Best Adidas Adizero Running Shoes 2023: Five Picks From Daily Miles to Race Day

Introduction

When it comes to Adidas running shoes, the Adizero line is where the performance technology lives. It is the line where the brand’s racing foam and propulsion setups trickle down to the shoes its athletes actually train and race in. If you see Adizero on a shoe, you know it belongs to the fast end of the catalog.

This lineup covers the range: an affordable daily trainer, a versatile do-everything trainer, a snappy short-distance racer, a marathon-ready super shoe, and a max-stack wildcard for runners who want to break the rules a little. Here is how we would pick between them for 2023.

Budget Daily Trainer: Adidas Adizero SL20

The Adizero SL20 is the inexpensive entry point into the Adizero lineup while keeping that performance DNA. At $120 you get some compromises compared with the more premium shoes, and the most obvious one is the outsole: there is no Continental rubber here, just standard rubber. It still does the job.

The midsole uses Lightstrike with a puck of Lightstrike Pro in the forefoot, right under the ball of the foot, which adds a little squish and bounce at toe-off. It is a fun, simple shoe that handles daily miles without fuss, and it is a sensible pick for high school or cross country runners looking for something straightforward.

If you just want a shoe to kick around in and log your everyday runs, this is the one.

The Do-It-All Trainer: Adidas Adizero Boston 12

The Boston 12 is a return to greatness. Versions 10 and 11 felt dense and dead in the foam, but Lightstrike 2.0 on the bottom combined with Lightstrike Pro on the top makes for a much juicier ride. It also uses the same energy rod configuration as the Adios Pro 3, where the rods work as a cohesive unit rather than single rods, plus Continental rubber for grip.

The ride hits a sweet spot: not too soft, with the right amount of bounce, ground feel, and response. You land, you go, and it snaps you forward. The only real downside is an upper that felt a little shaky, but as a trainer it was one of the favorites of the year.

It works for daily training and more up-tempo runs, and some runners even treat it as a decent stand-in for the Adios Pro on race day. If there were one Adidas shoe to do everything needed for running, this would be a strong contender at $160.

Fast Short-Distance Racer: Adidas Adizero Takumi Sen 9

The Takumi Sen 9 might be one of the most fun racing shoes around. It uses a full Lightstrike Pro midsole, the same foam as the Adios Pro, but at a lower stack of 33 millimeters in the heel versus 40 in the Pro. You still get energy rods and Continental rubber, wrapped in an incredibly lightweight and airy mesh upper that almost disappears on the foot.

Despite a thin tongue, the fit works, and the shoe rewards speed. Once it is on your feet, you will want to pick up the pace. This is a snappy, lightweight racer that is not firm, just the right amount of bounce and cushion underfoot.

For race distance, this is the pick for a mile, 5K, and anything up to around 10K, and it can still hold a good half marathon. It is not a marathon shoe, but for shorter racing it is hard to beat.

Marathon Race Day Pick: Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 3

The Adios Pro 3 is the pinnacle of Adidas racing right now. It shares the full Lightstrike Pro midsole and energy rod configuration with the Takumi Sen 9 but pushes the stack to roughly 40 millimeters, right at the World Athletics limit, with Continental rubber underneath. It is lightweight, breathable, and feels great underfoot.

The standout experience came at the Boston Marathon, where wet conditions showed just how well that Continental rubber grips, even over painted lines. Legs felt good in the late miles and stayed fresh the day after, a clear contrast with other race shoes that left legs thrashed. Compared with the Takumi Sen 9, it keeps the snap but adds cushioning to carry you through marathon miles.

At $250 it sits right in the standard range for modern super shoes, and for marathon day it is the obvious pick from this lineup.

Wildcard Max-Stack Option: Adidas Adizero Prime X Strung

The Prime X Strung is the wildcard, and at $300 it is the most expensive shoe here. It brings 50 millimeters of stack, carbon rods plus an additional plate, plenty of Lightstrike Pro, and an excellent Strung woven upper that fits well and holds the foot over the tall platform, a big improvement over the first version.

It stays impressively light, under 10 ounces for a standard size nine, and it is genuinely fun, a best-of-both-worlds mix of cushion and speed. The trade-off is stability: with a narrow heel and platform, it asks a lot of your muscles to stay on top of it, and tired form can get sloppy. It is also not the pick over the Pro 3 for race day.

As a use case, it works for easy recovery miles for some runners, and as an up-tempo shoe when you want something fun without full race-day effort. With word that a Prime X Strung 2 could arrive sooner than expected, this line is clearly one to watch.

How to Choose

Match the shoe to the job. If you want cheap daily miles, the SL20 is the entry point. If you want one shoe to do nearly everything, the Boston 12 is the most versatile of the group. For short racing up to 10K, the Takumi Sen 9 is the fun, snappy pick. For the marathon, the Adios Pro 3 is the proven race-day option. And if you want maximum cushion and a rule-breaking ride, and are willing to pay for it, the Prime X Strung is the wildcard worth trying.

Conclusion

Adidas’s Adizero lineup in 2023 covers almost every running need, from $120 daily trainers to a $300 max-stack experiment. The Boston 12 stands out as the most versatile all-rounder, the Takumi Sen 9 and Adios Pro 3 cover short and long racing respectively, and the SL20 and Prime X Strung bookend the range at the budget and wildcards ends. Pick based on the runs you actually do, and each of these has a clear case.