Adidas Ultra Boost Shoes – Fitness Review

Whether you are training for a marathon, getting back into shape, or merely taking the dog for a walk around the block, the running shoes you wear matter. They need to motivate you and keep you striving toward your next fitness goal. It’s important to have a shoe that you can depend upon. Today, there are an endless amount of brands to choose from. Choosing a shoe is about finding the perfect match, especially with the amount of technology, innovation, and competition in today’s market.

Adidas has been designing shoes for decades. Staying at the top of technology and innovation, Adidas released their running line of Boost Shoes. I had never considered trying Adidas shoes until The Ultra Boost, featuring energy-returning boost technology. Recently we had the opportunity to lace-up a pair and put them to the test. Here’s what we discovered…

Key Features/ Specs:

• Weight: 10.6 ounces (size 9)
• boost’s energy-returning properties keep every step charged with an endless supply of light, fast energy
• Engineered mesh upper with various types of mesh in different areas of the foot
• Bootie construction for comfortable fit
• Synthetic midfoot overlay and molded heel counter for added support
• Grippy rubber outsole
• Imported

Design:

The Boost Technology makes these shoes worth every penny. Theses shoes are designed to cushion each step while providing a supply of return energy to keep you going. Their lightweight design will attract serious runners looking for a shoe that does not weigh them down. It features a tongue-less design to ensure a snug fit and added support. However, not having a separate tongue does make for a smaller opening making it a little challenging to get the shoe on and off. The combination of the small opening and tongue-less design often pulled my socks down into the shoe, which was bothersome while exercising. The mesh design does give the shoe great breathability, which can be more ideal if wearing them without socks. The rubber sole gives the shoes proper traction, even though they were a bit “squeaky” when we first wore them out of the box.

Comfort:

If you are looking for comfort and cushion, these shoes would be something to consider. The Boost design gives a bounce in your step and were easy to break in. The odor of athletic shoes often cause us to throw them out too early. However, the advanced mesh technology gives these shoes plenty of airflow to prevent that from happening. The mesh design also gives the shoe flexibility, however, it did run narrow. From their website, it does not appear that the shoes are available in wide. This wasn’t something that affected the shoes performance, but it may cause the mesh sidewall to wear out quickly from the friction. The shoe has a good sole and mid section to provide the proper support and stability needed.

Traction:

Whether on the pavement or on the trail, these shoes have the traction and grip to keep you in motion and in control. The stretch web rubber outsole is designed to ensure stability. The web design gives the sole a grid work of rubber that contours to your stride and ensures better contact with the surface. While the mesh design may not be ideal for running in the rain, these shoes had great grip on wet surfaces. It may result in some damp socks but hey, at least you won’t be eating pavement!

Durability:

The shoe holds up to the Adidas reputation. We tried it on a number of long runs, walks, as well as on some off pavement trails, even including the beach. The break-in period seemed shorter compared to other brands. Perhaps it was due to the Boost technology. While researching the shoe, we noticed that there were a number of individuals that commented on the sole coming apart and an overall poor design. We have yet to see this with the shoe. The sole seems to be a good, durable design. However, I noticed that the web design on the bottom of the shoe had raised traction bumps that wore down quickly in the areas that had the most contact with the ground.

Value:

A running shoe is an investment. The Adidas Ultra Boost technology provides a lightweight, breathable design and is worth the price. While there were a few flaws, the shoe was fairly impressive. I did not care for the snug, narrow fit of the shoe and the “no tongue design” would often pull my socks into the shoe. However, the cushion from the Boost technology and advanced mesh design allowed me to exercise in comfort.

Buy now: $180 or to learn more, go to: Adidas.com