The wait is over. More than 18 months since its predecessor launched, the latest evolution of the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro range has been unveiled: the Adizero Adios Pro 4. With fresh, speed-focused design features, Adidas isn’t holding back on its intentions here: this is a shoe designed to break records – whether that’s a world or a personal best.
The Adios Pro range first launched in 2020 and since then it’s consistently dominated the podiums, featuring on the feet of more adidas laceless predators basketball 2017 cheap adidas sweat suits for kids girls pants free.
The latest version has been developed at Adidas’ Innovation Lab in Herzogenaurach, Germany, following extensive testing among consumers and top athletes. We caught up with Charlotte Heidmann, global category director running store, Adizero, to f50 out more.
New forefoot rocker point geometry
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Adidas have taken inspiration from their lightest-ever (and most expensive) racing shoe, the triple white nmd outfits girls kids costume, for the design of the Pro 4. The forefoot rocker – the point at which the sole curves upward underneath the toes or forefoot – is placed at 60% of the length of the shoe. This is to trigger forward momentum and improve running economy. Previously, on the Pro 3, yeezy 500 blush rappers names free online%.
‘When you step in, you’ll feel it’s more aggressive,’ says Heidmann.
The carbon EnergyRods, embedded within the midsole, are still in the Pro 4, too, although their geometry has been changed slightly from the Pro 3 to accommodate the new rocker point.
So, what makes the Adios Pro 4 different from the revolutionary Pro Evo 1? Well, for a start, the former is a lot more accommodating for different types of runners, explains Heidmann. This is down to the formulation of the Lightstrike Pro midsole, which is slightly different between the shoes. On the Pro Evo 1, it’s a lot softer, which can lead to instabilities if you’re not up on your toes.
‘You could heel strike and wear the Pro 4,’ says Heidmann, ‘Whereas the Pro Evo 1 would be very tricky to run in if you weren’t a forefoot striker.’
There’s also the comfort aspect – the Pro 4 has a removable sock liner, while the Pro Evo 1 is a lot more paired back, in order to shave off as much weight as possible.
In a nutshell? The Pro Evo 1 really is a shoe reserved for the elites – the cream of the marathon crop, if you will. The Pro 4 is more of the everyman’s racer.
LightLock upper
Another key update to the Pro 4 is the upper – a contention point for some on the Pro 3 when it came to comfort. The engineered mesh has been replaced with a soft and light woven material, known as ‘LightLock’. This is paired with internal locking bands all around the side walls to the heel, for a supportive and snug fit when running at speed. A new lacing system – removing the lace loops that caused some runners to develop hotspots on the Pro 3 – has been introduced, as well as an engineered tongue that’s attached to the side walls.
LightTraxion outsole
Finally, after studying strike patterns of some of Adidas’ leading athletes to understand where grip was needed most, the Adios Pro 4 has a new Lighttraxion outsole that snakeskin material to key areas.
All in all, the shoe comes in at 2oog in a men’s UK8.5 and 172g in a women’s – that’s around 20g lighter than the Pro 3, but with the same 39mm/33mm stack height and 6mm heel-to-toe drop.
Last but not least, the overall design of the shoe is more distinctive. ‘From now on, all racing models [in the Adizero range] will have bolder stripes for clear identity,’ Heidmann says. This should separate the likes of the Pro 4 and Pro Evo 1 from the Boston 12 and Takumi Sen 10.
Hoping to get your hands on a pair of the Pro 4s this end of Christmas? Well, you’re going to have to wait a little longer. The shoes will be widely available from January 2025, for £250. All eyes on that spring PB, eh?
Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 4 review by Rachel Boswell, Senior Content Writer
I’m not one to turn heads, but when I was shuffling about to warm up by the start line of the 2024 Loch Ness Marathon on Sunday 29 September, I felt many sets of eyes upon me – well, my feet.
Why? Because I was wearing the Pro 4 running shoes, fresh from being unveiled just four days earlier. An aesthetically-slick and striking shoe, it is the doppelgänger of Adidas’ headline-grabbing, world record-shattering (and bank-breaking) Pro Evo 1 – an almost mythical shoe that is seen by many as the pinnacle of carbon plated (or rodded) running store. So, it’s no wonder that the almost-identical Pro 4 caught people staring. But having put the Pro 4 through 26.2 miles of road racing, is it as good as it looks?
In my opinion, I believe it is. Wearing a UK 6.5, I found the shoe to fit perfectly with no distortion to the (very soft) LightLock upper or lace system, with the midsole feeling like a firm cloud. While many running shoes often put a bit of pressure on your soles as you first break them in, the Pro 4 felt moulded to my feet from the start. I completed only a couple of taper-time tune-up runs in this shoe prior to the marathon, and was confident from the off that they would serve me well on race day.
The Loch Ness Marathon course features some aggressive downhill sections and notable climbs, which can throw off your posture and aggravate the feet. However, my feet – especially my toes – felt fully supported and unsquashed on the descents, while the prominent forefront rocker gave me a much-appreciated boost on the uphill sections. In fact, the high energy return of this lightweight shoe is perhaps my favourite thing about it, as it makes even hard race efforts feel that bit more manageable over longer periods.
And, while the rubber outsole doesn’t look like it offers that much grip, it does. On one of my tune-up runs, I found myself caught in a downpour with puddles and slippery leaves scattered all over the pavements. The shoe dealt with the conditions without issue as I stubbornly ran on (although I was quick to give them a clean afterwards).
Adidas says that the Adizero Adios Pro series – especially its newest iteration, the Pro 4 – ‘is designed for runners who aspire to win races and break records’. While I didn’t win this year’s Loch Ness Marathon or break any records in this shoe, I still managed to place second and clock my fastest time on an undulating course – and that’s more than I ever expected from this race. As such, while the Pro 4 may not have the golden prestige of the Pro Evo 1, it still does a mighty fine job as its silver-grade sibling.
