Best Adidas Running Shoes for Fall 2023 Marathon Training
Adidas is one of the top brands in the shoe game right now. Here are the best trainers for your rotation.
Look at the podium of any world marathon major and you'll see two brands well-represented on the feet of winners: Nike and Adidas. One of the titans of running footwear, Adidas is still at the top of their game with well-loved racing shoes and under-the-radar trainers. Here are the best shoes from the three stripes for marathon training this fall.
1. Adidas Adizero SL ($120): Best Adidas Daily Trainer
The Adidas Adizero SL is one of those aforementioned under-the-radar superstar training shoes. With an EVA-based Lightstrike midsole and a lightweight construction, it's a quietly great shoe that doesn't sing until you put some miles in it. The secret sauce is that there's a disk of Lightstrike Pro, Adidas' top-tier racing foam, in the forefooot. Once the standard EVA foam is broken in, the forefoot disk adds pop and responsiveness on toe-off. With a decent amount of cushioning, the Adizero SL can handle everything from easy runs around the neighborhood to two-hour long runs. If you don't want to dish out for a dedicated speedwork shoe, this can also handle thos faster efforts as well.
Adidas Adizero SL
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2. Adidas Takumi Sen 9 ($180): Best Adidas Shoe for Speedwork
The Adidas Takumi Sen 9 is the brand's dedicated 5k and 10k racer that performs well as an uptempo training shoe. It has a moderate stack of Lightstrike Pro foam, a dense and bouncy supercritical TPEE compound, fortified by three glass fiber EnergyRods for rigidity and pop. The platform feels snug and streamlined, and the ride is fast and pure. Unlike marathon racing shoes with 40mm stack heights that put you high off the ground, the Takumi Sen blends cushioning and connection, providing the right amount of snap for short workouts. The Takumi Sen is great for interval training where you'll be running repeats that are 15 minutes or shorter (roughly two miles and below) . For tempo workouts where you'll be running, most runners will prefer the added cushion of the Adizero SL (daily trainer), Boston 12 (long run shoe) or Adios Pro 3 (marathon racer).
Adidas Takumi Sen 9
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3. Best Recovery Running Shoe: Not an Adidas
After hard workouts, we can all use a recovery running day. For the Adidas fan, this is where it gets tricky. Adidas doesn't have a real recovery running shoe in their lineup. They have the $300 Prime X Strung 2, which is an ultra max stacked double-plated behemoth with unreliable stability and mixed reviews. They also have the heavy and unwieldy Adistar and Solar Glide shoes, neither of which are competitive with max cushioned cruisers from other brands. And they also have the lifestyle-oriented Adidas Ultraboost Light, which is a shell of the former Ultraboost series. If you want an experience similar to what Boost foam delivers but in a comfortable, lightweight max cushioned shoe, consider the Saucony Triumph. It uses a 37mm stack of PWRRUN+ foam, a beaded TPU that's the same compound as Adidas Boost, to deliver a soft and bouncy experience that's perfect easy running.
Saucony Triumph 21
4. Adidas Boston 12 ($160): Best Long Run Shoe
The Adidas Boston 12 is a dual-foam shoe designed to tackle the high-mileage training weeks of a marathon build. On the top layer of the midsole is Lightstrike Pro, the top-tier racing foam which provides a bouncy and responsive feel. On the bottom is Lightstrike, the same EVA foam in the Adizero SL, which provides stable landings. Adidas' EnergyRods (similar to a carbon-fiber plate) reinforce the shoe and add stiffness and pop for long miles. This is one of the best marathon training shoes out there, as it's comfortable enough for daily runs, responsive enough for tempo work and cushioned enough for long runs.
Adidas Boston 12
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5. Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 3 ($250): Best Racing Shoe
The Adidas Adios Pro 3 is a max stacked marathon racer. It has a 40mm stack of Lightstrike Pro in the heel, with carbon-fiber EnergyRods in place of the traditional carbon plate. Where Nike's Vaporfly is soft and airy, the Pro 3 skews dense and bouncy. There's a reason it's on the feet of so many marathon winners at the big races (and it's not just because Adidas sponsors the most top athletes)—it's a fast shoe that's comfortable enough to handle miles 16 to 26 with ease. It's also a great option to take on your long runs where you'll be attempting sections of race pace.
Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 3
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