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Adidas has a long history of excellence within the running world that continues to this day. Quite often, you’ll see podium pairs of Adios Pro on the feet of some of the top marathoners in the world. That dedication to innovation and performance is not relegated to the pros– it all trickles down across the line and shows up in some of our favorite running shoes, period. 

Of course, you’re probably reading this because you want to know which shoes are best for your own running. While all our picks are subjective, we have actually run in all of these models, so we’re able to give you hands-on (er… feet on) feedback about each one. Point being– we feel confident that this list will give you a good idea of what may work for you if you’re looking for a running shoe with the three stripes. 

Whether you’re a “3 miles every other day” type runner or a hardcore “always marathon training” one, there’s something on this list for you. 

For reference, this list is in alphabetical order and includes everything from the performance Adizero line to the more everyday wear of the Ultraboost Light.

Questions or comments? Leave them below and we’ll do our best to get back to you.

If you’re looking for a quicker daily trainer with some premium components from Adidas, then you may want to say hello to the Adios 7. With a breathable mesh upper and combination Lighstrike and Lightstrike Pro midsole, the shoe strikes a balance between quicker shoes like the SL and the workhorse of the Boston 11. 

We haven’t loved the last couple versions of the Boston, and the Adios kind of fills that gap that we were missing. While the Lightstrike keeps it a bit firm, the Lightstrike Pro in the forefoot gives some bounce while the TorsionRods provide the responsiveness needed from a faster shoe. It also helps that this is the lightest shoe in the Adidas lineup outside of the premium race day shoes.

When it comes to race day, this is the pinnacle of Adidas performance. One of our favorite race shoes that money can buy, the Adios Pro 3 features a high stack, Peba-based midsole that is ultra bouncy without being too soft or too firm. Carbon-fiber EnergyRods (proprietary to Adidas) provide a snappy propulsion off the toe and through the stride. The shoe is also surprisingly stable for a race day shoe, which is always a bonus.

The upper on the shoe is breathable and light, though the lacing system takes a lot of work to dial in. But once it’s dialed in, you’re good to go. (We would recommend going a half size down from your normal sizing in this shoe as it does run long.) 

Moving onto the outsole, the Continental rubber provides one of the best and stickiest grips in the game, ensuring you won’t slip through all those water station stops out on the course, while giving you confidence around the corners.

We’ll say this– this isn’t our favorite Adidas shoe. But we’re putting it on here, because we know it works for a lot of people, though we’ve consistently heard this shoe takes 50 miles to break in. To us, that’s kind of a lot, but you may not care.

This is one of those shoes that’s so pleasing to the eye that we might not care if it’s the same Boston we used to love. For the nuts and bolts of this shoe, we have a midsole made of Lightstrike (firmer), as well as a top layer of Lightstrike Pro (bouncier). We tend to feel the firmer side of the shoe more and don’t feel the promised propulsion from the fiberglass EnergyRods.

The Boston line was always known as a rocket with some cushion. While the rocket part may have faded to the background, there is cushion, it just might not be as soft as you’d like. Either way, we’d still rock this casually even if it doesn’t work out on the performance side.

Ladies and gentlemen, you’re halfway through the lineup and you’ve reached the best Adidas running shoe (for now, anyway). The Prime X Strung (which is much better than the standard Prime X) is in a whole different category of shoes, and nothing really compares. Not in Adidas, not in Nike, not in any other lineup. 

The midsole is a massive stack of Lightstrike Pro, 25% higher than the race-legal standard established by World Athletics. It’s ridiculously bouncy and comfortable. And yet it doesn’t seem terribly unstable. 

That may be in part to the exceptional 3D-printed upper. Using athlete data, they’ve mapped out and programmed different fiber properties thread by thread so that you get an upper that’s designed for support, flex, and breathability, all in one piece of material. It makes a huge difference over the standard Prime X. 

All that tech and premium-grade construction is gonna cost ya– to the tune of $300. They say all you need is a pair of shoes to run, but in this case, you may need a second mortgage. Tell your wife it’ll be worth it, because it is.

While we can’t believe we’re saying a $120 shoe is a budget trainer, that’s exactly where the SL lands. It still falls into the Adizero line of performance shoes, but this is the go-to shoe for either a high-school kid or someone who’s starting out running and wants a lightweight daily trainer that can transition to a tempo shoe without breaking the bank. 

The midsole is Lightstrike, but it seems softer than the previous SL20. Additionally, a puck of Lightstrike Pro sits under the ball of the foot, allowing for a bit extra bounce on toe-off.

Overall, we were kinda surprised at this shoe and how much we liked it, especially for the low expectations we had for the Lightstrike midsole. If you’re on a budget and want something that gives you a taste of the higher end stuff, then the SL may be right up your alley.

We already said that the Prime X Strung is our favorite shoe on this list, but if there were a close runner-up, it would no doubt be the Takumi Sen 9. Hands down, this is the best tempo shoe money can buy and easily stands up against the big boys in any distance under 10 miles.

It’s such a perfect combination of everything– the Lightstrike Pro midsole, fiberglass EnergyRods, and Celermesh upper all combine to give you a dagger of a shoe. It’s so fast, it’s so light, it feels so good.

I don’t have anything else to say, except the shoe runs long, so go down a half-size if you’re on the lower end of the size range. I sent back my standard size and went a half-size down and it fit perfectly.

The Solarglide kind of combines all the elements of Adidas into one shoe that goes across the spectrum from running to casual wear to gym wear. We got a Boost midsole, Linear Energy Push 2.0 motion control, upper yarn made from 50% Parley Ocean Plastic, and a Continental Rubber outsole. 

All of that makes a pretty solid shoe (albeit a heavy one), that is both durable and comfortable, something that you probably want out of a shoe, especially if you buy only one or two pairs of a shoe a year. 

If the weight turns you off to running in it, it still makes for an extremely comfortable walking shoe, and we all do plenty of that in between the morning paces.

The Supernova is more or less the poster-child for budget Adidas running shoes. While there are models that are cheaper, we wouldn’t call them running shoes, even if DSW puts them in the run section. The Supernova is as low as we’ll go and still consider it a running shoe.

Most of the midsole is Bounce, an EVA formulation that we wouldn’t say is exactly soft, but it’s not the firmest we’ve tried. A large heel section of Boost does give you that cushion and energy return found in other shoes, and the padded tongue and plush heel collar help the upper punch above its weight.

When it comes down to it, it’s a pretty simple shoe and one that will perform well in any scenario, from the gym to running to walking. For $100 (and on sale for much less), you really can’t go wrong.

Last, but certainly not least (I’m actually wearing them on my feet as I type this), the Ultraboost Light is one of the newest shoes from Adidas, featuring an all-new iteration of Boost.

While Boost midsole foam is a legend in the game, it was long overdue for some improvement. Enter Light Boost, a new generation of Boost that’s 30% lighter and boasts a 10% lower carbon footprint. Throw in 50% Parley Ocean Yarn and 50% recycled polyester in the upper, and you have a shoe you can feel good about while looking good in. It’s also much lighter than the standard Ultraboost. 

Which may be our favorite thing about the shoe– it looks so good. The lockdown of the Primeknit+ upper is great as well and is super comfortable both on the run and as casual wear. Speaking of on the run– it doesn’t offer the same comfort levels of the Solarglide, but for the “three miles or less” runner, the shoe works. Just be aware that the upper is a bit warm, so your feet will get toasty on the run come summer time. 

And though this hits a little hard at that $190 price point, the aesthetic alone may justify the price tag.

How We Make Our Picks

All of our recommendations come directly from our feet to your screen. We test countless running shoes here at Believe in the Run, and we let our reviews guide our decisions. However, we also consider other reviews and our BITR community, as not every runner has the same experiences. We also aim to stick with shoes that are currently available so you can give our recommendations a try.

Want to learn more about how our review process works? Check out this guide.