I ran 40 miles in the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 4 — here’s my verdict

The Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 4 looks like a similar shoe to the Adios Pro 3, but has been overhauled from top to bottom, with updates to the upper, midsole, and outsole that all improve the shoe.

It’s now lighter, softer, springier, and faster, and one of the best carbon plate running shoes you can get from any brand. One of the only ones that might be better is the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1, but that’s hard to get, wildly expensive, and more aimed at elites than everyday runners.

In my Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 4 review, I’ll run through my testing of the shoe and how it compares to other top super-shoes like the Asics Metaspeed Sky Paris and Nike Alphafly 3.

Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 4 review: price and availability

The Adios Pro 4 went on general sale in January 2025 and costs $250 in the U.S. and £220 in the U.K., which is the same price as the Adios Pro 3 and in line with most carbon plate racing shoes. It’s cheaper than some of its main rivals like the Nike Alphafly 3 and Hoka Cielo X1 2.0, as well as costing a lot less than the Adidas Pro Evo 1 elite racing shoe, which is $500/£450.

Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 4 review: design and fit

The Adios Pro 4 is currently available in four colors in the men’s shoe and three colors in the women’s, including the Metallic / Lucid Red / Grey shoe I tested. It only comes in one width and while the length is true to size, it does have a narrow toe-box and can rub on longer runs.

It has a stack height of 39mm at the heel and 33mm at the forefoot for a 6mm drop, which differs slightly from the Pro 3, which was 39.5mm at the heel and 33mm at the forefoot.

The new shoe is significantly lighter than its predecessor, however. The Adios Pro 4 weighs 7.1oz in a US men’s size 9.5, whereas my Adios Pro 3 weighs 8.7oz in a slightly larger US men’s size 10.

Upper

I never had significant problems with the upper on the Adios Pro 3 myself, but the scratchy material used and eyelet placement did cause issues for lots of runners, so the changes Adidas has made with the Pro 4 are welcome.

The new Lightlock upper is soft and flexible, as well as being breathable and lightweight, and it holds the foot securely and comfortably for fast runs. The pointy shape of the toe-box can rub the toes on long runs though, and those with wide feet might find that a problem.

Midsole

The Adios Pro 4 uses Lightstrike Pro foam in its midsole, but it’s a different version of the foam to the one in the Adios Pro 3 (and also the Pro Evo 1). Compared with the Pro 3 the midsole in the Pro 4 is softer and springier, as well as being lighter than the foam on the Pro 3.

Carbon-infused ENERGYRODS 2.0 run the length of the shoe and act in a similar way to a carbon plate in stabilizing the soft foam and adding propulsion to the ride, while being a little more flexible than a full plate.

Another change from the Pro 3 is that the start of the forefoot rocker on the Pro 4 has been moved back to 60% along the shoe (from the heel). This is done with the aim of creating a faster and more efficient ride.

Outsole

Adidas uses two different rubbers on the outsole of the Adios Pro 4, with the main one being a material called Lighttraxion, which covers most of the bottom of the shoe.

This is a thin and lightweight rubber that still provides good grip in my experience, but there’s also a small section of Continental rubber on the forefoot of the shoe to provide even better traction for your toe-offs in particular.

Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 4 review: running performance

While I liked the Adios Pro 3, I never rated it as highly as the best carbon super-shoes available. It was a little heavy, and while it was good to use for a lot of training thanks to its relatively stable and durable design (for a racing shoe), it didn’t make me feel my fastest on race day.

The Adios Pro 4 is a faster shoe, and although Adidas has sacrificed a little stability to make it so, that’s a trade-off I’m happy to make with my racing shoe.

I’ve used the Adios Pro 4 for a variety of hard training runs, including a couple of progression runs, an interval session on the road, and a track session running 1K reps where I also used the Nike Alphafly 3 for some of the reps to compare the two shoes.

The Adios Pro 4 is a very springy shoe, with the softer foam in the midsole compressing more than the Adios Pro 3 when landing, then rebounding quickly to provide a lot of energy return.

Combined with the rocker at the front of the shoe and the ENERGYRODS in the midsole, this bouncy foam creates a very fast but still comfortable ride. The Adios Pro 4 has the speed for all-out 60-second reps, but also feels good cruising at marathon pace.

I enjoyed the ride of the shoe more than the Alphafly 3 during the track session I did in both shoes, though I would say the Nike has a more comfortable feel and might be my pick of the pair for a marathon.

The Adios Pro 4 feels nimbler and faster over shorter distances though, with the forefoot rocker providing a speedier transition from heel to toe, and is lighter and cheaper than the Alphafly 3 as well.

Should you buy the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 4?

The Adidas Adios Pro 4 is one of the best racing shoes you can get, and unless you have the budget to splash out $500 on the Pro Evo 1, it’s certainly Adidas’s best racer and a notable improvement on the Adios Pro 3.

It performs at the same high level as my favorite carbon super-shoes, which include the Asics Metaspeed Sky Paris, Hoka Cielo X1 2.0 and Nike Alphafly 3. The Asics remains my personal favorite, with its slightly firmer and more responsive ride suiting my running style, but I wouldn’t say it’s objectively better than the Adidas, just better suited to my taste.

The Adios Pro 4 is also reasonable value for a carbon super-shoe, being cheaper than the Alphafly 3 and Cielo X1 2.0, though if you are looking for value in particular the Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 3 is worth checking out as it’s a fantastic racer and a little cheaper than the Adidas.

If you want a shoe to chase PRs in, you won’t go wrong if you pick up the Adios Pro 4, and it’s a worthy upgrade to the Adios Pro 3. Just watch out for your toes.