The showcase event will bring runners together in the shadow of the Japan National Stadium to celebrate the launch of ASICS’ latest pinnacle running products.
[24 April 2025 – Hoofddorp, The Netherlands] – ASICS will be closing the streets of Tokyo on Saturday, 3 May, to host a unique speed race on a flat, fast course next to the Japan National Stadium – the home of the upcoming World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25. The event, delivered in partnership with World Athletics, is titled Tokyo : Speed : Race and brings together ASICS’ world-class athletes as they push the limits of speed and performance. The event will also provide amateur runners of different levels the unique opportunity to run on the same course, unlocking new levels of confidence as they strive for personal bests.
Taking part in the race will be approximately 120 world-class elites, who will be aiming to break world, national and personal records across the 5K and 10K distances. They will be joined by the roughly 2,750 mass participation runners of different levels, each of whom will be chasing down personal bests. These runners will compete over the 5K distance and as part of a half marathon relay, while there will also be a dedicated 1K family run, a children’s challenge, and a deaf race experience led by The Deaflympics. The course consists of a fast one-kilometer loop set in the backdrop of the Japan National Stadium, with a finish line in front of the Meiji Memorial Museum providing an iconic setting for this very special race.
ASICS believes passionately that speed is about more than simply how fast you run, it’s about how that speed makes you feel. The Japanese company was founded in post-war Japan on the philosophy of helping everyone achieve a Sound Mind In A Sound Body through the uplifting power of movement, and this same purpose serves as the inspiration for the Tokyo : Speed : Race. The feeling of confidence that comes with attempting to run faster than you ever have before is unmatched, and ASICS looks forward to celebrating this with its runners while seeing what records they can achieve.
As well as providing an incredible sporting showcase, the Tokyo : Speed : Race is also the moment ASICS will officially unveil its new pinnacle racing shoes, which fans have been given a glimpse of on ASICS social channels in recent days.
The new products embody ASICS’ innovative, human-centric approach to shoe design which accounts for distinct styles of running, matching the shoe’s specifications and technologies to a specific running style to enable every runner to feel new levels of speed and confidence as they strive for peak performance.
The Tokyo : Speed : Race will be streamed from 7:00 PM JST live via the World Athletics YouTube so that fans can tune in to the action from around the world free of charge. ASICS is excited to give the global running audience an opportunity to watch athletes feel speed and find confidence in the all-new series of racing products.
Yasuhito Hirota, Chief Executive Officer of ASICS said: “We are excited to welcome our athletes taking part in the Tokyo : Speed : Race, all of whom we wish the best of luck for the race. Following careful organization, we believe we have given the runners the best chance to experience new levels of speed, harnessing the power of ASICS’ latest product innovations. Since 1949, ASICS has created products that feel best for body and mind, and these latest product innovations are the ultimate proof point of our relentless focus on human-centric design, biomechanical science, and decades of continuous innovation.”
To find out more about the Tokyo : Speed : Race and the latest ASICS products, please visit the hub http://asics.tv/tokyo or asics.com.
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