7 Best Adidas Running Shoes in 2024

How we test running shoes

We are a team of running shoe fanatics with an independent shoe-testing lab. We spend at least 7 hours per shoe, taking it on a series of runs, measuring over 30 different parameters, and even cutting it into pieces:

• Our inspection includes every imaginable aspect, from shoe flexibility and cushioning softness tests to grip and shoelace slip tests.
• We even built a custom smoke machine to demonstrate each shoe’s ventilation capacity.
• We receive no free shoes from Adidas and purchase them at retail with our own funds.

Comfort: How soft are Adidas running shoes? 

The softness of the midsole depends on the type of foam used. And softness is usually the #1 thing correlated with comfort. In the next section, we cover most common Adidas foams and their features. But, if you care about softness only, here’s our data. 

Lower numbers on the durometer indicate a softer foam, while firmer foams score higher. 

Adidas foams explained

In the world of foams, we have standard foams and premium foams. Standard foams are cheaper, more durable and more stable than the premium foams. However, premium foams are way more responsive, leg-saving, good for winter as they do not firm up or stiffen up as much as standard foams. 

As we’ve written in our Ultimate guide on running shoe foams, Adidas makes 4 popular standard foams and 1 premium foam. See their features below: 

Boost 

Made in 2013, Adidas Boost felt out of this world, given its energy return that was higher than 75%. It was so much better than the EVA-based midsoles and it allowed quite a few long-distance world records to be broken. Today it is almost outdated. It is still comfortable but heavy, which is why a) we see it in sneakers rather than in running shoes b) Adidas made a lighter version, Light Boost. 

Light Boost 

This foam came 10 years after the original Boost and it was worth the wait given that it weighs 30% less. 

Lightstrike

Lightstrike went through some sort of a crisis, going from being fully TPU-based to EVA-based. You can find it labeled as Lightstrike (made from TPU), Lightstrike EVA, or Lightstrike 2.0 (which is also made from EVA). These 3 foams do not perform well and most runners have found them firm and definitely lacking the fun (pop). 

Lightstrike usually feels like a brick and lacks responsiveness 

Our field tests and lab tests have confirmed this, as we can see in the case of Adizero SL. 

Dreamstrike+ 

Although still a standard foam, the Dreamstrike+ features 20% bio-based content and it’s slightly better than average standard foam, given that it has a reasonable energy return. 

It’s made from PEBA but feels more like a TPU or supercritical EVA, given that the energy return is not that good. 

Adidas Lightstrike Pro 

Now this foam is just the opposite of the regular Lightstrike. It is AMAZING. We first saw this premium foam in the Adizero Adios Pro. 

It’s made from TPEE (Thermoplastic Polyester Elastomer), which brings superb durability, the need for break-in, and a firmer ride when compared to other premium foams made from PEBA.

Adidas Lightstrike Pro Evo 

A variation of Lightstrike Pro is Lightstrike Pro Evo. It’s less dense and more lightweight. We saw it in the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1 in 2023, which is actually 50g lighter than the Adios Pro 3, and that’s because the foam is made through a very expensive, supercritical process where first the foam blocks are made and then they are cut into exact shapes. This is a ground-breaking non-compression molding process. 

Adidas uppers explained

The 2 most common upper materials found in running shoes are knit and mesh. We wrote extensively about all sorts of uppers in our guide Running shoe upper: how to choose the best one for your needs but will cover the basics and Adidas uppers here. 

Our lab tests confirmed that knit uppers breathe worse than mesh uppers. We pump the smoke into the shoes and watch how fast it comes out and where exactly. Doing this allows us to assign a breathability score to each shoe: 1-5, where 1 is the least breathable (or the most cold-weather friendly). 

The least breathable Adidas running shoes are not always knit and that’s because Adidas often doubles the mesh or combines it with other materials. This is clearly visible under the microscope in case you want to investigate it further (and look at our closeup pics). 

As shown above, we also look at the upper under the microscope to examine and understand all the details related to breathability. It’s easy to see how knit uppers have looser and softer structures, while mesh uppers have tighter threads with (sometimes quite large) ventilation holes. 

Strung: mesh upper

There’s Strung robot that looks like an octopus, each leg holding a different material or tool and it makes the Strung upper. 

The robot can be given athletes’ feet data for a precise fit and there’s minimal excess material. Robot makes multiple threads in different directions until it achieves what Adidas calls a cocoon. It’s lightweight, breathable, and very comfortable. 

Primeknit: knit upper

What makes this knit upper stick from the rest is the fact that it’s made as a whole peace. It’s not different pieces of material stitched together.

It’s made from fused yarn, which creates an ever-loved sock-like feel. 

Weird-looking Adidas midsoles 

The most unique-looking Adidas shoes are 4DFWD and Switch FWD. 

Another unique-looking midsole is found in Adidas Switch FWD. Like the 4DFWD midsole, this one is also heavy and good for daily runs only. Faster paces are a no. Additionally, debris gets stuck easily into the holes.  

Switch FWD profile, cut in half, and bottom. There’s also non-full-length TPU plate (neon green/yellow) between the midsole and the lasting board that makes the shoe stiffer and more stable

On the plus side, this shoe is very stable and doubles as a great walking shoe. 

Switch FWD midsole is softer than it looks 

Adidas and Continental: everything about outsoles

Adidas utilizes 2 outsoles: Stretchweb and Continental. The latter is far more popular. When it comes to the grip in running shoes, you usually have to choose between a superb grip and superb durability. This is because softer rubber is stickier but tends to wear faster, while harder rubber is more protective, and more durable, but can be bad in wet weather. 

To describe grip in Adidas running shoes better, we will look at the hardness of the outsole, thickness of the outsole, and the durability of the outsole. 

We can compare the hardness of the outsole rubber found in Adidas running shoes vs. the overall average outsole hardness. To be able to do this, we measure the hardness of the rubber with a shore C durometer. 

Currently, our lab data shows that the average outsole hardness of Adidas road running shoes is 79.3 while the overall average for running shoes we’ve tested is 80.1. It’s important to note that the harder rubber gives a higher number on the durometer. Vice versa, softer rubbers give lower readings. 

We don’t stop here, so we also measure the thickness of the outsole. The more outsole we have, the more we can damage it, but, it also means that the shoe gets heavier. 

The average outsole rubber thickness for Adidas running shoes is 3.0 mm, which is not much different from the overall average, which is 3.2 mm. 

And finally, the durability of the outsole. For this test we use a dremel to make the damage on the outsole - we have standardized this test which means we always use the same force, same RPM, and the same duration. 

Testing the durability of the outsole 

Once done, we measure the dent our dremel has made. We use a tire tread gauge for this. The deeper the dent, the less durable the outsole and vice versa. We have discovered that the average dent depth for Adidas road shoes is 1.2mm, while the average dent depth for all running shoes we’ve tested is 0.9 mm. 

Wide toebox in Adidas running shoes

In case you’re worried whether the toebox in an Adidas shoe will fit you, you can look at the measurements of the toebox width. We measure this in 2 places: where it’s the widest and at the big toe. This allows us to understand whether the toebox is pointy (tapers) or not. 

Recognizable flap heel tab

Usually found in Adidas Adizero shoes, this flap heel tab has become quite recognizable in Adidas running shoes. 

In the image above, we see the flap tab in Boston 12, and Adios Pro 3. 

Eco-move: Adidas Parley

Adidas started collaborating with Parley for the Oceans in 2015. This was a big step in the right direction as Adidas, thanks to this initiative, started using polyester yarn made from plastic which was once coastal marine waste. 

Parley utilizes their network to clean the beaches and collect the plastic and then shred the plastic and rework it to become Parley Ocean Plastic. This is the material that Adidas uses to create x Parley products. 

We can often see “Primeblue” in the description of Adidas products and it’s the high performance yarn made with Parley Ocean Plastic.