Discontinued · road · Long run / Tempo · $160
Reimagined Adistar with rods and a rockered Lightstrike ride.
Built for long run, tempo, at a target pace of 7:45–10:15 /mi on road.
This model is no longer in production. The closest shoe you can buy today is Adidas Adistar 3.
Adidas tuned this midsole soft (4/5 on our cushioning scale). Energy return is above average: the midsole rebounds well without feeling unstable. 38 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 snappy at 4/5 responsiveness.
A nylon (or PEBA-blend) plate adds structure without the harsh stiffness of carbon. You get a firmer, more propulsive toe-off that still flexes at slower paces, which is why nylon-plated shoes double as workout and long-run shoes rather than race-day-only tools.
A 6 mm drop is the mainstream middle — familiar to almost anyone coming from a standard trainer. The rocker is aggressive: the sole is curved and stiff enough to tip you into the next stride on its own, which saves the calf on long runs but feels strange when you slow right down. The forefoot is stiff, so it rolls rather than bends — a lever, not a slipper. Support is light — neutral, with a mildly steady platform.
The toe-box is standard width — comfortable for most feet without swimming. It fits true to size. Expect roughly 450 miles from the outsole, about $0.36 per mile at $160.
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
290 g / 10.2 oz
15 g heavier than the catalog median of 275 g
Heel stack
38 mm
2 mm taller than the catalog median of 36 mm
Drop
6 mm
Level with the catalog median of 6 mm
Price
$160
Level with the catalog median of 160
Responsiveness
4 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Cushioning
4 / 5
Catalog median 4 / 5
Energy return
4 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Durability
~450 mi
Catalog median ~400 mi
Within the Adidas line it is heavier 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.
Adidas Adizero EVO SL ATR
287 g / 10.1 oz · 39 mm · 6 mm drop · Nylon · $160
Adidas Adizero EVO SL ATR: 39 mm heel stack, 6 mm drop, 264 g — specs from independent lab testing.
New Balance FuelCell Propel v5
275 g / 9.7 oz · 37 mm · 6 mm drop · Nylon · $110
Budget-friendly FuelCell daily with a lively, rockered ride.
Adidas Adizero Boston 14(2025)
245 g / 8.6 oz · 38 mm · 6 mm drop · Nylon · $165
Rod-stiffened tempo trainer that likes workouts more than easy days.
On Cloudmonster 3(2026)
295 g / 10.4 oz · 40 mm · 6 mm drop · Nylon · $180
Huge CloudTec pods and a strong rocker — soft with a springboard feel.