Product— adidas Adizero Adios Pro 3
Release Date— Monday 23rd June 2022
Reviewer— Ben Zonca | @benupthere

100kms after picking up the adidas Adios Pro 3 I can answer two questions: Is it a good shoe? It is. Is it different enough to the Pro 2 to warrant an immediate upgrade? Absolutely. The Pro 3 retains that signature Lightstrike Pro feel under foot that made the Pro 2 so popular with amateurs and front-of-pack elites, but it comes with an entirely new structure that means the shoe is more stable, and consequently, more versatile.

I’ve taken the shoe everywhere but the mountain-side trail: track, road, mud trails, and more hills than I’d ever like to be doing. And they’ve been with me on every type of run: easy runs, repeats, tempo runs, longer runs. The Pro 3 does it all, and it does it all with a fit and feel that has me wanting to slide them on run after run. The dual layers of Lightstrike Pro foam (as opposed to single) coupled with a more conservative heel-toe drop (6.5mm vs 10mm) makes for an incredibly responsive ride. If I want to pick up the pace, the Pro 3 provides in droves thanks to a perfect rocker feel and a sense of forward-drive provided by the cut-out under the little toe.

The Pro 3 is a comfortable fit and ride, though not quite on par with the perfect lockdown and generous toe box of the Pro 2. Think older sibling of the Takumi Sen 8: minimal upper, almost non-existent tongue, but with everything turned up to 11. I did have to go up half a size, which is also what I did with the Takumi Sen 8, but no heel slip is introduced as a consequence. Most importantly, at no point in the last week did I feel like I was battling the shoe, either to get on, or 2.5 hours into a long run.

Collectively, I’ve put over 1000km into the Pro 2, but after 100km in the Pro 3 it’s difficult to see myself going back. The more stable footbed, less-aggressive drop, extra bounce from the layered foam, and the (very slightly) reduced weight, all add up to a responsive and versatile ride that, if history with the Pro 2 suggests anything, will prove extremely durable over time.