 2026-08-13 · prices are UK RRP.