The Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 4 is coming — here’s 5 reasons to be excited about Adidas’s new super-shoe
Meet Adidas’s new carbon plate racing shoe
The long-awaited successor to the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 3 carbon plate super-shoe has finally been announced, with the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 4 set to make its debut on the feet of elites at the Berlin Marathon this weekend.
The Adidas Adios Pro 4 features some big updates on its predecessor, and will sit in the Adidas range as its best carbon plate running shoe for the masses, below the incredibly expensive and exclusive Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1, which is mainly for elite runners.
Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 4: Price and availability
The Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 4 will be available to buy in January 2025 and costs $250, which is the same price as the Adios Pro 3. That's considerably cheaper than Adidas’s top racer for elite runners, the Pro Evo 1, which is $500.
I’m hoping to test the shoe for our review before its full launch in January, but at first sight there are many reasons to get excited about the Adios Pro 4.
The design is inspired by the Adios Pro Evo 1
Given the price of the Pro Evo 1, and how rarely it’s on sale, I was hoping the Adios Pro 4 would bring some of its design elements to a more accessible shoe for non-elite runners. The rocker on the Adios Pro 4 is positioned in the same way as the one of the Pro Evo 1, with the aim of boosting your running efficiency and pushing you forward with each step, helping you to maintain your pace deep into races.
It’s lighter than the Adios Pro 3
The Adios Pro 4 is listed at weighing around 7oz for the men’s shoe and around 6oz for the women’s, which is a considerable drop on the weight of the Adios Pro 3. That’s despite the fact the Adios Pro 4 still has a similar stack height of 39mm at the heel and 33mm at the forefoot, and a bouncy Lightstrike Pro foam midsole with Adidas’s carbon EnergyRods running through it.
That suggests Adidas has retained the springy feel of the shoe while trimming its weight considerably, which is always welcome in a racing shoe. Most of the weight has been cut from the upper and outsole then. Speaking of that upper…
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The upper looks a big improvement
The upper on the Adios Pro 3 was a problem for a lot of runners, with a scratchy design that sometimes caused unpleasant rubbing, especially in longer events. The Adios Pro 4 has a new LightLock upper made from a woven mesh that’s designed to hold the foot securely for fast running while being very lightweight, and it looks to have removed some of the features that caused irritation especially around the bottom of the laces.
It’s the same price as the Adios Pro 3
It’s not a cheap shoe by any means, but the Adios Pro 4 costs the same as the Adios Pro 3 at $250. And that's a relief given how the price of running shoes has risen in the two years since the Pro 3 came out, especially with top racing shoes like the Pro Evo 1 having such extravagant price tags.
It comes with an exciting training partner shoe
The Adios Pro 4 might be more accessible than the Pro Evo 1, but it’s still an expensive shoe designed for serious runners to use on race day. Another shoe launched today (September 25) is the Adidas Adizero Evo SL, which brings some design features from the Pro 4 and Pro Evo 1 to a lightweight shoe that doesn’t have carbon EnergyRods in it.
It should be a fun and springy shoe to use for training and racing, and the Adizero Evo SL is a lot cheaper than Adidas’s top racers at $150. It will be available in limited quantities on October 15, before launching fully in March 2025.
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Nick Harris-fry is an experienced health and fitness journalist, writing professionally since 2012. He spent nine years working on the Coach magazine and website before moving to the fitness team at Tom’s Guide in 2024. Nick is a keen runner and also the founder of YouTube channel The Run Testers, which specialises in reviewing running shoes, watches, headphones and other gear.
Nick ran his first marathon in 2016 after six weeks of training for a magazine feature and subsequently became obsessed with the sport. He now has PBs of 2hr 27min for the marathon and 15min 30sec for 5K, and has run 13 marathons in total, as well as a 50-mile ultramarathon.
He runs 50-80 miles a week and races regularly with his club, which gives him a lot of opportunity to test out running gear: he has tested and reviewed hundreds of pairs of running shoes, as well as fitness trackers, running watches, sports headphones, treadmills, and all manner of other kit. Nick is also a qualified Run Leader in the UK.