This review should be quite fun, as I’ve had a lot of people asking about my feedback on the new Adidas Adizero Sub 2 shoes. After racing/working out for about 25 miles in these shoes, here are my thoughts on their shoes designed for a sub 2-hour marathon.
Weighing in at about 6.25 ounces (177 grams) for a size 10.5, my first thought holding these shoes out of the box was, ‘man, are they light.’ After putting them on, I felt like I could fly. The shoes feature the Boost Light technology, designed to offer the same energy return as Boost, but with less weight. I haven’t previously used any of the Adidas Boost shoes, but I could instantly feel a great deal of comfort every time I landed, with some serious cushion in the heel. As I took a few strides in them, I instantly loved the Boost technology and the lightweight nature of the shoe. The newly improved heel cap locked in my heel with every stride. A racer that is lightweight and supports me is a dream because usually there is some tradeoff. The first time I put these on for a run was during my latest 5k. The race was the first hard effort on my calendar so I thought I’d give these a whirl.
I managed to run the fastest 5k I have run in 16 years.
Some of that had to do with my current fitness, but I was really amazed by how my legs felt during the race and post-race. These shoes supported me like no other racer I have worn in a 5k. Despite going all-out for this race, my legs never gave up as they have in many other 5k’s. Even two days later when soreness usually sets in, I was amazed by how well-recovered my legs felt from this hard effort. But I wasn’t sold yet, so I took them out for a two-mile threshold workout on the track. Once again, I loved how the shoe supported me throughout my quick stride and kept giving me all the energy return I could want. The last run I took them on was my latest race— a 10-miler down in D.C. where I once again ran a PR. I left this race feeling like my legs were fresher than ever. At this distance late in a race, I am usually pushing through fatigue in my legs. Not this time. Again, unlike other times when I have raced hard, my recovery was quicker than ever before. Race efforts aside, let’s get into the rest of the good and some of the bad.
As I said, I love the weight of the Adidas Adizero Sub 2, and for many people, this might be a perfect marathon shoe. It’s lightweight and well cushioned and feels fast when racing. I know “boost” and “energy return” are industry buzzwords, but I was so impressed with the shoe’s ability to give me what the product marketing said it would.
Through three hard race efforts, my legs felt pretty solid, when in past races (as recently as mid-March) my legs were giving up late in a race. I just didn’t feel as beat up as I have in the past after hard efforts, so the shoe is definitely doing something right. The Continental rubber outsole really feels like it grips the road and helps to roll right into that next stride. The full coverage rubber surface should accommodate any type of foot strike. The Sub 2 fits true to size and the upper disappears. I had no issues with lacing or heel lift (the shoe features a 6mm drop).
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For me, this cannot be my marathon shoe. I know runners that can handle lightweight shoes like these, but during the 10-miler, I started to get some light blisters under the balls of my feet. On the outsole, I can see that after 20 miles the area under the ball of my foot is wearing faster than anywhere else on the shoe. I am not sure how many miles this shoe is supposed to get, but while my legs felt excellent for hammering out a 10-miler, these would not be enough underfoot for my marathon effort. I would assume many other runners will prefer the extra comfort you could get from the Nike VaporFly 4%’s for the marathon. That is not to say this shoe doesn’t have a place—for the 5k to half-marathon distance I think this is the perfect shoe.
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I loved the Sub 2, and would recommend it to anyone. This is a shoe designed to help you run your absolute fastest and give you every advantage possible to gain those extra seconds for a PR. The shoe touts itself as created for elite athletes, which I contend with— this shoe is built for anyone who is looking to get an edge in their next race, elite or otherwise. Everything about this shoe screamed fast to me– right down to the minimalistic design and how I felt with every stride. In all the workouts I have done since getting the Adidas Adizero Sub 2, I have wanted to break these bad boys out, but I know the real benefit will come on race day. If you are on the fence about these shoes, I highly recommend them. This isn’t the perfect “one-size fits-all” marathon shoe, but if you race other distances for PR’s this shoe can easily find a place in your arsenal.
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