We have been eagerly awaiting the delivery of Adidas’ newest iteration of their Adios Pro racing shoe ever since we heard the release announcement back in September. During the autumn road racing season, the Pro 4 was the weapon of choice for many of the Adidas stable of sponsored athletes, including Sheila Chepkirui who wore them en-route to the title at the New York City Marathon.
As the name suggests, the Adios Pro 4 is the fourth and latest edition of the flagship racing shoe in the Three Stripes’ performance line-up. With tweaks to the upper and more fine-tuning to the geometry of the carbon-infused Energy Rods, there was certainly reason for our excitement.
With samples arriving in-store before Christmas, a few of the Runlimited team have had the chance to get to know the Pro 4 and put them to the test. Before we’d even unlocked the Runlimited doors on delivery day, Molly - a self-professed Adios Pro 3 evangelist - had already donned the shoes for a few laps of the shop.
Unboxing, the shoe feels noticeably light, especially considering it just squeezes under the legal stack-height limit of 40mm imposed by World Athletics for racing shoes. Safe to say you have plenty under-foot with the Lightstrike Pro foam. In comparison to previous editions of the Adios Pro, the latest model comes in at 200g* - the same as Nike’s Vaporfly 3 - while the Pro 3 clocks in 18g heavier.
In-hand we were all struck by the reworked upper, that feels much softer than what we found with the Pro 2 and 3, where, despite being uber-minimal, were often bolstered by stiff overlays leaving a little to be desired for a wrapped fit. That’s not the case here. Adidas themselves describe the Lightlock Upper as “a first-of-its-kind, lightweight one-way stretch woven mesh”. On foot, this feels sock-like, but the lacing system serves to snug the foot down evenly and securely meaning little worry about any issues of slipping or discomfort. The shoe comes up slightly more snug than other models in our experience. Sizing up by half a size is recommended if between sizes.
Having used the Pro 3 as her go-to racing shoe over the past two years, one critique from Molly was that they left her prone to blisters on the achilles. However with the overhaul of the upper the heel counter and cushioning has been tamed, keeping irritation and blistering to a minimum.
Stepping in, there is a noticeably plush feel under foot, especially under the heel. Compared to other carbon offerings from the major players, the Pro 4 skews to the softer end of the spectrum. However this comes with a bouncy feel and a surprising amount of stability through the mid- and forefoot once the pace has been turned up towards tempo and beyond. If you are a rear-foot striker even at faster paces, you may feel the Pro 4 to be a little wobbly.
Shifting the rocker geometry back towards the midfoot (compared to the previous models) has given an encouraging feel to the ride - the transition from mid to forefoot has a nice roll earlier in the foot’s movement. The added bounce from the Lightstrike Pro midsole foam helps give things a cushioned feel that you may not get from other racers like the Nike Vaporfly or the Puma, which give a more snappy and aggressive profile to your stride.
Major overhauling of the outsole brings a welcome change to the grip underfoot, too. Adidas have developed LightTraxion, a translucent material that forms the basis of the sole which is complimented by a section of Continental rubber. With this comes a sure-footed grip even at faster paces on damp London roads.
As a full package, the Adios Pro 4 is amongst the leading options for a marathon and half-marathon carbon shoe and is very viable over shorter race distances, too. The updates, especially to the midsole and rocker, mean that the Adios Pro 4 is likely to be suitable to more runners, especially midfoot strikers who found they couldn’t unlock the toe-off transition in the Pro 3.
Great for:
Race day for those who like a softer feel still with plenty of bounce and encouragement through the footstrike.
Verdict:
Some welcome updates make the Adios Pro a superb race-day choice to suit even more people.
£220
White/ Core Black/ Silver Metallic
Weight: 200g*
Available in-store and online at runlimited.co/
*Weight based on a UK size 8.
