The Asics Gel Nimbus has built its reputation on one promise: maximum cushioning for maximum distance. Adding the right insole to complement the shoe's premium cushioning can make it a true world beater when it comes to comfort while running long distances.
But what should you look for in an insert to add comfort, performance and pain relief to the Gel Nimbus? Is arch support the only important factor? Will an insole fit comfortably? Does it need to be prescribed and custom made for you?
The Gel Nimbus is often the shoe podiatrists point runners toward when heel pain and plantar fasciitis are part of the conversation. Which insole will best help manage these painful ailments and promote recovery?
In this post we'll explain why the Gel Nimbus's factory insole doesn't do enough on its own, and why the SOLE Performance Medium is the footbed to add if you're serious about protecting your feet over the miles.
Do Asics Gel Nimbus shoes need insoles?
Runners choose the Gel Nimbus because it's one of the most cushioned shoes on the market, and a lot of that reputation is earned by the GEL technology built into the midsole. It's a shoe that's frequently recommended for people managing plantar fasciitis or general foot fatigue over long distances.
Here's the part that gets overlooked: cushioning absorbs impact. But impact isn't the only thing causing fatigue and (often) injury. Running long distances requires huge amounts of work from the many intricate mechanisms of your feet and lower limbs. The strain of this effort adds up cumulatively over time.
Like most performance running shoes, the insole that ships inside your Gel Nimbus is a basic foam layer, included to add a bit of underfoot softness rather than any structural support. It feels nice when you try the shoe on in the store, but by the time you've put 100 miles on it, it's doing nothing to help your feet carry the load you're requiring of them.
This matters more in a shoe like the Nimbus than it might elsewhere, precisely because of who tends to wear it. If you're running long distances, or you've specifically sought this shoe out because of plantar fasciitis or chronic foot pain, you need a supportive insole that will actually help reduce strain while you run.
The best insoles for Asics Gel Nimbus should offer arch support.
The most effective way to reduce strain in your feet is by supporting the arch from beneath. The foot's arch does a huge amount of work while you run: it helps to transfer energy through your foot strike, keeps your foot properly aligned and absorbs shock.
By supporting your arch you effectively help it perform it's crucial functions with less wear and tear of the many muscles and ligaments that form the arch, most notably the plantar fascia.
SOLE footbeds feature our Signature Supportive Shape, with an arch that's clinically proven to reduce strain in your feet by an average of 34%. For runners managing plantar fasciitis specifically, that reduction in strain is the difference between pushing through pain and actually running comfortably. Less strain also means your feet have the time to recover effectively without further aggravating your injury.
But arch support is only one part of the picture when it comes to an excellent insole for running.
Choose supportive insoles with a deep heel cup.
The best insoles for runners tackling many miles in their Gel Nimbus should always feature a deep heel cup. The deep heel cup cradles the heel in position, helping to hold the foot's natural fatty tissue under the heel bone. This enhances you body's own natural shock absorption.
Perhaps more importantly though, the heel cup prevents excess lateral movement. It works in tandem with the insole's arch support to promote neutral alignment in your feet and ankles. This is especially important over long distances, as inefficiencies in your alignment can quickly compound stress on your tendons and ligaments, leading to issues like peroneal tendonitis, achilles tendonitis, posterior tibial tendonitis, and more.
With the arch support and deep heel cup working in tandem, your foot is encouraged to strike in balanced, neutral alignment. This helps reduce excess strain placed on your ankles, knees and even your back.
The best insoles for the Gel Nimbus should be custom moldable.
SOLE footbeds are custom moldable to your unique feet and arch height. Wear them in your Gel Nimbus and they'll gradually mold to your feet over a handful of runs, or speed up the process by heat molding them in your own oven at home in just a couple of minutes.
The most important benefit of this customization is that you get arch supports that's customized to your individual feet. Most insoles are sold according to arch height. They offer you a generalized approximation of the support you might need if you have a 'high' arch, 'medium arch' or 'low arch'. But what if your arch is in-between high and medium? Your arch heights could even differ slightly even between your left and right feet.
Custom moldable insoles solve this problem by adjusting to support your unique feet precisely and effectively.
Once molded, the footbed maintains constant, even contact with the bottom of your foot. This helps ensure that pressure is distributed evenly across your foot, increasing the efficacy of the footbed in reducing strain and promoting healthy alignment.
Many doctors recommend patients try a SOLE footbed before investing in a custom-made insert, and with a 90-day satisfaction guarantee, there's no risk in finding out if it works for your feet.
Which supportive insoles fit best in Asics Gel Nimbus?
Here's something specific to the Gel Nimbus that makes it particularly well suited to a supportive footbed: its upper. The Nimbus features a sock-like, flexible knit construction that hugs the foot closely and stretches to accommodate it.
A footbed with genuine arch support and cushioning takes up more room inside a shoe than a flat factory liner. In a rigid or structured upper, that extra volume can crowd the fit. The Nimbus's stretch knit upper flexes to make room instead, meaning a SOLE Performance Medium fits with ease rather than fighting the shoe's construction. In testing, a size 10 SOLE Performance Medium fit perfectly in a size 10 Gel Nimbus straight out of the box, with the option to trim it down further for an even more precise fit.
Zero drop support that won't change your ride.
The Gel Nimbus is designed around its GEL cushioning technology in both the heel and forefoot, engineered to deliver a specific, consistent ride from heel strike through toe-off. SOLE footbeds are built on a zero-drop platform, meaning the base of the footbed sits level from heel to forefoot.
Adding a SOLE Performance Medium to your Nimbus means you gain arch and heel support without altering the shoe's own heel-to-toe geometry. The ride you chose the Nimbus for stays exactly as it was designed.
Insoles with built-in metatarsal pads for Gel Nimbus shoes.
Insoles with Met Pads for the Gel Nimbus.
If you experience metatarsalgia, Morton's neuroma, or numbness and tingling in your toes on longer runs in your Gel Nimbus, a SOLE footbed with a built-in metatarsal pad is the best choice for your shoes.
A metatarsal pad, or Met Pad, is a small bump positioned to support your foot's transverse arch, the arch that runs across the width of your foot. It promotes healthy spacing between your metatarsal bones, reducing pressure on the metatarsal heads and improving circulation in the forefoot.
For distance runners, this matters most in the later miles of a long run, when forefoot fatigue tends to set in and repetitive impact starts to take its toll. SOLE Performance Medium with Met Pad footbeds add that targeted support exactly where long-distance running tends to cause the most discomfort.
Which SOLE footbed is best for the Asics Gel Nimbus?
The Performance Medium is the best footbed for the Asics Gel Nimbus. It's made from recycled natural wine corks, a natural thermal insulator that adds a touch of extra shock absorption to complement the insole's medium layer of open-cell cushioning. Natural cork also molds to your foot a little more quickly through wear than a standard EVA base.
The Performance Medium features the same Signature Supportive Shape found across all SOLE footbeds, with the same dynamic arch support, deep heel cup, and custom moldable base. It comes with a 90-day satisfaction guarantee, so you can try it on your next long run and return it if it's not the right fit.
If your top priority is durability, you could also opt for the Active Medium. This insole is made with an EVA plastic base that offers slightly longer-lasting support than the cork of the Performance Medium.