ASICS GT-2000 13 Review: Gentle Guidance For The Win

All shoes are reviewed by the Fleet Feet tester team, which represents a wide variety of goals, foot shapes, running locations and terrains. Reviewers pound the pavement, climb the hills, tackle the trails, then come together to compare notes. Debates ensue over the feel of the cushioning, the purpose of the shoe, and how it compares to last year’s model. While each reviewer has their own individual preferences, we hope that capturing our debates will help you make an informed decision.

Over 42 seasons at Duke University, Coach K coached the Blue Devils to 5 national titles and 42 Final Four appearances. He’s one of the most famous coaches in the country, but few aside from hardcore basketball fans can name any of his assistant coaches.

The ASICS GT-2000 13, available September 1, is the assistant coach of running shoes. While the ASICS GEL-Kayano 31 gets most of the love and attention, often making the list of Best Stability Shoes for Runners, the GT-2000 has always been there on the sidelines providing gentle and consistent guidance and support.

The new GT-2000 13 remains largely unchanged from last year’s model, aside from a new engineered mesh upper. Does it have what it takes to support you through the finish line? Read on to find out.

The stability is brought to you by ASICS’ 3D Guidance System, which consists of three key components—a wider base, a beveled heel and a forefoot flare. The wider base provides a stable platform for landings, reducing excessive side-to-side motion. The beveled heel lessens impact upon landings, and the forefoot flare helps you easily transition into the toe-off phase.

This technology offers support for runners with all gait patterns without restricting your foot’s natural motion path.

“ASICS’ 3D Guidance System adds essential stability that is noticeable yet comfortable,” says Spencer. “I like how the inner support is helpful for my stride while avoiding too much rigidity. I also found the shoe very lightweight. I sometimes struggle with my running cadence in heavier shoes–not the case at all here. My turnover rate felt solid when picking up the pace.”

I tested these out on a 6-mile treadmill run (it’s the only way for me to get any elevation), and I was pleased with the ride. While the heel feels very structured to add stability, the mid- and forefoot feel flexible so there’s no rigidity in the toe-off phase. Overall, these work pretty well for me. The cushioning is slightly firmer than what I’d usually go for, but it feels flexible enough so that it doesn’t impede my stride. My feet are still able to move the way they want to in this shoe.

The ASICS GT-2000 13 sports a new lightweight, breathable engineered mesh upper to provide comfort and support all over. For the most part, our reviewers enjoyed the fit of this shoe–although our male testers found the fit to be a bit narrow.

“The shoe fits true to size in length but it’s a little slim in width along the midfoot and, as someone with narrow feet, I’m curious to hear what the rest of the team thought,” Max says.

Spencer agreed, saying “While the width is not necessarily narrow, I found it to run a bit slimmer than average. However, I have slightly wider feet and the fit was not problematic on the run.”

Not sure if your feet are narrow or wide? Head into your local Fleet Feet. Fleet Feet outfitters use 3D fit id® foot scanning technology to gather information about your feet and the support they need by taking precise measurements of your foot length, width and arch height, so you can learn a lot about your feet while you’re there.

Mandy and I didn’t notice any problems with the width of the shoe, although Mandy did have some beef with the heel collar. ASICS uses what they call their Lean Back Achilles Construction, which is essentially the tapering of the heel collar away from the achilles area.

“I wish the heel was a little more flared in the back because the stiffness of it dug into my heel a bit,” she says. “My first test run in these shoes was 30 minutes, so by the day of my seven-miler I knew to wear socks that came up a bit higher. Otherwise, I think I would have gotten blisters.”

I didn’t have any problems with the heel, despite having some nasty preexisting blisters from other shoes. This could have been due to the fact that I wasn’t sweating as much since I was on the treadmill, but I’ll take the win regardless.

Apart from the snug midfoot and tapered out heel, we all appreciated the locked-down fit provided by the gusseted tongue and extra lacing eyelets. I was able to tie the marathon loop to eliminate any excessive heel movement.

The ASICS GT-2000 13 remains largely unchanged from the previous version, save for a teeny increase in stack height and a minimal increase in weight for the men’s model. Both of these changes are so miniscule that we didn’t even notice them and doubt you will either.

“The GT-2000 13 feels very similar to the 12,” Max says. “The biggest update is the new upper that feels more breathable with more airflow coming through. Otherwise, it feels like there have been minimal changes.”

We took a look at some comparable models to see how they stack up against the GT-2000 13. Here’s what we found.

Reviewers found the ASICS GT-2000 13 to feel most similar to the New Balance 860 v13 and the Karhu Synchron 2.0, both their respective brand’s mid-cushion stability shoes.

The 860 feels similar to the GT-2000 13 because both shoes are surprisingly soft. The 860 uses New Balance’s plush Fresh Foam X foam, while the GT-2000 13 uses soft FF BLAST PLUS foam.

The Synchron 2.0 comes into play because of its gentle rocker shape. We noticed the GT-2000 13 had a nice forward roll as well.

“The GT-2000 13’s rolling feature kept my momentum going without feeling forced,” Spencer says. “The rocking function wasn’t too aggressive, and I could still move laterally for gym exercises.”

The ASICS GT-2000 13 is a suitable shoe for runners who like some stability and structure in the heel area, but a flexible mid- and forefoot for smooth and easy transitions. Runners who want or need a bit of extra support but have been put off by the rigidity of older-model stability shoes will likely enjoy the GT-2000.

“The GT-2000 13 feels like a friend who’s offering their hand when crossing some uneven terrain–it’s there if you need it, but won’t get in your way if you don’t,” says Max.

It’s also a great choice for those runners who don’t want to sacrifice weight for comfort. This shoe is one of the lightest stability shoes we’ve tested, so it can handle a variety of paces without weighing you down.

The GT-2000 13 is available in wide and extra-wide sizing for both women and men, and narrow sizing for women. If you like the underfoot feel, chances are good you’ll be able to find your perfect fit.