Which is lighter, the ASICS Magic Speed 5 or the Nike Zoom Fly 6?

The ASICS Magic Speed 5, at 196g against 244g — a difference of 48g per shoe (men's US 9).

Which is cheaper, the ASICS Magic Speed 5 or the Nike Zoom Fly 6?

The Nike Zoom Fly 6, at £145 UK RRP against £150 — £5.00 less. Street prices move, so check the retailer for the live figure.

Which lasts longer, the ASICS Magic Speed 5 or the Nike Zoom Fly 6?

The Nike Zoom Fly 6 — we estimate roughly 600km of competitive life against roughly 500km. That is the point at which the foam stops returning what you paid for, not the point at which the shoe falls apart.

Are the ASICS Magic Speed 5 and Nike Zoom Fly 6 legal for road racing?

Yes. Both measure inside the World Athletics 40mm road limit — the Magic Speed 5 at 37.5mm and the Zoom Fly 6 at 40mm.

Race Shoe FinderThe independent race lab

ASICS Magic Speed 5 v. Nike Zoom Fly 6

The two best entry points to a carbon plate, both around £150–165 and durable enough to train in. First-marathon territory.

The short answer

The ASICS Magic Speed 5 is 48g lighter (196g against 244g), the Nike Zoom Fly 6 is £5.00 cheaper at RRP (£145 against £150), and the Nike Zoom Fly 6 stays fast for roughly 100km longer (~600km against ~500km). Both are inside the World Athletics 40mm road limit.

Weight · men's US 9

Magic Speed 5196g

Zoom Fly 6244g

0320g

Price · UK RRP

Magic Speed 5£150

Zoom Fly 6£145

0£450

Competitive life · km before the foam fades

Magic Speed 5500km

Zoom Fly 6600km

0700km

■ marks the better figure, where better is not a matter of taste

Both soles, one drawing3 units per mm · the line is the 40mm road limit

Zoom Fly 640mm — on the limit

Magic Speed 537.5mm — road legal

The tape

manufacturer-stated · ■ the better figure, where better is not a matter of taste

Specification	Magic Speed 5	Zoom Fly 6
RRP	£150	£145 (advantage)
Weight	196g (advantage)	244g
Stack	37.5 / 30.5mm	40 / 32mm
Drop	7mm	8mm
Road legal	yes	yes
Plate	carbon fibre	carbon fibre
Foam	FF Blast Turbo	ZoomX over SR-02
Competitive life	~500km	~600km (advantage)
Price per km of life	£0.30	£0.24 (advantage)
Fit	standard	standard
Underfoot	stable	stable
Built for	10K · Half · Marathon	Half · Marathon
Economy gain	2–3.1%	1.5–2.6%

Reading — both shoes, your race

Race

Current time

= 5:20/km

Compared with

Magic Speed 5

Time bought back

−1:23 – 2:38

010 min

Projected finish: 3:42:22– 3:43:37
Per second ■: £0.16
Per race: £19
Races in the foam: ~7.9

Zoom Fly 6

Time bought back

−0:49 – 2:04

010 min

Projected finish: 3:42:56– 3:44:11
Per second: £0.18
Per race: £15
Races in the foam: ~9.5

Modelled economy gain adjusted for pace and your current shoes; ranges reflect the spread published between individual runners. Full method.

Which we would choose

Race	For the time	For the money
10Kat a reference 45:00	Only the Magic Speed 5 is built for this distance.
Half marathonat a reference 1:45:00	Magic Speed 5−42s to −1m 19s	Magic Speed 5cheaper per second saved
Marathonat a reference 3:45:00	Magic Speed 5−1m 23s to −2m 38s	Magic Speed 5cheaper per second saved

Reference times, trainer baseline, whole-life economics. Your own time changes the answer — use the reading above.

The case for each

ASICS Magic Speed 5

The best entry point to carbon. Real plate, real super foam, durable enough to train in, and about half the price of the flagships.

■ Caution The foam is a tier below FF Turbo+ and you will feel it over 30km. For a first marathon it is more than enough.

SportsShoes ↗

Full sheet

Nike Zoom Fly 6

The sensible answer for a first marathon. Carbon plate, durable foam, a third of the cost per race of an Alphafly because it lasts more than twice as long.

■ Caution Heavy for a race shoe at 244g. This is a workout shoe that can race, not a racer that can train.

Nike ↗

Full sheet

Straight answers

Which is lighter, the ASICS Magic Speed 5 or the Nike Zoom Fly 6?: The ASICS Magic Speed 5, at 196g against 244g — a difference of 48g per shoe (men's US 9).
Which is cheaper, the ASICS Magic Speed 5 or the Nike Zoom Fly 6?: The Nike Zoom Fly 6, at £145 UK RRP against £150 — £5.00 less. Street prices move, so check the retailer for the live figure.
Which lasts longer, the ASICS Magic Speed 5 or the Nike Zoom Fly 6?: The Nike Zoom Fly 6 — we estimate roughly 600km of competitive life against roughly 500km. That is the point at which the foam stops returning what you paid for, not the point at which the shoe falls apart.
Are the ASICS Magic Speed 5 and Nike Zoom Fly 6 legal for road racing?: Yes. Both measure inside the World Athletics 40mm road limit — the Magic Speed 5 at 37.5mm and the Zoom Fly 6 at 40mm.

Manufacturer-stated specs unless marked estimated on the shoe sheet · last reviewed 2026-09-04 · prices are UK RRP.