7 Best Adidas Running Shoes in 2023

The Adizero Adios Pro 3 is a top-tier shoe from Adidas that combines insane speed with delightful cushioning, steadily gluing our feet to the ground along the way. Numbers double-checked, this is the #1 overall from Adidas' catalog.

The Lightstrike Pro foam steals the show, feeling bouncy and lovely on foot. Pushing our durometer against it put its softness levels 13.3% above average, ensuring a consistent feel underfoot without making comfort pay for it. Negative temperatures mean positive results for the AP3: after 20 minutes in the freezer, its foam hardened up by a mere 9.0% when the average sits at 28.4% extra rigidity. Oh, and racking up the miles feels awesome, as this marvelous foam gets only better with use!

The characteristic carbon rods provide a unique ride, overflowing explosive energy. This propulsive system ensured a 45.6N resistance force to our 90º bending test, a tremendous 51.5% above the average readings. Extra points for the Continental outsole, which emerged as an ultra-grippy 30.6% softer than average.

Runners seeking a comfy all-rounder might need to keep scrolling. After all, this is still a racing kick, and the 0.9 mm thick tongue embodies that.

As the epitome of Adidas' slow run class, the Ultraboost Light exudes ridiculous amounts of comfy cushioning from all angles, ensuring a safe and sound ride no matter the conditions.

This lofty character boasts a 30.1 mm stack height at the heel and 18.2 mm at the forefoot, adding to an uncommonly vertiginous drop of 11.9 mm that heel strikers will appreciate—measurements with courtesy of our caliper. Our joints felt no impact whatsoever, as the ludicrous Boost midsole would gobble it all. And delightfully so, with our durometer ranking the foam as 35.7% softer than average.

There’s a shy spark to the Ultraboost experience. Locking the tip of the shoe to bend it 90º revealed an 18.6N resistance, which ranked it as 38.2% more flexible than the average, enhancing its overall comfort and liberating feel. Even after 20 minutes in our freezer, its charm didn’t go away, stiffing up by only 27.0% compared to the average shoe’s 46.3% increase.

However, this shoe is far from feather-light as its name might imply, with its 305 grams (10.76 oz) feeling rather cumbersome at faster paces.

The Adizero Boston 12 is a towering speed demon, boasting a fresh and mighty ride to take on daunting reps with ease. As an entry-level supershoe, this is Adidas’ best kick for speed training.

At its 12th iteration, this Boston displays now fiber-glass Energyrods, the masterminds behind its powerful yet flexible feel—11.3% more flexible than average to be more precise. Bounce is delivered in spades here, with the premium layer of Lightsrike Pro taking the credit for it. Our durometer ranked this foam as 22.9% softer than average, and it’s the exceptional energy return that propels the Boston 12 into the top tier of speed trainers.

Not only underfoot is a speedster created; the Boston’s upper is equally up to the task. As one does, we pumped smoke into the shoe to assess its airflow. Through the tongue, sides, and toebox, the smoke ushed out with such ease that we awarded the Boston 12 a perfect 5/5 score for breathability.

During our usual stress test, four seconds of spinning 3.2N at 10K RPM were enough to completely tear the upper apart. In durability matters, the Boston’s toebox received the weakest possible score.

Cushioning comes in colors in the Adistar 2.0, enveloping our feet in a cushy realm where landing impact becomes a mere afterthought. And with such a stable ride, lab and field agree on one thing: this is the best daily trainer from the Adidas running lineup.

Mile after mile, the Adistar kept its remarkable composure and stood tall (literally). Our caliper claws measured 33.8 mm heel stack and 25.8 mm at the forefoot, aligning with the current trend of max-cushioned daily trainers. The primary midsole foam sits right at the average when it comes to softness, adding a plush-ish leg-saving feel to our runs.

One in a million stability from the Adistar, featuring a wide platform that prevented excessive rolling on uneven terrain. Once again, our trusty caliper came into play, measuring a midsole width of 118.1 mm at the forefoot and 96.1 mm at the heel, surpassing the average by 5.0 mm and 5.9 mm respectively. Comfort all-around topped with the breathable upper and the ultra-padded tongue which we measured to be a whopping 8.7 mm, almost 3 mm above the average thickness.

Disappointingly, this is a really heavy shoe. Its 328 grams (11.57 oz) go over 2 ounces above the average weight, hurting the Adistar’s versatility when it comes to picking up the pace.

With its eye-catching design, the Adidas 4DFWD 2 is the attention seeker to float through the streets with grace. Its comfort and top-tier lockdown game delighted us, but it's the shoe's ability to double as a stylish sneaker that truly sets the 4DFWD apart.

A first glance was enough to see the singular midsole as the star of the show, but we couldn’t stop there. It proved to be just as mesmerizing in action, propelling us in ways we’ve never felt before. The flexibility of this lofty Adidas left us in awe, nicely flowing with the foot. Throwback to our classic 90º bending test, this one proved to be 29.2% more flexible than the average. Twisting the shoe in all known directions was utterly satisfying, as it effortlessly scored 1 out of 5 on both longitudinal and torsional flexibility, being as bendable as it gets.

Sweetening the feel-good aura of the 4DFWD, the knit-mesh upper embraces the foot like a warm hug. Adding the remarkably padded heel counter, we got a divine snug lockdown. From our manual assessment, the heel counter scored 3 out of 5 on our stiffness scale, keeping the foot in place without feeling too harsh on the Achilles.

However, the shoe's stylish design does come at a cost in terms of performance. Sitting at 356 grams (12.6 oz), it falls on the heavier end of the running spectrum, feeling too clunky at faster efforts. For reference, the average running shoe weighs 267 grams (9.4 oz).

Its flashy aesthetics left the wild in awe, and its performance stood unbeatable. The Terrex Speed Ultra comes with a bang, ticking all boxes of a superb trail shoe by being protective, nimble, and lovely on foot.

Bridging our feet plants to the ground, a formidable dual-density midsole steals the show. While a fair portion of the silky Boost foam cushioned our heels, a thick layer of Lighstrike vibed to a different beat. The latest came out as a moderate 15.0% firmer than average from our durometer, adding a fairly reactive feel to our toe-off motion and sweetening this shoe's speedy facet.

While these two concepts don’t usually go hand in hand, the Speed Ultra is an ultra-light trail shoe. It quickly became a seamless complement to our feet, adding nothing more than a mere 258 grams (9.10 oz) to each of our legs. Given how the average trail shoe tips the scales at 296 grams (10.44 oz), that sure is something to behold. 

Besides, there was no fighting against our natural stride during our testing ventures in the woods. By resisting with only 24.3N to our 90º bending test, this shoe emerged as 21.1% more flexible than the average trail shoe.

On the other hand, the mud is this Adidas’ nemesis. Its minimalist outsole and 0.9 mm shorter-than-average lugs are better off out of the swampy fields.

Everything at the price of nothing could very well be the motto of the Duramo 10. As a nicely cushioned and frankly capable daily trainer, it serves as the gateway to the world of running for beginners. Priced at £70, it’s on the cheapest end of the Adidas running lineup, which averages at £150.

While not the most exhilarating, the Duramo’s ride is in a league of its own within this price range. It belongs to the +30 mm class as our caliper came to confirm, measuring a heel stack of 31.6 mm. Pushing our durometer against the midsole revealed a score of 21.8 HA, meaning it’s 11.0% softer than the average. Pretty balanced numbers, which translated to a versatile and reliable experience out in the field.

With a delightfully soft upper, the lockdown game of the Duramo 10 is in no way dictatorial, feeling nice and easy on foot. Manually bending the heel counter was a breeze, scoring 1 out of 5 on our stiffness scale, with 1 being the most flexible. Plus, the upper promotes flawless airflow, managing to keep our feet fresh even in the scorching heat.

In the icy cold, the story is different. Putting the Duramo to our 90º bending test in our lab before and after 20 minutes in the freezer revealed an outrageous stiffness increase of 85%, while the average shoe stiffens up by 46.3%. This means the shoe might feel very different (much stiffer) when used in cold temperatures.