Adidas Adizero Prime X Strung 3.0 Introduction
With sub 6 oz (170 grams) racers turning into the norm, is there nonetheless a marketplace for a racer that weighs 70% extra? With a huge 50 mm heel stack peak, it’s unimaginable for the Adidas Prime X to weigh as little as a authorized long-distance racer.
I’ve raced about 8 marathons for the reason that Prime X was launched and I’ve by no means seen one pair being utilized in a marathon. Sure, it’s unlawful for official World Athletics races besides, that received’t cease novice runners from utilizing it if it gives sufficient pace help.
The Prime X is among the few unlawful, carbon plated racers presently available on the market. The opposite comparable product is the PUMA RB Nitro Elite which is 58 mm within the heel but it surely’s much more costly and quite a bit tougher to purchase than the Prime X.
2023’s Prime X 2 was the heaviest Prime X to this point. It was additionally essentially the most secure model. It supplied a very excessive degree of pace help however its 10.4 oz (295 g) weight cancelled out a whole lot of the pace help. I by no means used it for racing- solely intervals and lengthy runs at average paces.
Will the Prime X ever be gentle sufficient to race in? Model 3 weighs 9.9 oz (281 g), considerably lighter than model 2. It measures 50 mm within the heel and 43 mm within the forefoot (the identical as v2). It additionally prices $300, the identical value as v2.
Adidas Adizero Prime X Strung 3.0 First Impressions
My first run was an all out 10K race. My first thought was how aggressive the rocker felt. It was essentially the most aggressive forefoot rocker I’ve ever skilled. The toe spring felt a lot larger than in v2.
The opposite factor I observed was the softer journey. The froth felt just a little extra squishy than the froth in its predecessor. Because of this, the soundness additionally felt decrease.
I used to be capable of run near 39 minutes which wasn’t a private finest but it surely was only some seconds off. I began off quick however by the seventh kilometre, the substantial weight of the shoe had began to gradual me down.
I raced one other 10K two weeks previous to this within the Alphafly 3 and I discovered that it was a lot simpler to take care of a quick tempo in the direction of the tip of the race within the lighter Alphafly.
Adidas Adizero Prime X Strung 3.0 Higher
The Strung materials is tough and it doesn’t stretch in any respect. It’s progressive however I want Adidas would use the usual Micro Match materials that the Adios Professional 4 and Adios 9 use. There’s no benefit utilizing Strung over common mesh.
It’s a bootie building however not like v2, you possibly can’t tie a runner’s knot. Foot lockdown remains to be excellent although. The Strung materials isn’t as gentle as v2 and it doesn’t conform to your toes as effectively. Breathability is common.
I like to recommend shopping for your regular measurement. The match may be very slim up within the entrance and on one event after I wore thick socks, the slim toe field squeezed my toes a lot that I obtained uncomfortable rubbing between my toes. It’s not a shoe for broad toes.
Adidas Adizero Prime X Strung 3.0 Sole Unit
The Prime X 3 has very excessive high finish speeds. After I’m leaning ahead and pushing down exhausting into the street with my toes, I obtain speeds that I can usually solely dream of. The one caveat is that I can’t maintain that tempo for lengthy durations as a result of 9.9 oz (281 gram weight).
The journey of the Prime X 3 is nearer to the Adios Professional 3 than the Adios Professional 4. It has a firmer journey than you’d count on for such a tall midsole of Lightstrike Professional. I do want that it was a bit softer and extra squishy as a result of the journey feels harsh with the stiff plate being so near the foot.
Your entire midsole of the Prime X 3 is fabricated from Lightstrike Professional however the layer above the plate and the Power Core are a softer, decrease density foam (the identical as within the Adios Professional 4). The underside layer is the older, firmer Lightstrike Professional.
The Prime X 2 had no Power Rods (solely 2 plates) however within the X 3, they switched again to Rods like within the Prime X (unique) and the Prime X Strung (model 2). The large distinction within the X 3 is that the carbon plate is on high and the rods are beneath it.
Adidas say that this distributes the strain extra evenly throughout the layers beneath the plate however in actuality, it makes the journey harsher. The rods are presupposed to be nearer to the foot in order that they’ll transfer vertically independently, alongside together with your metatarsals.
Regardless that it has 50 mm of froth within the heel, I can’t run lengthy distances in it. The mix of the plate and Power Rods make it extraordinarily stiff with completely no flexibility. The longest run I did was 24 km and it wasn’t a snug one. The stiff plate being so near the foot doesn’t really feel nice throughout lengthy runs.
All of the parts of the Prime X 3 don’t fairly appear to gel collectively. The acute stiffness, the gentle high layer and the firmer backside layer all really feel like they aren’t working collectively to ship a cohesive journey.
In relation to stability, the Prime X 3 is unstable but it surely’s not extraordinarily unstable just like the Mizuno Wave Rise up Professional or the HOKA Cielo X1 2.0. I’ve to decelerate when cornering or when operating on uneven surfaces but it surely doesn’t kill my ankles when doing medium or lengthy runs in it.
Traction is nice in all climate circumstances. It has additionally been upgraded to Lighttraxion rubber just like the Adios Professional 4 and it nonetheless has Continental within the forefoot for grippy toe offs.
Sturdiness is respectable however inferior to the Prime X 2 which had a firmer midsole foam. I can see some put on in the midst of the rearfoot on the areas not protected by rubber.
Adidas adizero prime x strung 3.0 conclusions
The Prime X 3 is a enjoyable shoe to make use of with its excessive forefoot rocker that propels you ahead but it surely wasn’t the replace I hoped for. Whereas it’s softer, quicker and extra aggressive, it’s nonetheless too heavy for racing.
The excessive degree of pace help is cancelled out by its substantial weight. It’s additionally not snug for lengthy runs due to how the foams and plate/rods are arrange.
It doesn’t fairly really feel as polished because the earlier variations which had been nonetheless heavy however had smoother, extra snug rides. They should make the subsequent model lighter by altering to a standard higher and they should use Lightstrike Professional EVO foam in a portion of the midsole to cut back the burden.
$300 is quite a bit contemplating there are quicker, cheaper choices for marathon racing. It’s a really area of interest providing which most runners received’t have the ability to discover a place of their rotation for.
The cheaper Adios Professional 4 is way lighter and holds quick paces a lot simpler. The EVO SL is a future various which feels extra snug and is half the value of the Prime X 3.
