adidas Adizero Adios Pro 4 Review: What’s New & Our First Thoughts

The adidas Adizero Adios Pro range is one of the most successful in road running history, being used to break five world records and for 73 major road race wins, with the Adios Pro 3 a dominant shoe on marathon podiums since its release in June 2022. 

Now ahead of the 2024 Berlin Marathon, the brand new and updated Adios Pro 4 is getting its initial release. Jess F and Mark have been running workouts in the shoe to share their first thoughts!

What we liked about the adidas Adizero Adios Pro 4

• Lightweight and looks great
• The foam is very responsive and feels fast
• An improved fit from the Pro 3 (for us two, anyway)

Things to consider about the adidas Adizero Adios Pro 4

• The heel foam is quite soft and can feel unstable
• The heel lockdown is improved, but there’s still some slippage or rubbing
• It feels like a completely new shoe compared to the Pro 3, so will it work for fans of the Adios Pro line?

THE ADIDAS ADIZERO ADIOS PRO 4 STATS 

• Price: £250 / €250 / $250  
• Weight: adidas says Men’s are 200g/7oz and Women’s 172g/6.1oz (our UK10.5 weighs 225g/7.9oz)
• Stack & Drop: 39mm/33mm (6mm drop)
• Reviewed by: Jess F & Mark
• Release date: Widely available from January 2025

WHAT’S NEW WITH THE ADIOS PRO 4?

Everything is new in the Adios Pro 4.

The shoe takes technology and research used in the Pro Evo and filters it down to the Pro 4, but does that make it better and faster for runners? 

• It’s had a significant weight loss of around 30g compared to the Pro 3
• There’s new technology in the upper called Lightlock which is lightweight, breathable and soft woven, with a one-way stretch to the sides meaning flexibility around the foot on the run but still a secure hold in the shoe
• The neon yellow internal locking bands have been added for more support and to help get a better lockdown in the shoe
• There’s a new stitched tongue and lace loops have been removed
• It’s a full length slab of adidas’s signature Lightstrike Pro foam, only now it’s a new compound which is lighter and has more energy return than the Pro 3 (but it’s not the same foam as the Pro Evo)
• It features the same energy rods as before, shaped like the metatarsals of the human foot, but the plate geometry is adjusted based on research in the Pro Evo, with the new rocker positioned at 60% of the length of the shoe instead 67%, with the intent that’s it’s more propulsive and better for energy return
• There’s a new Lighttraxion outsole. There’s still a section of grippier Continental rubber under the ball of the foot, only now there’s a new outsole pattern based on mapping foot-striking of athletes
• One thing remains the same as the Pro 3: the 39mm/33mm stack height

ANYTHING ELSE WE SHOULD KNOW?

Actually, yes! Along with the release of the Adios Pro 4, adidas revealed they’re adding a companion training shoe to the line up. The Adizero Evo SL will be adidas’s lightest training shoe, made with all Lightstrike Pro midsole but no carbon rods or plate. It’ll sell for £150/$150 with a release date of March 2025 (though there will be an initial smaller drop in October 2024). There’s also an updated line of Adizero performance race clothing. 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS 

Mark: Well it looks great, doesn’t it? The brilliant white and the big, bold adidas stripes borrowed from the Pro Evo make it a very distinctive shoe. As soon as I saw it, I wanted to put it on and run it in – and when I was running in it, I felt good because I knew my feet looked good!! 

Jess: Agreed! I love a white race shoe (as long as you can keep them white for the big day!). I think the design of them looks really sleek and much smoother than the previous design. They also feel much lighter, and they seem pretty similar to the Pro Evos. In fact, trying one on each foot, the Pro 4s felt softer than the Pro Evos. I also think it’s such a nice touch to have the heel fold over on the back, which this year has a phrase printed on it: This Too Shall Pass.

Mark: When putting them on for the first time, they feel wider in the forefoot, the foam feels slightly softer, and the heel counter is more structured than the Pro 3. When you walk in it, it feels flatter than a 6mm drop (other supershoes really tip you forward as you walk), but as you run you move forward and feel that rocker geometry. 

COMFORT 

Jess: These are so comfortable! I wouldn’t recommend walking around in them too much because they aren’t designed to be comfortable walking shoes, but as far as supershoes go they aren’t bad for walking! I’ve struggled in the past with adidas being quite narrow around the toes when I have fairly wide feet, but these feel spacious and a lovely fit, true to normal size where I would previously have gone up half a size in adidas. 

Mark: Yep, this is a comfortable supershoe, and for me it’s softer and more comfortable than the Pro 3. The foam still has some firmness to it, so it’s not at all squishy, and it feels like it has just the right balance of comfort and responsiveness for me. I like the new upper and the width in the shoe – like Jess, I have wide feet and I felt supported in the Pro 4 but not squished into them. They have quite a lot of length in the shoe; I usually wear 10.5 in adidas (and 10 in Nike, for comparison) but I think a 10 would probably also be OK for me in the Pro 4. 

Jess: I ran an interval session in them and felt like they made me want to run fast – and I did run fast! They helped me pick up the pace and propel forwards, while also feeling stable on the flats. But I cut a curb slightly onto a grassy area and they definitely aren’t stable off-road, so wouldn’t recommend if any of your race is on the grass or other non-road surfaces.

Mark: I was worried about getting a good lockdown and used a heel-lock to tie the shoes. That worked, but by the end of a nine mile run (with six miles of faster running) one of my heels was rubbing slightly and was becoming an issue – if I felt that in a marathon I’d have to stop and sort it. There’s a slight harshness and lack of comfort to that heel counter, so it feels sharp on the back of the achilles, but I think I could tie it slightly better to prevent that. Part of the issue seemed to be the fold over tab at the back, as the material bunched slightly and I think that was what rubbed – I’d personally prefer that fold material to be replaced by some cushioned support inside the heel (what does that fold do, anyway?). 

PERFORMANCE

Mark: It’s definitely a fast shoe. I put them on for the first time at the end of an easy run and did some strides, and felt FAST. Like really fast, in a way that scared me and excited me! The foam is very responsive and the more I put into it, the more I got back from it. When running mile reps around half marathon pace, the shoe was cushioned but also propulsive – I didn’t feel like I had to work hard in it at that pace, which is exactly what I want in a supershoe. 

Jess: They look and feel great. Part of running a fast race is about feeling good in your shoes and apparel, and these definitely do that. I felt like it didn’t take much adapting to and could go out in a long run in them straight out of the box, compared to other supershoes where they feel like they change your stride and you need to adapt to them. 

Mark: The heel foam is very soft and doesn’t feel very stable (the carbon rods splay under the toes, but don’t add much structure to the heel compared to a standard full-length carbon plate). I wouldn’t want to run fast around tight corners in this shoe, and running down steeper slopes was also unstable. But running fast in a straight line was great! 

Jess: The softness does make me wonder if they are as powerful as other supershoes, and would be really interested to find out how much of a difference this makes. Does that softness still come with responsiveness over a full marathon? 

COMPARISONS TO THE ADIOS PRO 3

Mark: It’s a slightly softer but more responsive ride than the Adios Pro 3. The shape of the shoe is much better for my wider foot, and the lockdown is improved (for me, the heel counter was so loose in the Pro 3s and I could never tighten it properly). I wouldn’t have run a marathon in the Pro 3 because there was something about it that didn’t work for me, but I would run in the Pro 4 (if I can figure out the lockdown). So to me, this update is good. But if you loved the Pro 3 then it feels like quite a different shoe. 

Jess: I wasn’t a fan of the Pro 3, but love the 4s! I think the Pro 3s felt a bit clunkier and the shape wasn’t quite right for my feet. I also much prefer the colourway of the Pro 4. 

CONCLUSION

Jess: I really enjoyed running in these as they felt super comfortable and still super fast. They felt like a really good fit for me right from when I first put them on, and they are powerful while also being lighter. I’m running the Berlin Marathon this weekend and I’m really torn between these and the Nike Alphafly 3. I would be keen to test the Pro 4 out more on longer runs to see if I would choose them… Having not previously been a big fan of the fit of adidas shoes, these have changed my mind.

Mark: I felt good running in the adidas Adizero Adios Pro 4. They helped me to run with good form and efficiency, and they are comfortable and fast. My main concern is the slight rubbing at the heel and getting a good lockdown for a long race, but I’ll definitely be wearing them for more workouts and want to try them in long runs during upcoming marathon training. But as I mentioned above, there’s quite a big difference from the Pro 3, so if you’re a fan of that shoe, then expect some changes.

ABOUT THE REVIEWERS

• Mark: A 2:57 marathoner who would currently choose the Nike Alphafly 3 as a marathon shoe
• Jess: Three-hour marathoner about to run the Berlin Marathon (and trying to decide which supershoe to wear!)