Adidas’ best and brightest highlight the brand’s place as a leader in running shoe innovation.

Who would’ve thought that three diagonal stripes could tell you so much about a running shoe? And yet the Adidas logo represents excellence, innovation and a legacy of sports performance around the running world.

Founded in 1924, in Adi Dassler’s mother’s laundry room, Adidas quickly made its mark on the world stage, with athletes wearing its shoes to Olympic gold in 1928, 1932, and 1936. These early victories paved the way for the brand to grow into the second-largest sportswear manufacturer globally, trailing only Nike. Today, Adidas continues to innovate, most recently unveiling the Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1, the lightest carbon fiber-plated shoe in the world.

Whether you’re a casual jogger or a seasoned marathoner, Adidas makes shoes for every type of runner. From its famously responsive and ultra-cushioned Boost midsole to its soft, comfortable knit uppers, they consistently push for high performance without compromising comfort or style. They also make a lot of shoes, which may make it hard to find the right pair for you. We’ve been out there testing–the Runner’s World team and our wear-testers–and these are the Adidas running shoes we love right now.

The Best Adidas Running Shoes

• Best Overall: Adidas Ultraboost 5X
• Best Value: Adidas Adizero SL2
• Best Walking Shoe: Adidas Ultraboost 1.0
• Best Daily Trainer: Adidas Supernova Rise
• Best Stability Shoe: Adidas Supernova Solution

The Experts

Cory Smith: I’ve been reviewing running shoes since 2014, testing over 100 pairs each year since 2017. As a regular contributor to outlets like Runner’s World and Outside, I review and report on the latest gear and trends in the running world. Beyond reviewing, I’m a personal running coach, helping athletes reach their goals for over a decade. I’ve been running and racing competitively since 1993, drawing on decades of experience to inform my reviews and coaching.

Michael Charboneau: I became a runner in middle school and have covered running and outdoor gear for years, both on-staff at Runner’s World and as a freelance journalist. I’ve written more about Running shoes than any other kind of gear, and I have firsthand experience running in models from a range of brands, including Adidas. I first wrote this guide in 2018, returning to update it regularly as I test the company’s newest shoes.

Everything You Need to Know About Adidas Running Shoes

All Day I Dream About… Foam

Adidas shook up running shoe construction with the introduction of its proprietary Boost Foam cushioning material in 2013. Instead of traditional ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA), Boost Foam is made from fused thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) beads developed by German chemical company BASF. It delivers responsive cushioning that’s also durable, and it provides greater energy return than earlier cushioning systems. It’s still used today in the Ultraboost 5X, giving that shoe a firm, responsive feel that many runners (and walkers) love.

Boost isn’t the only premier foam in the Adidas lineup. In 2020, the brand released the Adizero Pro line, which featured the brand’s Lightstrike cushioning. There are now two versions of this foam. Lightstrike, as found in the Adizero Boston 12, is a lightweight, snappy EVA-based foam designed for training. Lightstrike Pro is made from thermoplastic polyester elastomers (TPE), and it offers high energy return and good shock absorption. It’s designed for race day and helps give the Adizero Adios Pro 3 and Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1 its propulsive, highly cushioned ride.

In 2021, Adidas debuted two other new foams in the Adistar shoe: Repetitor and Repetitor+. They’re both high-performance EVA foams, but Repetitor is tuned for softness, while Repetitor+ is firmer and more supportive.

Made from bouncy, fused TPU pellets, Boost has among the highest energy return of all the foams we’ve tested at the RW Shoe Lab.

The newest addition to the Adidas cushioning family is Dreamstrike+, a training-focused cushion that absorbs shocks and maximizes energy return, similar to Lightstrike. The brand won’t say exactly what it’s made from, but RW test editor Amanda Furrer suspects it’s made with Polyether block amide (PEBA) after taking a test run. Whatever the formula might be, Dreamstrike+ gives the Supernova a comfortable and bouncy ride that’s ideal for shorter and mid-distance training runs.

Cushioning is only one of many elements that dictate a shoe’s feel and performance, the large number of options and their focused specialties allow the foam to serve as a telling highlight that can guide your shopping. If you like a firm, responsive ride for daily training and walking, stick with Boost—its durability and resistance to packing out make it well-suited to shoes you’ll wear frequently—or Dreamstrike+, which offers a good balance between shock absorption and responsiveness.

Repetitor and Repetitor+ are formulated for softness, support, and absorbing impacts—look for these materials if you want a plush feeling under your feet (and you aren’t as concerned about speed). Lightstrike and Lightstrike Pro deliver lots of energy return and, for that reason, they’re best for speedwork and race days, when a snappy sensation underfoot can help you stay on pace.

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Beyond Cushioning

Adidas continues to refine its foams, but there’s other tech worth noting as well. Another Adidas hallmark is the Adidas Torsion System, which debuted in 1988. It’s a lightweight plastic arch support that allows independent movement of the heel and forefoot. The latest version, Linear Energy Push 2.0 (or LEP 2 for short), extends into the forefoot to better support the foot, and it adds stiffness for increased energy return at toe-off. It’s found on many of the company’s kicks, including the Ultraboost line.

Some Adidas running shoes also feature the brand’s signature “Energyrods,” which provide stabilizing support in shoes like the Adizero Adios Pro 3. Carbon or glass fiber rods are embedded in the midsole in spots that line up with the metatarsal bones in your forefoot. Like carbon fiber plates found in other brands’ premium shoes, the rods help create a snappy, propulsive feel and increase running efficiency for sustained speed. In addition to the Adios Pro, Adidas puts them in the Boston 12, Takumi Sen 10 and Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1.

Many Adidas models, like the Ultraboost, use an external heel counter for added stability.

How We Selected The Best Adidas Running Shoes

To pick Adidas’ best running shoes, we thoroughly researched all of the brands’ current shoe designs, synthesizing customer reviews, insights from Adidas, and our own expertise to hone a list of likely candidates for hands-on testing. We also relied on feedback from the Runner’s World test team, which provided additional feedback based on laboratory testing and notes from its large-scale wear-test program, which recruits over 250 runners to test new shoes.

In our latest update, Cory Smith tested shoes by putting in as many miles as possible, both running and walking, to get a good sense of each shoe’s performance. His test runs typically ranged from 5- to 12 miles at various paces, from a relaxed 9 minutes per mile to a speedy 5 minutes per mile. That allowed him to get a sense of the shoe’s feel and responsiveness across different intensities. After testing, he evaluated each running shoe based on ride, fit, comfort, and performance.

Our selections reflect the wide range of running disciplines that Adidas’ running shoe line supports: This guide should, broadly speaking, have a pick for every kind of runner.

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