Adidas Adios 2 Review

Introduction

This is Adidas' now twice outdated marathon shoe having been replaced by the Adios Boost and Adios Boost 2. For a frequenter of zero-drop shoes like me, this is not a typical buy given its heel to toe drop of 9mm (24mm heel, 15mm forefoot). However, this is the only shoe I have ever bought a second pair of. I was so impressed by its versatility, reliability and  responsiveness that I couldn't think of a better shoe to take me 26.2 miles for the first time in April (Great Welsh Marathon). Until recently, it held the marathon world record having taken Wilson Kipsang through the Berlin marathon in 2013 despite the Boost being available at the time. There are suggestions from many that he didn't like the soft feel of the boosts so instead used the firmer Adios 2. Now he has switched to the Boost 2 as did Dennis Kimetto for his world breaking Berlin marathon in 2014.

I have not tried the Boosts but as a forefoot runner, I could see little purpose to the huge lump of Boost material on the heel (I also would rather save £30).

Performance

I used these shoes at the 2014 Reading Half Marathon where I set my personal best of 1:20:05. I will use them once again at Reading and look to go sub-80. I do not consider these shoes 'fast' as such. That title goes to the Mizuno Wave Universe 5 due to it being near barefoot. These shoes are different- they seem to let you cruise at high tempo for a long time (hence Marathon and Half-Marathon suitability). I would not limit these to longer distances; I have run 5k and 10k in these and although they are unlikely to set a personal best 5k you could do a pretty good 10k in these shoes, especially if you're not prepared to go minimal. They have some pretty firm cushioning to let you go on long road runs and this extra cushioning contributes to a modest weight of 7.4oz. I think this is a great value for weight if you will- the outsole is rather durable, the upper is comprehensive and it seems the whole design has been thought through.

Upper

The upper is very smart and the Adidas stripes and overlays hold the foot very well when the laces are tightened. The suede material on the front of the shoe is very durable and helps hold the foot well. I also liked the pointed look of the forefoot (much better looking than perhaps the Mizuno Wave range for example).

These shoes really do look good and would be ideal apart from one issue that might just apply to me. There are no suede or welded overlays at the ball of the foot leading to easy breaking of the upper at this point. My first pair of these shoes popped here and got worse and worse because I could not stop myself running in them (to the despair of my mother). Eventually I bought another pair which I will use sparingly. I still have my old pair and use them for my morning runs where nobody can see anything.

The heel counter is comprehensive and there is a nice plastic part surrounding the heel. The tongue is nicely padded. My only gripe with the upper is the scratchy inside which prevents sockless running but I suppose keeps the shoes odour free.

Midsole

I love the sole on this shoe. There is a good bit of continental rubber on the outsole which does make it grippy although I have never slipped on a road before in any shoe. The flexibility seems to vary as you could expect the foot to. There is a plastic plate right in the centre which give the shoe a 'pop' and this is my benchmark for responsiveness. The Adiprene + foam gives a nice stable ride and doesn't seem to get in the way too much when you really pick up the pace.

The Adiprene foam is the predecessor of the boost material used by Adidas and there are all sorts of energy return figures suggesting that Boost is better but I think Adiprene must be second only to the boost in terms of energy return. You don't have to put too much into this shoe to get speed back which is probably why it excels over longer distances.

Some would complain about the high heel to toe differential but I think it saves your calves as the miles tick by.

Summary

This is my all-round favourite shoe of all time. Its durability issues are a bit disappointing but there are few shoes which don't experience the same problems. It is a great choice for longer distance races due to its responsiveness and middle of the road stack height. Every part of the design has been thought through and if this is not the world's best shoe, it can only be the Adios Boost 1/2. Thanks Adidas!