In production · road · Daily / Long run · $180
Adidas Ultraboost 5X: 39 mm heel stack, 10 mm drop, 266 g — specs from independent lab testing.
Built for daily, long run, at a target pace of 7:30–10:00 /mi on road.
The midsole is Boost, tuned soft (4/5 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. 39 mm of heel stack is the modern daily-trainer sweet spot — enough foam for long miles without losing contact with the road. Combined, the ride reads as lively at 3/5 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 tall 10 mm drop tips weight forward off the heel, which usually suits heel strikers and calves that dislike low-drop shoes. 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 wide, with space for the toes to spread late in long runs. It fits true to size. Expect roughly 400 miles from the outsole, about $0.45 per mile at $180.
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
274 g / 9.7 oz
1 g lighter than the catalog median of 275 g
Heel stack
39 mm
3 mm taller than the catalog median of 36 mm
Drop
10 mm
4 mm higher than the catalog median of 6 mm
Price
$180
20 pricier than the catalog median of 160
Responsiveness
3 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Cushioning
4 / 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 taller than its median stack (35 mm).
Current shoes with the nearest combination of weight, stack, drop, foam feel and plate.
Nike Invincible 3
284 g / 10.0 oz · 40 mm · 9 mm drop · — · $190
Nike Invincible 3: 40 mm heel stack, 9 mm drop, 284 g — specs from independent lab testing.
Mizuno Wave Rider 30(2026)
265 g / 9.3 oz · 39 mm · 10 mm drop · — · $150
Enerzy NXT gives the long-running neutral daily real bounce.
Nike Winflo 12
305 g / 10.8 oz · 40 mm · 10 mm drop · — · $110
Nike Winflo 12: 40 mm heel stack, 10 mm drop, 301 g — specs from independent lab testing.
Brooks Glycerin StealthFit 21
283 g / 10.0 oz · 38 mm · 10 mm drop · — · $180
Brooks Glycerin StealthFit 21: 38 mm heel stack, 10 mm drop, 257 g — specs from independent lab testing.