The Adidas Prime X Strung 2 is a super max stack shoe designed to handle long runs where you'll be pushing the pace. The second version of a marathon training icon—the OG Prime X Strung—changes here include a wider base, an additional carbon fiber plate and a much heavier weight (about 50 grams or 20% heavier in our size 10.5 mens). What's remained the same here is the 50mm stack height of Lightstrike Pro, the unnecessarily intricate "Strung" upper (see the network of webbing that looks like a spider's work) and the $300 price tag that comes along with those first two characteristics. It's a fun shoe with a lively and protective underfoot experience that makes it easy to hold our fast training paces, but the $300 price tag is steep compared to the rest of the market. After an 8 mile test run in these, we prefer the Hoka Skyward X or Puma MagMax for fun and protective everyday miles. For a souped-up long run shoe with lots of race foam, consider the Hoka Cielo X1.

Category

Speed trainer

Release Date

September 2023

Plated?

Yes

Type of Plate

Full carbon plate

Foam

Lightstrike Pro

Foam Compound

Supercritical TPEE

Ride

Bouncy, Cushioned, Responsive

Heel Stack (mm)

50.0

Forefoot Stack (mm)

43.0

Drop (mm)

7

Weight (mens size 9)

10.8

Support

Neutral

Fit

True to size