New Balance SC Elite v5 vs Adidas Adios Pro 4: Which Carbon Racer Fits Your Marathon?

Introduction

If you are shopping for a carbon-plated race shoe this fall, the New Balance SC Elite v5 and the Adidas Adios Pro 4 are two of the most talked-about options right now. Both are soft, bouncy, and built to handle real training mileage, which makes them unusual among modern super shoes. They share a similar spirit but favor very different types of runners, and the differences show up quickly on foot.

Head to Head: Design and Platform

The two shoes diverge most in platform geometry. The SC Elite v5 runs narrower than the Adios Pro 4 across the heel (77 mm vs 80 mm), midfoot, and forefoot (107 mm vs 121 mm), which gives it a more contained, conventional feel. The Adios Pro 4 counters with a wider platform but includes an aggressive medial heel cutout that some runners find unsettling.

Weight favors Adidas slightly, with the Adios Pro 4 measuring around 212 g in the tested size versus 228 g for the SC Elite v5. The SC Elite v5 carries a large padded heel collar and a plush, dialed-in upper that feels closer to a premium trainer. Both shoes fit true to size, and the Adios Pro 4 has a lightweight, minimal upper that has not caused irritation for most runners despite the sparse padding.

Where Each Shoe Wants You to Land

This is the heart of the comparison. The Adios Pro 4 wants you up on the forefoot. Its front end delivers two to three extra millimeters of foam, a sharper rocker, and a genuinely propulsive, bouncy toe-off. The SC Elite v5, in contrast, is happy to let you land on the back of the platform, and it is noticeably harder to get up on the toes.

The Adios heel is also its weak point. The wide, soft rear platform combined with the cutout creates a sinking, slightly unstable sensation, especially when walking or jogging. The SC Elite v5 fills in the heel properly and feels dramatically more stable. For runners who land heel to midfoot, this single difference can decide the purchase.

Pacing Personality: Joggers, Tempos, and Race Day

The Adios Pro 4 rewards runners at the extremes. At roughly 9-minute pace it feels comfortable, and at sub-6:30 pace it becomes a fast, attacking race shoe with an AlphaFly-like “bounce spot” at the front of the platform. In the middle zone around 7-minute pace, the soft heel can collapse and feel mushy and distracting.

The SC Elite v5 is the more forgiving all-rounder. It glides smoothly at easy pace, feels plush and natural at marathon effort, and handles long runs beautifully. It is less aggressively propulsive than the Adidas, so pure speed feels more relaxed rather than razor sharp, but it never demands that you run a specific way.

Durability and Daily Usability

Both shoes held up impressively through roughly 40 miles of testing, including tempos, long runs, and everyday aerobic miles. The foam in the SC Elite v5 showed no bottoming out or mushiness, and the Adios Pro 4 outsole compound appeared durable and grippy.

One cosmetic complaint: the all-white Adios Pro 4 upper picks up dirt quickly and does not clean up as well as comparable white race shoes. The SC Elite v5 still looked nearly new after the same mileage. If you plan to use your race shoe as a training shoe as well, the New Balance is the easier shoe to live with.

Overall Buying Advice

Choose the SC Elite v5 if you are a heel or midfoot striker, if you loved the Saucony Endorphin Pro 4 or the AeroGlide-style fit, or if you want one race shoe that doubles as a training shoe. It suits marathon pace work and long runs exceptionally well.

Choose the Adios Pro 4 if you are a forefoot runner pushing faster than 6:30 pace, or a slower runner (around 8 to 9 minute pace) who enjoys a big soft heel stack. If you run mostly in the 7-minute middle zone with a heel-heavy stride, neither extreme benefit applies and the heel quirks may bother you.

Conclusion

These are two of the best carbon training-friendly race shoes available right now, and both earned their spot in a serious marathon rotation. The SC Elite v5 wins on comfort, stability, and versatility; the Adios Pro 4 wins on aggression, forefoot propulsion, and weight. Pick based on how you actually land and the paces you race at, not on hype.