Adidas Evo 3 Broke Records. Here's Why I'm Running In the Adios Pro 5

I tested the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 5 at Papago Park. Here's why it's the shoe to own. The adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 broke every record imaginable. I'm more interested in what came next: Adidas' newest race shoe, the Adizero Adios Pro 5.

It's built with technology from the Evo 3, and I got the chance to take it out for a run. Here's why you might want the Pro 5 over the shoe that made history.

Adidas Running Legacy

Charles Flanagan wears the adidas Adios Evo Pro 5. — The adidas Adios Evo Pro 5. | Cesar Hernandez-Diaz

For decades, the two-hour marathon was the barrier nobody was supposed to break. This year, it fell twice in one race, and both runners wore the Evo 3.

Adidas got there with a shift, trading the ENERGYRODS, the carbon rods the Adios Pro line was built around, for ENERGYRIM, a carbon frame. That shift changed what a marathon shoe could do. The question was how much of it Adidas could hand to the rest of us. The Pro 5 is the answer.

adidas Adios Evo Pro 5

Out at Papago, the feedback was responsive without overdoing it. Shoes with a carbon plate or a high stack often give me so much recoil that it pulls me out of the natural rhythm of my gait. The Pro 5 moved with my stride and frequency and gave me just enough push-off to keep me rolling.

The weight follows the same balance. Some super shoes chase weightlessness so hard that you lose support. I've held the Evo 3, and it's so light I wouldn't feel confident running in it. The Pro 5 is bigger, and that added material makes it feel safer and sturdier, with a better ride and more stability. On my foot, it felt like a reinforcement, almost a light shell, and it never restricted my run.

It looks the part, too. Against the Papago Desert, the Solar Turbo, Core Black, and Lucid Red colorway looked like it was on fire, and everyone I passed had eyes on me. Put them on a marathon course, and those Three Stripes will be the hottest thing on the starting line.

Performance Technology

The Pro 5 brings the ENERGYRIM down from the Evo 3. Because the rim runs along the edge of the midsole, there's room for more Lightstrike Pro foam directly underfoot.

Adidas says the Pro 5 returns 9% more energy than the Pro 4 and weighs about 177 grams, 12% lighter. A LIGHTLOCK 2.0 upper and Continental rubber underneath finish a package built to race.

Shopping Information

The Evo 3 re-release is incredibly hard to find, and everybody is hunting for a pair. If you can find one, and that's a huge if, it costs $500. The adidas Adizero Adios Pro 5 is available now for $275 at adidas.com.

For the money and overall value, it's the better option. The records so far have come in the Evo 3, but I can assure you, once the pros get their feet in the Pro 5, it's game over.

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