Asics Fuji Lite 3 Introduction

The Asics Fuji Lite 3 is trail shoe made for faster pace training runs and shorter distance races on easy to moderate terrain.

Coming from the Fuji Lite 2 there are not too many differences I have found aside from a lighter weight mesh upper with some heavy overlays and a new lace pocket in the tongue to provide safekeeping for those bouncing laces.

They also incorporated a heel strap to help slide it on your foot easier.

The Fuji Lite 3 is a lower stack trail shoe with a 4mm heel to toe drop that almost feels like a barefoot shoe given the full frame Flytefoam cushioning that is very soft.

A size 10 in mens weigh 9.5 ounces which to a racer may seem heavy but on the trail, these are light!

The price point from Asics is $120 which I feel is a bit steep for the minimalist feel of the shoe and because you can get the shoe cheaper at $79 on the running warehouse website.

Asics Fuji Lite 3 Impressions

When I pulled the shoe out of the box right away I noticed how stout the lugs were and the toe spring was wild!

On the first run I was a little suprised at how well I felt the ground beneath my feet. My casual shoes are a barefoot shoe so feeling what Im walking on is very important to me. Aside from that, on rough, sharp terrain I noticed that you could feel those objects almost too much!

A rockplate in the shoe would be an awesome feature for the next model! The toe spring is very noticeable as well. On the first run it made me feel as though I was in a racing spike, like my heel was lower than my forefoot and that took quite a few runs to get used to.

A few of the trails I ran on were wet and washed out and I had no issues trekking right along. Other trails were dry and loose dirt with some gravel mixed in and these shoes never gave me a feeling that I may fall or that my feet may kick out from underneath me.

The Fuji Lite 3 seemed to be better matched with a faster pace on a semi technical trail. The more miles I put in them, the more I realized how well they work for speed almost running on my toes.

The shallow stack flytefoam was very soft and bouncy but I feel did not offer enough support. The heel counter of the shoe was very stiff and I did notice some heel pain pain towards the end of my runs.

Coming from the Asics Trabuco, this shoe offers a lot more than its predecessor, but I believe they still haven’t cracked the perfect code just yet!

Asics Fuji Lite 3 Protection

The toebox is more open than the fuji lite 2 and allows your toes to splay a little better for ground grip.

The asics-grip rubber outsole is probably the grippiest trail shoes I have ran in with the lugs positioned in the right place and height to tackle the terrain youre running on.

Asics Fuji Lite 3 Durability

Although I had a few issues with heel pain and a small amount of forefoot pain, these shoes seem to be very durable.

Strictly using these for shorter races or training runs I believe you could get tons of comfortable miles out of them. The overlays in the upper protect your foot pretty well from stones, sticks and jagger bushes.

I didn’t have any issues with anything getting inside the shoe or digging through the material stabbing my foot. I do not know what it would be like in Colorado or Utah but here in PA, these shoes work great for our trails.

Asics Fuji Lite 3 Responsiveness & speed

This shoe is made for speed!

With the toe spring propelling you in a forward motion, youd be silly to not speed up! Downhills, uphills, cross sections, this shoe can do all of that from my experience without fail.

Yes a few things caught my attention but I wouldn’t shy away from these at all on my trail days!

Asics Fuji Lite 3 Comfort and fit

The Fuji Lite 3 is a very comfortable shoe to go to your kids baseball games or running up the side of a mountain. I’ve worn these for multiple sessions coaching my sons tball game and they were great.

They are light and very breathable and appealing to look at as well.

The mid-foot is slightly snug but the toe-box is wide enough to let your toes open up and breathe. From training to casual outings, these shoes are fabulous.

Asics Fuji Lite 3 Conclusions

Ths Fuji Lite 3 is a neutral trail running shoe that runs great out of the box without any break-in period. I had many runs on the trail and even on the road. The grip on the outsole is amazing to say the least.

Whether its raining or dry, you’ll have all the grip you need to tackle what you’re doing.

As a mainly road runner, the lugs did feel a bit odd on my foot but didn’t take me long at all to really enjoy that almost massage feel as I was running.

The back of the shoe is slightly to firm for my heel but after a few runs, once again I got used to it.

This shoe is true to size and has a snug fit for those fast paced runs.

I am very glad to have this shoe in my arsenal and believe you would too!