Asics Gel-Venture 10 review: Excellent value for easy trail running

Cushioned, supportive, and at an unbelievable price, the Asics Gel-Venture 10 is a wallet-friendly road to trail running shoe with a difference. There’s a sizeable drop for arch support and a nod to versatility that will have you questioning your running shoe life choices.

The question on everyone’s lips is surely, how can a budget running shoe offer the same performance as the more expensive, techier trail running shoes dominating the market right now?

Obviously, there’s not as much song-and-dance on show in the Gel-Venture 10, and high-performance features are limited. But, what you’re left with is a stripped-down trail shoe with a thoughtful design and absolutely brilliant value for money.

For those who enjoy a touch more support and cushioning, with less need for precision grip, then the Gel-Venture 10 is right on the mark. Style kudos are in order, too, with seven different striking colour-popping designs to choose from.

Straight out of the box, the Gel-Venture 10 is clearly a neat-looking runner primed to cover all bases. With some hints of trail-ready features, moderate cushioning, and no sign of the overzealous maximalist features that seem to be saturating the start line these days (sigh of relief), I’m keen to test out ground feel, function, and performance over all terrains.

Upper

The mesh upper is probably one of the more basic design points of the Gel-Venture 10. Designed to “improve breathability”, the knit looks a bit old-school, is thick and unusually, slightly padded to the touch – a far cry from an uber-lightweight and aerated racer.

Yet as someone who often runs hot, I’ve worn these for runs in temperatures of over 30°C and haven’t overheated, which definitely counts for something!

Overall bulk is modest for the spec, with the forefoot remaining relatively slim. The shoe’s best suited for runs of up to 20km, but I wouldn’t recommend it for any longer distances, since there’s not a lot of extra space up in the toe box for foot swell.

I’d be tempted to size up to accommodate for this if the fit wasn’t so very perfect. There’s no restriction, with the heel counter, sockliner, upper, and lacing all drawing together impeccably to provide a nicely locked-in and comfortable fit. If you like a little more wiggle room though, I’d suggest sizing up by a half size.

Another basic-looking feature is the thickly padded tongue, which does a good job of alleviating any potential lace pressure. Despite there being no gusset to block debris from entering the shoe, I found the fit to be so on-point that no dirt found its way in during testing.

The last puzzle piece in terms of fit is the cushioned heel collar, which is built with more padding towards the top where the heel is slimmer, the laces draw in the whole ensemble to comfortably lock in the heel – no rubbing or foot slide in sight!

Sustainability isn’t at the forefront of the shoe, with the only eco nod being to the making of the sockliner, which is purported to be dyed via a process that uses 33% less water and 45% less carbon emissions than the average.

Midsole

Moving on to the all-important AMPLIFOAM midsole, Asics says the cushioning here “improves impact absorption and creates a softer feeling at footstrike.” I can really buy into this claim, since the Gel-Venture 10 is such a comfy and supportive shoe to run in.

The medium-firm foam, coupled with Asics’ rearfoot GEL technology, absorbs shock well and feels just as comfortable running on hard road surfaces as a road-specific run shoe.

While Asics doesn’t share the exact stack height, it looks similar to the Gel-Venture 9, which has a deceivingly large stack of 33mm/22mm.

The 10 has, you guessed it, a 10mm drop, which is a large part of the reason why it’s so stable. This shoe would be best suited to those with normal to high arches, heel strikers, or underpronators.

This is because the Gel-Venture 10 is designed both for neutral pronation and underpronation, the latter being when the foot rolls outward at footstrike, causing more strain on the outside of the foot and more shock to be transmitted through the lower leg when running.

If this sounds familiar and you’re prone to sore toes and arches when you run, then the Gel-Venture 10 should offer the right level of support.

Outsole

The Asics Gel-Venture 10 has a trail-specific outsole pattern, which equates to both forward- and backward-facing arrow lugs of around 2.5mm length.

Grip is good on grass, hard-packed trail, and rocky surfaces, though I’ve yet to test them out in really thick and wet mud, which I suspect is where they’re likely to struggle the most since traction is not as aggressive as a trail-only shoe.

On a whole, the shoe is rigid with little flex, which allows for good protection underfoot on rocky trails, but less ground feel and confidence on technical stretches.

I wasn’t able to test the Gel-Venture 10’s long-term durability, but my main possible point of contention would be how quickly the grip on the outsole, which looks quite thin, would wear down.

Energy return isn’t huge, but plenty to not feel clumpy as a reliable training shoe. Weighing in at 274g (UK5.5), it’s about 50g too heavy to be considered lightweight, but I equally didn’t find the shoe too obviously lacking in agility for everyday trail/road runs.

In terms of performance features, other honourable mentions go out to the rear pull tab that’s actually big enough to be useful, and the rigid toe bumper that protects well against errant debris when off-roading.

Price and competition

You really can’t beat a road to trail shoe with a £70 price tag. It’s pretty rare to find an affordable shoe that actually performs well, so the value for money in the Gel-Venture 10 is just mind-boggling.

The Altra Outroad (£125) sports a similar stack and lug length for comparable road to trail readiness. It’d be a great zero-drop option for those who like the sound of the Gel-Venture 10, but require a different shoe geometry.

If maximalism is more your thing, our best in test road to trail shoe, the Asics Trabuco Max 3, is a jacked-up version of the Gel-Venture. With a totteringly high 42/38mm stack, the drop is more neutral and lugs a touch more aggressive at 4.5mm.

This’d be the shoe you reach for when you’re willing to sacrifice ground feel and £160 in the name of excellent comfort and grip.

I could go on but honestly, there are few and far between road to trail shoes on the market today that are comparable when it comes to the affordability and value for money of the Gel-Venture 10.

I’ll caveat this with a reference to longevity. Since our testing spans weeks rather than months and years, I can’t speak to how well the shoe would hold up after a year of consistent use.

At first glance, the upper and overlays seem sturdy, the laces robust, and the stitching uniform. Whether the midsole/outsole bonding and outsole grip hold up over time is yet to be discovered.

Final verdict

Essentially, the Gel-Venture 10 is a budget, road to trail shoe that’s “designed to help provide good comfort” and for this, it fits the bill well.

Price aside, the main selling point of the Gel-Venture 10 is the support and comfort offered, with the sizable 10mm drop and substantial cushioning coming together to stabilise and protect feet that appreciate a touch more arch support or tend to underpronate.

With a few road to trail features and some trail traction, you really get a lot for your money. Granted, it’s not a high-performance running shoe, and not all foot shapes will gel with it as much as I did. But it’s pretty rare for sub-£100 kicks to earn a spot in my shoe rotation, enough said.

How we tested the Asics Gel-Venture 1

I tested the Gel-Venture out on the road and the rocky, dry, and muddy trails of southern France. Taking them on runs between 3-20km in temperatures ranging from 23-36°C, I considered the efficacy of trail-ready features, grip, short-term durability, cushioning, propulsion, value, fit and comfort.

About the author

Kate Milsom is Digital Content Writer for Live For The Outdoors, within which she specialises in trail running content. In her career as a specialist sports journalist, Kate has worked with industry-leading titles including 220Triathlon, Cycling Plus, Road.cc and Cyclist. Prior to this, Kate studied English Literature and French at university, then got the outdoors bug and never looked back.