In production · road · Tempo / Daily · $140
Adidas Adizero Adios 9: 28 mm heel stack, 7 mm drop, 176 g — specs from independent lab testing.
Built for tempo, daily, at a target pace of 6:30–8:30 /mi on road.
The midsole is Lightstrike, tuned firm (2/5 on our cushioning scale). The foam is highly resilient — it gives energy back rather than swallowing it, which is what makes the shoe feel eager when you push. 28 mm of heel stack keeps you low and connected, with more ground feel than most current trainers. Combined, the ride reads as snappy at 4/5 responsiveness.
There is no plate here. The midsole does all the work, so the shoe flexes naturally and stays versatile across paces — easier on the feet day to day, but without the snap of a plated shoe when you want to roll.
A 7 mm drop is the mainstream middle — familiar to almost anyone coming from a standard trainer. The geometry is fairly traditional and flat, so the shoe follows your foot rather than steering it. The forefoot flexes easily, so the shoe adapts to slower, shorter strides. It is a neutral platform with no built-in correction.
The toe-box is standard width — comfortable for most feet without swimming. It runs small; most runners size up a half. Expect roughly 400 miles from the outsole, about $0.35 per mile at $140.
For the foams and plates Adidas uses across its line, read the Adidas brand guide.
Measured against the 542 currently-available shoes in the catalog. The bar shows where this shoe sits in that range.
Weight
176 g / 6.2 oz
99 g lighter than the catalog median of 275 g
Heel stack
28 mm
8 mm lower than the catalog median of 36 mm
Drop
7 mm
1 mm higher than the catalog median of 6 mm
Price
$140
20 cheaper than the catalog median of 160
Responsiveness
4 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Cushioning
2 / 5
Catalog median 4 / 5
Energy return
5 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Durability
~400 mi
Catalog median ~400 mi
Within the Adidas line it is lighter than the brand's median (278 g / 9.8 oz) and sits lower than its median stack (35 mm).
Current shoes with the nearest combination of weight, stack, drop, foam feel and plate.
Adidas Adizero RC 5
210 g / 7.4 oz · 28 mm · 8 mm drop · — · $90
Lightweight, firm budget racer for track work and 5Ks.
Nike Free RN NN
197 g / 6.9 oz · 26 mm · 7 mm drop · — · $120
Nike Free RN NN: 26 mm heel stack, 7 mm drop, 197 g — specs from independent lab testing.
Saucony Kinvara 16
198 g / 7.0 oz · 29 mm · 4 mm drop · — · $140
Saucony Kinvara 16: 29 mm heel stack, 4 mm drop, 207 g — specs from independent lab testing.
Topo Athletic Cyclone 3
205 g / 7.2 oz · 30 mm · 5 mm drop · — · $155
Light, energetic tempo shoe that wakes up at speed.