adidas’s own £450 question: what does doubling the price and halving the competitive life actually buy?
The adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 2 is 72g lighter (138g against 210g), the adidas Adizero Adios Pro 4 is £220 cheaper at RRP (£230 against £450), and the adidas Adizero Adios Pro 4 stays fast for roughly 140km longer (~260km against ~120km). Both are inside the World Athletics 40mm road limit.
Weight · men's US 9
Price · UK RRP
Competitive life · km before the foam fades
■ marks the better figure, where better is not a matter of taste
Adizero Adios Pro Evo 239mm — road legal
Adizero Adios Pro 439mm — road legal
| Specification | Adizero Adios Pro Evo 2 | Adizero Adios Pro 4 |
|---|---|---|
| RRP | £450 | £230 (advantage) |
| Weight | 138g (advantage) | 210g |
| Stack | 39 / 36mm | 39 / 33mm |
| Drop | 3mm | 6mm |
| Road legal | yes | yes |
| Plate | carbon fibre | carbon fibre |
| Foam | Lightstrike Pro | Lightstrike Pro |
| Competitive life | ~120km | ~260km (advantage) |
| Price per km of life | £3.75 | £0.88 (advantage) |
| Fit | narrow | standard |
| Underfoot | demanding | balanced |
| Built for | Half · Marathon | 10K · Half · Marathon |
| Economy gain | 3.8–5% | 3.2–4.3% |
= 5:20/km
Modelled economy gain adjusted for pace and your current shoes; ranges reflect the spread published between individual runners. Full method.
| Race | For the time | For the money |
|---|---|---|
| 10Kat a reference 45:00 | Only the Adizero Adios Pro 4 is built for this distance. | |
| Half marathonat a reference 1:45:00 | Adizero Adios Pro Evo 2−1m 43s to −2m 23s | Adizero Adios Pro 4cheaper per second saved |
| Marathonat a reference 3:45:00 | Adizero Adios Pro Evo 2−3m 26s to −4m 46s | Adizero Adios Pro 4cheaper per second saved |
Reference times, trainer baseline, whole-life economics. Your own time changes the answer — use the reading above.
The lightest marathon shoe ever sold and, on the evidence, the fastest. At 138g it is closer to a track spike than a road shoe.
■ Caution The reason it is on this list twice over: at £450 with a competitive life around 120km, this is comfortably the most expensive shoe per race you can buy. Run the numbers before you buy — that is what the calculator is for.
The best value at the very top of the market. Within touching distance of the Evo 2 for performance at half the price and twice the life.
■ Caution The EnergyRods give a distinctive rolling feel that some runners never get on with. Try before you commit if you can.
Manufacturer-stated specs unless marked estimated on the shoe sheet · last reviewed 2026-08-13 · prices are UK RRP.