The Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 5 and the Saucony Endorphin Elite 3 are two carbon-plated racing shoes built for the marathon. The Adidas is the new benchmark to beat: light, explosive and very well balanced. The Saucony goes all in on plushness and bounce, a genuinely enjoyable ride for the vast majority of runners, too soft for some.
Their setups are fairly different. Saucony builds the Endorphin Elite around IncrediRUN foam and a carbon plate split along its entire length. Adidas replaces its EnergyRods with the U-shaped EnergyRim carbon structure, which leaves more room for the Lightstrike Pro foam, with a rocker that now starts further back, at the middle of the foot.
Underfoot, the Saucony is plush, with strong propulsion and a hugely enjoyable ride. That feel has a flip side: some of our testers found it unstable at times. The Adios Pro 5 is also plusher than the Pro 4, while staying very well balanced, and its stability has improved noticeably.
The Adidas is lighter, by about 35 g / 1.2 oz, for the same stack height. Its drop is lower, with more foam under the forefoot.
Both uppers are well executed, with the same caveat. The Saucony’s ultra-light mesh is very breathable and very comfortable, but the fit didn’t suit all of our testers. The Adidas’s Lightlock 2.0 upper locks the foot down very well and stays very breathable, provided you pay attention to sizing: the forefoot is tighter than on the previous version.
The Adidas has the edge on grip. Its outsole combines Continental rubber and Lighttraxion technology, which now runs uninterrupted from heel to forefoot, for traction that works even on wet ground. The Saucony had more rubber coverage on the version we tested, but its PWRTRAC rubber is not very thick. Durability remains the Adios Pro 5’s weakness, as some runners have pointed out.
Endorphin Elite 3 vs Adizero Adios Pro 5: Which Should You Choose?
The Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 5 remains our benchmark. Our review ranks it first among carbon-plated shoes, and it is a bit cheaper, about $15 less.
If you like Saucony, prefer a much plusher feel underfoot, and aren’t bothered by the lack of firmness, the Endorphin Elite is a good choice.
