Adidas Boston 12 Review: A Better Boston, But Not Quite a True Speed Shoe

Introduction

Adidas names the Boston series after one of the most famous road marathons in the world, and that name carries expectations. Traditionally, a “Boston” shoe was the one you reached for on hard workout days, and for many runners it doubled as a race shoe before carbon-plated super shoes took over. The Boston 12 is the latest version, and the short verdict is this: it is better than the Boston 10 and 11, but it still does not fully live up to what the name implies.

Specs and Construction

The Boston 12 has a 38 mm heel stack height with a 7 mm drop, giving 31 mm in the forefoot. The midsole is built from three ingredients: a top layer of Lightstrike Pro, Adidas’ premier racing foam; a bottom layer of regular Lightstrike, an EVA-based foam; and energy rods sandwiched between the two for stability. A Continental rubber outsole protects all of that, and the upper is a strong, breathable mesh that keeps the foot locked in at higher forces.

This version adds an extra layer of soft padding that folds over itself on top of the tongue, apparently to reduce lace pressure on the top of the foot. At the heel there is minimal structure plus a couple of bumper pads to keep the shoe snug. Overall weight comes in at 9.7 oz (275 g), which is reasonable for a daily trainer, though the previous Prime X Strong, a 50 mm stacked, multi-layer carbon shoe, weighed less at 9 oz.

Who the Boston 12 Is For

The Boston 12 works best as a daily trainer for easy running or slightly faster-than-easy pace. It should be a particularly good fit for bigger or taller runners at daily training efforts, where the stable, dense ride becomes an advantage rather than a limitation. If you want a shoe to hunker down in for hard workouts, this is probably not the one.

Main Strengths

The Lightstrike Pro top layer delivers a soft, squishy and genuinely pleasant landing experience. The ride is stable and controlled, and the energy rods do their intended job of keeping the shoe from feeling squirrely or overly squishy underfoot. The added tongue padding is a welcome comfort upgrade, and the durable mesh upper plus Continental rubber outsole suggest a shoe built to handle real training mileage.

Things to Consider Before Buying

The main trade-off is energy. The regular Lightstrike bottom layer makes the shoe feel dense and a touch heavy, and the energy rods seem to take away from the responsiveness that Lightstrike Pro can offer. There is not much top-end here, which limits its usefulness for faster workouts. Most runners will gravitate toward easy pace rather than tempo or interval work.

Buying Advice and Alternatives

At $160, the Boston 12 would feel like a fantastic price if it delivered more excitement. As a daily trainer pairing, the Adidas Adios Pro 3 is an easy race day complement: it uses a full Lightstrike Pro midsole with carbon energy rods for strong responsiveness and snap, and its upper fits similarly, so comfort carries over.

For workouts, the Takumi Sen 9, or the nearly identical Takumi Sen 8 if you can still find it, is the better pick. It has a full Lightstrike Pro midsole with (non-carbon) energy rods, a lower 33 mm heel stack, and a super springy, fast feel suited to 5K and 10K racing, threshold work, mile repeats and even VO2 max sessions. At $180 it costs $20 more than the Boston 12, but it earns that premium as a versatile workout workhorse. If the Takumi’s low-slung feel is too minimal, the Prime X Strong (version 1, 9 oz, two layers of carbon elements, all-Lightstrike Pro cushioning) is a fun option for longer marathon or half marathon effort runs.

The strongest direct competitor to the Boston 12 is not from Adidas at all. The Puma Deviate Nitro 2, also $160, uses Puma’s Nitro Elite racing foam with a carbon composite plate. It handles daily training and marathon-buildup workouts with equal ease, and it is lightweight, nimble and fun. In spirit, it may be the best “Boston update” on the market today, which makes the Boston 12 feel a little overpriced by comparison.

Conclusion

The Boston 12 is not a bad shoe. It is a comfortable, stable daily trainer with a genuinely pleasant landing, and it improves on the Boston 10 and 11. But at a time when the Boston Marathon itself is more popular than ever, the gap between the shoe and its namesake race remains a disappointment in Adidas’ lineup. If you want a true speed shoe for workouts, look to the Takumi Sen 9 or the Puma Deviate Nitro 2; if you simply want a dependable, cushioned daily trainer, the Boston 12 fits the bill.