Discontinued · road · Daily · $180
The blade-soled experiment: 16 polymer blades instead of foam.
Built for daily, at a target pace of 8:30–11:00 /mi on road.
This model is no longer in production. The closest shoe you can buy today is Adidas Runfalcon 5.
Adidas tuned this midsole balanced (3/5 on our cushioning scale). Energy return is above average: the midsole rebounds well without feeling unstable. 30 mm of heel stack keeps you low and connected, with more ground feel than most current trainers. 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 6 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 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 300 miles from the outsole, about $0.60 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
330 g / 11.6 oz
55 g heavier than the catalog median of 275 g
Heel stack
30 mm
6 mm lower than the catalog median of 36 mm
Drop
6 mm
Level with the catalog median of 6 mm
Price
$180
20 pricier than the catalog median of 160
Responsiveness
3 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Cushioning
3 / 5
Catalog median 4 / 5
Energy return
4 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Durability
~300 mi
Catalog median ~400 mi
Within the Adidas line it is heavier 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.
Skechers GO Run Elevate 2.0
270 g / 9.5 oz · 30 mm · 6 mm drop · — · $80
Ultra Go daily trainer with an easy, soft footstrike.
On Cloudswift 3
309 g / 10.9 oz · 34 mm · 8 mm drop · — · $160
Snappy city runner with Helion superfoam pop.
Adidas Racer TR21
318 g / 11.2 oz · 34 mm · 8 mm drop · — · $55
Adidas Racer TR21: 34 mm heel stack, 8 mm drop, 318 g — specs from independent lab testing.
Under Armour HOVR Turbulence 2
290 g / 10.2 oz · 30 mm · 8 mm drop · — · $90
HOVR-cushioned value daily trainer with a springy heel.