How could Asics let Clayton Young go??

Seriously. I'm all for pros making a living but who gives af about who is their sponsor?

My favourite example: Meb got kicked out by Nike for being a washed up has-been at 35, and he goes on to win OMT, 4th in OM, and win Boston.

Did that mean Skechers had the best shoe? well it certainly helped sales for a while. But you can race in anything if your the athlete.

Meb was still just a min behind Galen at age 40 in 16 when it was secret (semi-illegal) super shoes vs regulars.

Don't place so much emphasis on the brands.

Young let Mantz win the marathon trials and every finish line photo showed Nike beating Asics in one of the most important road races in the U.S. Young’s arms were stretched out like he was practically ushering Mantz down the red carpet. After that, I’m not surprised ASICS didn’t want to renew.

The timing of this coming out in March means his contract was up with Asics December 31st. However, there are contracts that give the shoe companies as much runway as possible to negotiate with the athletes, especially when there's a competing offer on the table . Typically, this means a 90 day period to negotiate a contract offer that matches or beats the competing offer. No different than NBA player being a restricted free agent. The caveat in the wording on the contract is, the athlete still publicly sponsored by Asics in Claytons case until a resolution comes. So long story short, Clayton got an offer, probably went back and forth with Asics and signed with Brooks after the 90 day clause was up.

Someone should have hooked Young up with some good ol Hyperspeeds. Who needs that carbon junk when you've got pure speed on your feet

Top American at World Championships, top 10 Olympics, phenomenal VLOG, non-controversial and engaging personality.

I think you have it backwards - he said that Brooks shoes were 50g *heaver* than Asics.

Not sure exactly what shoes were being benchmarked, but per RunRepeat:

Hyperion Elite 5: 204g

Metaspeed Sky/Edge Tokyo: 170g

Metaspeed Ray: 129g

FWIW I definitely overpronate a bit and found the Metaspeed Edge Tokyo worked pretty well for me, though I'm sure the Ray would destroy my ankles

I think it was clear from one of the Vlogs last year when Clayton was in the lab testing various shoes that they were comparing the then-current Metaspeed Sky's versus the Rays (which hadn't been released yet) and Clayton's comment, "it's lighter but would overstress my ankles late in the race with it's lack of stability" made me worried about the Rays when released.

So, yeah, sponsorship has an effect on the viewers.

Nobody I know bought Asics because of him.

True. I also heard they changed their faith to late day saints because they like Clayton young.

I still ask why he did that, did he ever give a reason?

Again, he'll always be known by most as Conner's training partner. As evidenced by this contract change.

The fact that you had to tell me all this just proves my point. We have random guys running 2:08 these days.

Come on.. you don't think Young tested existing shoes, right?

I'd disagree. I think you have your mind set that that your opinion is 100% correct and that there's no wriggle room, (which is to be expected when it comes to opinions). Unfortunately, your opinion seems to not really be backed by actual facts or information- just your own personal thoughts; which in all fairness, just can't be transposed on the rest of the world. Just because you don't know doesn't mean that others don't.

The contract ran out 12/31/25, and he just simply switched to a different brand. It's literally as simple as that. Young was a major player with Asics for quite some time, and did a significant amount of prototype testing for them (especially this last Olympic cycle). Very similar to Ward.

I was considering the Rays because of him, but then seeing him falling and ankle injuries, plus the issues I've seen others have had, I held back.

I love the a Metaspeed Paris. Haven't used anything newer and don't plan on it at this point. I will say I'll keep a closer eye on Brooks so I'm a bit curious to see how he does.

Because he's not very marketable

While I do think Brooks shoe tech is far behind the other brands. Asics racing shoes are for skinny runners with narrow feet. Might be why Young was always dealing with something.

Don't you think any new signee would say the same thing about their new employer?

Brooks has been making a big push lately to sign athletes with a large social media presence. Their shoes however are mid.