ASICS LA Marathon Gear Is Here

Happiness is having a brand-new ASICS store a block away from where you work.
Our MLB Advanced Media HQ is at Chelsea Market in the famous Meatpacking District of Manhattan, and last night after work I put on my ASICS Storm Shelter gear on a cold and rainy night for a run down the Financial District. On the way, I stopped in for the first time at the ASICS Meatpacking District store on 14th Street, across from the Apple Store, and was blown away by what I saw front and center as their main display:

Hello, ASICS LA Marathon gear! Now in the taper of Coach Kastor's 12-Week Training Plan in our brutal NYC winter, it was a real treat to actually see the apparel in front of me. The big race is March 9, from Dodger Stadium to the sea at Santa Monica. It was cool to meet Winnie ("like Winnie the Pooh," she said) and Boris among the great staff in that ASICS location. I bought a new Long Haul Handheld Water Bottle for my run (water faucets are off) and a new pair of Everyday Liner Gloves, and then they let me take photos of these LA Marathon items that are available there for purchase -- an Expo sneak peak!

ASICS Gear Review

Here is the water bottle ($18) and the neon glove ($12) I bought for my run.



I love-love-love the elastic hand strap, which requires no adjustment buckle like some others I have used. That is the real highlight of it for me -- fits everyone. I have mostly used my Ultimate Direction Quick Draw handheld the last few years, a big upgrade on the bright yellow Nathan I started with in '07, and the one thing I do like about the UD version is the rubber top that releases only a small amount of fluid when you bite down. It took a while to get used to that one, but I would recommend it for future ASICS models. Overall, the ASICS handheld is very light, just the right size, more compact than any others I have used.

This winter has been especially hard on my glove supply. I am wearing them out, and they are in such constant use that I have misplaced them like never before. Can't find my awesome 2012 Harrisburg Marathon Expo registration gloves, can't find my old Sugois, just lost a Nike, and I only have one of the 2013 NYC Marathon ASICS Expo Five Borough gloves left that I wore in the race. So it was time for a new pair, and I went as bright and reflective as possible. When you run the West Side path down the Financial District to Battery Park, the problem is not cars, but bikes. These gloves gave me a little more protection, and the best part about all those little ASICS logos on the palm is that they are hard rubber and make it even easier to carry the handheld. These are the Liner models and they aren't too heavy, so my hands did not overheat. Between the gloves and the Storm Shelter Jacket, I was feeling just right.

Let's have a big hand for ASICS and their new NYC store!