Adidas Adizero Adios Pro V Adizero Pro Review

Over the last few weeks I have been doing the majority of my running in either the Adios Pro or Adizero Pro. I thought it would be good to share my thoughts on both shoes, trying to explain the differences and highlight what distances they are best suited for. Since I started running 8 or so years ago, I have always opted to wear the Adios or Boston for the bulk of my training because they’re well balanced. I find them cushioned enough for all distances yet lightweight and responsive for speed sessions &/or races. The Adios has always had such a great reputation, pre-Vaporfly 4% it was the shoe of choice for many elite marathoners and for good reason when you consider Haile Gebrselassie and others broke the marathon world record on numerous occasions in them.

It goes without saying that technology in running shoes has come on leaps and bounds in recent years. The emergence of carbon plated shoes has changed the sport and we’re seeing records being broken regularly. As an adidas running expert at the London flagship store, to my frustration a lot of the times were achieved in that brand with the swoosh but thankfully now the Adios Pro has been co-created with some of the world’s best athletes (including Rhonex Kipruto and Joycline Jepkosgei) some of those records are being reclaimed and contended for by adidas yet again. For instance, Peres Jepchirchir lowered the women-only half marathon record to 65:16 in the World Half Marathon Championships in Poland closely followed by Melet Yisak Kejeta also sporting the Adios Pro. Other results to note include Kibiwott Kandie finishing second in the men’s half and Vincent Kipchumba’s second place finish in the London Marathon.

As I’m a keen marathon runner I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a pair of Adios Pro. I was lucky enough to get them before the virtual London Marathon, so I tested them on a 20k run at marathon pace and a few shorter sessions leading up to the “race”. Having ran in the Adios & Boston for so many years I was initially a little worried I wouldn’t like the feeling of a shoe with such a big stack height, but they felt comfortable straight out the box. When trying them on for size I was in two minds whether to go down a half size from my Adios, Boston and Adizero Pro because there is a little more room in the toe box.

However, thanks to the gusseted tongue I felt like my foot was held securely and for a marathon shoe it is always good to have some space for your toes to splay and for your feet to heat up and expand. I’ve been really impressed with the midsole, the Lightstrike Pro foam offers a huge amount of cushioning yet feels stable and a combination of the carbon heel plate and carbon infused energy rods (aligned with your metatarsals in the forefoot) make for a smooth transition from heel to toe. Once you lock into marathon pace, they feel really propulsive. The Celermesh upper which also features on the Adizero Pro is incredibly lightweight and breathable. As there were a few large puddles to run through in the virtual marathon my feet got pretty wet, but they soon dried out. Something I really noticed after the marathon was that my legs didn’t feel half as beaten up compared to when I’ve covered the distance in the “normal” Adios. I benefitted a lot from the amount of Lighstrike Pro foam.

One thing I was surprised about with the Adios Pro is that it doesn’t feature the ever-popular continental rubber on the outsole. However, having completed the marathon on wet ground I had no problems with the grip and I imagine not using Continental kept the price down. For a marathon racing shoe featuring as much technology as it does £170 is an absolute steal.

Tech spec

Weight: 225g

Midsole drop: 8.5mm (heel: 39mm / forefoot: 30.5mm)

Price: £170

When the Adizero Pro was released I watched some reviews and there were quite a few people disappointed with them. I guess initially everyone thought this was the shoe to contend with the likes of the Vaporfly etc but it is more of a conventional racing flat with a full length Carbitex carbon plate which gives you a nice pop off the forefoot. This is now my go to shoe for speed sessions and 5k & 10k races. Going from running in the Adios to the Adizero Pro felt natural and I really like the balance of Boost and Lightstrike in the midsole. As they’ve got quite a lot of cushioning, they’d be a good option for racing half and full marathons if you don’t get on well with shoes featuring a high stack height. The Adizero Pro features the same Celermesh upper as the Adios Pro but fits a little narrower/shorter. As mentioned previously I’m a big fan of the gusseted tongue, especially for speed sessions your foot is held securely.

In contrast to the Adios the Adizero Pro has a lot of Continental rubber in the forefoot with Adiwear in the heel. Wearing the Adios, Boston or Adizero Pro with Continental grip I never have any issues running or racing in wet conditions.

Tech spec

Weight: 235g (UK size 8.5)

Midsole drop: 9.5mm (heel: 21.5mm / forefoot: 12mm)

Price: £160

Overall, I’ve been really pleased with the Adios Pro and Adizero Pro. They’ve both been perfect for the paces and distances they’re intended for. I’m excited to see how the Adizero range develops over the next few years and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see more of the Adios Pro on podiums in the near future.

If you’ve run in either of the shoes let me know in the comments what you make of them or if you have any questions fire away.

Virtual (Chelmsford) London Marathon 2020

On Sunday 4th October I took part in the virtual London Marathon. Along with thousands of others, it goes without saying, that I was really disappointed the 40th race couldn’t be held on the streets of London. However, when it was announced as a virtual marathon, I thought it would provide a different kind of challenge and I wanted to earn what will hopefully be a unique medal. Fingers crossed marathon runners can be reunited on start lines across the world at some point soon.

In the lead up to race day I was contemplating how to approach the run. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and lack of races my “training” was sporadic to say the least. Between March and June Lorna and I did quite a few long trail runs making the most of the nice weather and time while I was furloughed. After returning to work in June I really struggled to get into a running routine, but I tried to prioritise some of the key sessions that Robbie & Tom sent me through the Fast Running Performance Project Group. Despite the lack of training I decided my goal was to try and clock another sub 3 marathon. On one hand I thought I was being too ambitious but on the other I was confident knowing I managed a sub 3 run in Lucerne last year off the back of relatively minimal training.

To provide some extra motivation I opted to follow the Chelmsford Marathon route, which I hadn’t covered before. I thought it was probably the best route to run continuously and not get bored having to run the same loop multiple times. Luckily Lorna managed to borrow a bike, from our friends Hayley and Will, so she could keep me company and entertained. After gaining a bit of final inspiration by watching the elite women’s race and seeing Sara Hall charge down second place we made our way up to the local park to start the race. Having pinned my race number on I received strange looks and good luck wishes in equal measure. 

I stood under the start gantry (actually by some bollards opposite M&S at the start of Chelmsford Central Park) and pressed start on the official tracking app. Having not taken part in a virtual race before it felt quite strange. I’d ran a 5k time trial or two but to try and think of this run as the London Marathon was weird. To finish in around 3 hours, I knew I had to hold 4:15min/km which Lorna and I managed to settle into quickly. In a marathon I have always found the first 10-20k hard to judge because it generally feels quite comfortable. I guess you’re trying to predict how the pace will affect you in the final 5-10k but unless you’ve done lots of marathon paced long runs it’s so hard to know what is sustainable. 

As the Chelmsford Marathon takes you along the country lanes, I knew it was going to be a little undulating so through the early miles I aimed hold a consistent effort and wasn’t too worried if I was 5-10 seconds per kilometre either side of goal pace. In terms of nutrition I regularly sipped on a Maurten 320 (80g carbs) mix to keep fuelled up. I felt good through the first 10k, I was enjoying the countryside views and chatting to Lorna made the kilometres tick by quickly. Around the route we bumped into a handful of runners with London Marathon race bibs on. It was a nice reminder that we were taking part in an event and to think about all the other runners around the country pushing themselves to raise money for charity. 

Throughout the run I kept wondering whether I was being overly ambitious aiming for 3 hours but through halfway in just under 1:30 I felt relatively comfortable. We’d got into a really good rhythm which meant I didn’t have to stress all the time about looking at the watch, apart from for directions. The country lanes were perfectly quiet which got me wondering why I hadn’t explored them before. As with all marathons I had a few little patches where I started to feel tired and that I couldn’t hold goal pace, but Lorna reassured me that my form still looked good. When I felt like I was losing a little focus I took on more fuel which really helped. After drinking two 500ml 320 Maurten mixes in the first two hours I decided to have a caffeine gel as they always perk me up for the last 10k or so. 

To my surprise heading back towards town I still felt good. In previous marathons I’ve really struggled in the last 5-10k, but I think my pacing and nutrition strategy paid off. This was also my first time running a marathon in the Adios Pro, they really helped due to the amount of cushioning and technology in the shoe (I’ll probably do a blog post comparing the Adios Pro and Adizero Pro soon, so I won’t get into the details here). With a lot of the route taking us around quiet country lanes it was great to run back through the park receiving shouts of support from people. Admittedly it wasn’t quite the same as running along Embankment or The Mall!

Having not looked at the official tracking app I wasn’t sure how far I had left to cover. I managed to pick the pace up a little over the final few kilometres to cross the invisible finish line in 2:58:10.

strava.app.link/bT0BoqbmIab

I was really chuffed that I achieved my goal, it was a lot of fun taking part in the challenge especially with Lorna alongside on the bike. Without her I would have definitely eased up and settled for a much slower time. Overall, I’m glad I took part and it’s inspired me to start thinking about the next race &/or challenge. A massive congratulations to those of you that also ran the virtual marathon and thank you if you dropped me a good luck or well-done message, really appreciate it.