Best version since the OG Speeds....
Update: 10/31/2025 - I put 430 miles on my first set of Speed 5 and bought a second pair and have put on 143 miles on them. My opinion on these shoes has not changed. Great shoes and way better than the god awful Speed 4.Original Review:Long winded review so the TLDR version is: if you loved the Speed 4s and thought they were the best, then you're going to hate this version. Over 140 miles in these and my rankings are from best to worst: Speed 1 & 2 > Speed 5 > Speed 3 >>>>>>>>>>>>>Speed 4 (I hated that shoe).Me: 54 year old runner. 35-45 miles per week. I'm old so I do a lot of zone 2 work with only one speed session per week which is either a longer tempo run or threshold repeats. I rarely do VO2 max stuff. For reference my zone 2 pace is roughly 9:00-9:30 min/mile. I fight against having to buy different shoes for each kind of workout so I try to find a work horse shoe (although I do have an OG Endorphin Pro I with only 200 miles and an Asics Magic Speed for those occasional VO2 max sessions).Size: I've run in the original, the 2s, 3s, and 4s. In fact I still have a 2 with 700+ miles and a 3 with 400+ miles so I can still compare the older versions with newer models. So when I discuss comparisons it's not with one of those "I remember back when I wore them years ago..." kind of comparisons.The 4's had a super narrow toe box for me to the point where my small toe would literally jut out over the side of the shoe. Length-wise it was fine but man these tapered into a narrow toe box and I had to go to an alternating lacing pattern to widen these a little. I put 400 miles on my usual size but since I can't find any other brand/model that's similar, I grudgingly got the 4s again but a half size up (and that brought issues as they fit fine width-wise getting the bigger size but then the rocker didn't work when I ran).The 5s fit great! I actually think they're roomier than the 3s and that's saying a lot since the 3s were known to be roomy. I got them in my normal size but I've had to use a runner's loop to keep them snug. I really don't mind as thank god the toe box is normal!!!!If you thought the 4s fit just fine for your narrow foot, you're totally screwed with these 5s. I suggest you try them on at a local running store before buying.What are they like to run in?- I still prefer the original and the 2s (I couldn't tell the difference between the OG and 2s). I like the cushion and the propulsion and they were just fun to run in. They also fit like a moccasin. For me they were very good at easy recovery paces but excellent at tempo or higher.- The 3s weren't as propulsive but were more stable as the footprint of the shoe was widened. So no longer did they feel wobbly going over uneven pavement. However they became just a tad more plodding as a result. They were excellent at recovery paces but only very good at tempo or higher. Basically the exact opposite of the OG and 2s.- The 4s were terrible at slower paces as I felt they were heavily biased towards heel cushioning with almost nothing in the fore/mid foot. When I ran slowly it felt like I was running in those shoes made 10 years ago before the super foams came out. And for me, I tend to land fore/mid foot at easy paces. So I began to over stride when I'd go slowly which gave me achilles issues. I really disliked this shoe but again, I couldn't find anything else that were more tolerable to run in. Terrible at slower paces and very good at tempo or higher. But boy, I really had to heel plant for these to be tolerable.Now to the 5s. I actually really like this shoe. It's not quite like the OG/2 but comes really really close. It feels like they've listened to people's complaints about the 4s and changed the rocker and softened the fore/mid foot so that these shoes for me are a great all arounder. When I run slowly, they provide enough cushion so I actually look forward to doing my bread and butter 7-8 mile base runs. And they provide enough propulsion so that I'm not fighting the shoe when doing intervals or longer tempo sessions. They're not quite as fun as the OG/2s as they feel heavier than those shoes. But since I can't get the OG/2 anymore NEW in my size, these will do. For reference, when the 4s went on sale at really cheap prices, I didn't bother snatching up 3 pairs of them at a discount like I did all other versions. But with the 5s, I for sure will hoard them when they go on sale. Very good almost excellent at slower paces. Very good almost excellent at tempo or higher.For reference the photo is of the 2,3,4, and 5 from left to right so you can see the toe box.