Today, I’m going to be comparing the Adidas Boston vs. Adios. These are both great shoes from Adidas and both have a Boost midsole.
But how does the most important part of both shoes, Boost, feel underfoot?
Let’s find out…
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Adidas Boston vs. Adios
Adidas Boston
If I could kind of sum up the Adidas Adizero Boston 8, it’s been an exceptional shoe. I’ve taken it on everything from a 5-mile hill climb all the way up to a 20-mile run.
So, I’ve taken it out on a variety of surfaces from asphalt, pavement to dirt road and kind of done everything in between. A lot of the miles in this shoe were spent kind of at faster paces in kind of the 6 to 8-mile range.
So, I’ve taken it on a variety of different types of run and no matter what I throw at the Boston, it always rose to the challenge.
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Upper
In terms of the overall feel of this shoe, a lot of the first impressions that I had with this shoe still remained.
The upper is just absolutely fantastic. It is kind of like a little bit more of a substantial version of the Adizero Adios 4. It’s a little bit more old-school.
The upper is supportive in terms of keeping your foot in place but still very breathable.
There’s tons of lacing up top to ensure a firm and secure fit. The heel cup in the back fits around the foot nicely and everything kind of just really worked well.
Midsole
In terms of the midsole and outsole, even though it looks like there’s a lot of Boost in the shoe, it just didn’t ever feel like I was running in a Boost shoe.
You could have told me that I was running in just a pure EVA foam shoe and I would have believed it in this particular shoe.
Whatever is going on with this EVA layer that’s above the Boost is just completely insulating me from the Boost that’s in the shoe.
I’m just not feeling that kind of excitement that I was expecting from a Boost midsole. Maybe that contributes to the overall sensation I’ve got for this shoe.
Feel
I think that the best way to explain the shoe is that I generally feel the benefits of this shoe after I’m done running in terms of my feet don’t hurt, my joints have been feeling great, I’ve been feeling great through the higher mileage past couple of weeks, and my body has been responding really well.
That’s because most of the miles in those past two weeks have been in this Adizero Boston 8. So, overall, it has just been a fantastic daily trainer for me able to handle shorter faster days, even medium distance faster days, and all of my long runs as well.
So, the Adizero Boston is something that has an incredible amount of versatility and something that I really wasn’t expecting from the shoe.
Durability
In terms of holding up over the 100 miles, looking at the Stretch Web Continental rubber outsole pattern, it’s holding up extremely well.
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The caveat there being I did spend probably about 35 to 40 of those miles on dirt roads or gravel roads so it’s not going to be as tough on the rubber as if I’d spend all of the 100 miles on pavement.
So, the rubber is holding up extremely well and the Boost is holding up extremely well. It still feels like a brand-new shoe to me in terms of the midsole response and it just feels as fresh as the day I had it.
I’ve been having a really great time running in this shoe, but it’s just not a shoe that I’m excited to put on for whatever reason and so I’ve never found myself looking forward to running in this shoe, but my body definitely thanks me for it afterwards.
Adidas Adizero Adios
This is a marathon road racing shoe from Adidas. It has a thin layer of Boost along the midsole, Continental rubber on the outsole, and a mesh upper on top.
Upper
I absolutely love the upper on this shoe. This is probably one of the best-fitting uppers that I’ve experienced in a very long time if not one of the best.
I absolutely love the mesh. It’s extremely breathable, which was a little bit of a problem when I first got the shoe when the temperatures were still pretty cold.
But when things started to warm up, I definitely appreciated the breathability.
Overall, the material is really thin. Even in the heel collar area, there’s a little bit of structure back for heel lockdown.
It’s the right amount of material plus a little bit of rigidity to keep everything really locked down onto my foot. It really feels like it’s just an extension of my foot when I’m wearing it.
Aiding that is the fact that it’s a very light shoe so it doesn’t feel like there’s a weight at the bottom of my foot. It just feels like I’m running.
Midsole
The thin layer of Boost is also a real surprise to me. I ran in the UltraBoost Parley last year and I felt that the shoe was a little bit mushy and a little bit heavy. But with this Adidas Adios 4, I don’t feel that at all.
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The much thinner layer of Boost here is actually really nice, especially in the midfoot area. I’m getting a lot of road feel so I’m getting a sense for the contours of the road, the incline, the decline, and all the nuances.
Feel
It’s a really refreshing feeling to me although it does get to be a little bit fatiguing because you have to be a little bit more mindful of your foot strike when you’re running in this shoe.
Although there is a little bit more Boost in the heel, this is definitely not a shoe for heel strikers and I definitely found myself having to focus on how my foot is striking and trying to avoid excessive heel striking.
Definitely, on the longer miles, you’re going to be hitting the heel at least a little bit, and having that extra layer of Boost at least compared to the midfoot and forefoot is definitely a nice thing to have.
I’ve run in this shoe for a variety of distances from 6 miles all the way up to 20 miles and a variety of terrains from road all the way to light trail.
Versatility
The Adizero actually did really well on all the surfaces and all the distances that I ran. Would I recommend this as a trail shoe? Absolutely not.
But in terms of me going on a trip where I was going to be running on a variety of surfaces and I didn’t want to fill a suitcase full of shoes, this was a good kind of all-around shoe.
I wouldn’t necessarily call it a daily trainer though just because the forefoot Boost is a little bit thin and the heel isn’t all that forgiving, but it’s certainly something that you can take on longer distances and has a little bit more range than I would normally consider for something that’s labeled as kind of a road racing shoe.
So, I definitely think that this is something that I could run a marathon with. It doesn’t feel like that when you kind of first put it on and you’re feeling how much road feel there is and how much road kind of contact and impact you’re feeling, but when I took it on the 20-mile run, the limiting factor was definitely me and not the feeling in my feet.
So, I definitely feel like this is a shoe that can go the distance with you although I think for most people this shoe is going to really be optimal and ideal in terms of racing from the 10k all the way up to the half marathon distance.
Best For
I think for most people that’s where this shoe’s going to really feel the best although, for a lot of you also racing a road 5k in it, it is going to be fine, or racing a road marathon is also going to be fine too.
Or, if you have a race where it’s a little bit of mix between dirt road and paved road, I think this will also do really well.
Durability
In terms of some of the downsides of running with a racing shoe for 100 miles is it’s not designed for longevity.
I don’t think I’ve seen a shoe kind of not fall apart but wear down as quickly as this, but I’m trying to give it a little bit of the benefit out because it is a road racing shoe.
Outsole
There is continental rubber on the bottom on the outsole and it’s super grippy, but the downside is that the rubber wears down quickly and that’s certainly the case in this midfoot kind of to the forefoot area where a lot of my foot strike tends to happen.
The rubber is not worn down, but it’s definitely getting there in terms of how deep the nubs are or no longer are versus other areas where there isn’t quite as much wear.
The other thing is the Boost is getting really discolored and it also kind of leads to this feeling where if I push on the Boost, it’s giving a little bit more than I’m comfortable with it giving.
So, I’m a little bit concerned that a lot of miles over 100 might not make it all that suitable for racing anymore.
I don’t know what the ultimate longevity of this shoe is, but then again I ran the last 20-mile run in it and I was absolutely fine.
Maybe these problems are simply cosmetic and maybe they really aren’t problems at all, but just some things that kind of caught my eye as I’m looking at the shoe at the 100-mile mark.
Upper
In terms of the wear in the upper, the upper is just rock solid. There’s a little bit of a dimple that’s happening. I don’t know if that’s just creasing that’s happening because of the way my foot is kind of bending the shoe or what’s going on, but that’s merely cosmetic.
Everything else just seems to be just absolutely perfect.
It’s hard to tell looking from the upper that this is a shoe that has 100 miles on it. It just looks absolutely pristine, which is amazing for me because I always tend to beat up my shoes pretty hard.
Overall, I’m pretty happy with the way that this shoe is holding up. I’m very happy with the performance of this racing shoe from Adidas.
Just keep in mind though it’s not going to be as long-lasting as another daily trainer might be because it is intended for road racing and so you’re going to see a lot of that in the wear pattern in the Continental rubber.
For me, I usually tend to think that it’s the cushioning that goes before the rubber goes. So, if your rubber is worn out, you’re way past the point of when you should have replaced the shoes.
But in this case, because the rubber started out so thin, which I do appreciate because of the ultimate purpose of the shoe which is to be a road marathon racing shoe, but because that initial rubber was so thin, it’s probably going to be the first thing to go and the main reason why you end up replacing this shoe.
Ultimately, this is my first time running in the Adidas Adizero Adios and I just absolutely love this shoe.
Lifestyle
The Adidas Adizero Adios 4 is also really comfortable for me to walk around in. It’s one of my favorite casual shoes and so I might just keep it around for that reason even after the shoe kind of passes its lifespan because I do like the level of Boost that’s in this shoe for walking around casually.
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You would think that for walking around casually, Ultra Boost would be the way to go, but then again I sometimes find that Ultra Boost is just a little bit too heavy and this seems to strike a nice balance.
So, the lightweightness of the Adizero Adios and a little bit of Boost when you’re walking around, I’ve really been enjoying commuting, walking around, running errands, picking up the girls, doing all my other daily life activities in this shoe as well.
It’s a good all-around except for the fact that it’s just not a daily trainer. So, hopefully, that information is helpful for you.
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Verdict
So, if I were to choose between the Adidas Boston vs Adios, which one would I go for?
Having run in both the Adidas Boston vs Adios, I guess I lean more towards the Adizero. I feel I’ve been getting a lot from the Boost in the Adidas Adios than in the Boston. The Adios is more responsive I get a lot of energy return.
However, like I said, the outsole is not super durable and I’ve started seeing some wear after 100 miles, but considering this is a race-day shoe, I’m going to just save it for that purpose and just start rotating it with other shoes.
Overall, I’m more excited to run in the Adizero Adios than the Boston.
I’m not sure how you feel about these shoes, but those are just my subjective thoughts.
If you guys have run in the Adidas Boston or the Adidas Adizero Adios, I’d love to hear some of your longer-term feedback on how they’ve been holding up for you.
FYI, Adidas launched the new Adizero Pro and it’s already making a mane for itself when Peres Jepchirchir broke the women’s only Half-Marathon World Record.
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