Best Marathon Training Shoe?
Adidas lost the plot last year and went illegal! The Prime X was a headline maker especially when Race officials at the Vienna Marathon disqualified Ethiopia’s Derara Hurisa just an hour after he crossed the finish line with a time of 2:09:22, three seconds ahead of the next participant! This time round we have a reworked version of the Prime X that features this brand new Strung upper!
Stats & Features
· £230
· 8.5mm drop
· Layers of Lightstrike Pro Midsole with Energyrods
· Strung Upper
· Weight 255g (US Men 9)
· Fits TTS
Upper
According to Adidas the Strung features a data-driven footwear upper, coded thread by thread for the long-distance runner. The strung upper provides a seamless, lightweight cocoon around the foot, achieved with precise use of material. For sure the upper in the sure really dials in a fantastic hold around the midfoot, providing plenty of support in this skyscraper of a shoe! I never wanted to try the first version because the Celermesh was way to flimsy and unsupportive which combined with the huge stack was a receive for disaster. By adding this new upper they have changed the game with this shoe.
Midsole
Not one but THREE layers of lightstrike pro! I love the lighstrike in this shoe and the Adios Pro 3. The compound is a nice blend of responsiveness but without being overly soft like ZoomX! The energyrods are less intrusive as well but make a noticeable assistance with driving through your strike. The shoe tops at an illegal 50mm stack in the heel, which is bonkers! Yes it is unstable at slow speeds, corners or bumpy surfaces but this shoe for me is for long run goal pace work on super sweet tarmac where I am focussed on effort and form.
Outsole
This is one area I think the shoe does not get enough credit. The outsole on the Prime X which features the Continental rubber is great! I ran this in what can only be described as a biblical storm and they stuck to the ground just fine!
Value
If I was rating these shoes out of 10 for value I would give them 3! There is simply NO REASON what so ever to spend £230 on any running shoe! It is complete madness!
Does it make you feel awesome?
Yes (ish)! If you are on it and I mean by that rolling in a race or long run these shoes feel so good BUT if you are slightly off your game you will get punished and there is nothing awesome about being injured.
Yah or Nah?
It is a Yah from me but with a massive warning attached! You have got to be 100% committed to each run in these, making sure your form is on point and you are rolling at pace. If you have any stability issues they will show up when you back out in this shoe. It is unstable at slow speeds and just the wrong price to justify the outlay. Despite all that I love them and am so pleased I added them to my rotation.
*This review is my own opinion and a totally independent and unbiased review based on my own findings. The products may have been supplied/gifted, purchased or loaned but whatever way they have found themselves to FORDY RUNS HQ we can guarantee the review is honest and our own opinion.