Disclosure: These shoes were provided free of charge by Foot Patrol for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

I want to be upfront about something before this review starts. This is primarily a trail running site, and trail running is my passion. But I run roads regularly during the week, and as chairman of a running club with 400 members, primarily road runners, and a UKA-qualified running coach, road running is very much part of my world.

So when Footpatrol offered me the chance to review their collaboration with Adidas on the Adizero Adios Pro 4 I said yes without hesitation. I have been running in AlphaFly for speedwork and road races for the last four years, and they have been my benchmark for carbon plate performance. I wanted to see how these compared.

The short answer is that in my opinion, these are better!

What is the Footpatrol x Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 4?

This is a limited edition collaboration between Adidas and Footpatrol, one of the UK’s most respected sneaker and running retailers. The Adizero Adios Pro 4 is Adidas’s flagship carbon plate racing shoe, released here in a Footpatrol exclusive colourway as a limited edition. There is only one colourway available in this edition, which makes it genuinely collectable alongside being genuinely fast.

The shoe sits in the same category as the Nike AlphaFly, the Hoka Cielo X1 and the Asics Metaspeed Sky, elite carbon plate road racing shoes designed for speed, energy return and racing performance rather than everyday training miles.

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Sizing — Go Up

I normally wear a 6.5 to 7 in everyday shoes. For the last ten years, I have been running in a 7.5 for running because road shoes cramp my toes. I have wide feet, and most road shoes make me pay for that over any meaningful distance. For these, I went up to an 8, and it made a significant difference.

The Adizero Adios Pro 4 runs narrow in the toe box, as most carbon plate racing shoes do. If you have wide feet or your feet have spread over years of running, and most runners’ feet do spread over time, size up at least half a size and possibly a full size. The extra room in the toe box at size 8 means I can run without any of the toe pain or cramping that has plagued me in road shoes for years.

For context, I recently went back to my AlphaFly and my toes were squashed within miles, something that simply did not happen in the Adizero Adios Pro 4. For wide-footed runners, the sizing advice here is not optional; it is the difference between a shoe that works and one that does not.

The Feel

The stack height on the Adizero Adios Pro 4 is significant. The first time you put them on, there is an unmistakable feeling of being elevated, like standing on a platform. For a runner who spends a lot of time close to the ground on trails, it takes a moment to adjust.

But then you run.

The energy return is immediate and genuinely impressive. The LIGHTSTRIKE PRO foam and the carbon-infused ENERGYRODS work together to create a propulsive sensation that makes you feel faster than you are. Where the AlphaFly feels bouncy and aggressive, the Adios Pro 4 feels more controlled. The energy return is there, but it does not feel like the shoe is making decisions for you. It feels collaborative rather than dominant.

After six miles, I was expecting the usual warning signs, tightness across the toes, hot spots on the ball of my foot, the creeping discomfort that road shoes reliably produce for me beyond three miles. None of it arrived.

Race Tested — Parkrun

Since the initial road test, I have raced in these at parkrun, and they delivered my fastest time in a while. The carbon plate and energy return that felt impressive on easy miles became a genuine advantage at race pace, exactly where a shoe like this is supposed to shine.

The shoe rewards commitment. At easy effort, it feels slightly unfamiliar, slightly elevated, slightly different from a conventional trainer. At race pace, it clicks into place, and you feel the full benefit of the carbon plate and the LIGHTSTRIKE PRO foam working together. These are racing shoes, and they perform best when you treat them like it.

I now save them for racing and faster sessions rather than everyday training miles. That is the right approach for any carbon plate shoe, and these are no different.

The Carbon Plate Difference for Recovery

This is the thing I genuinely did not expect when I first started running in carbon plate shoes, and it has been consistent across every pair I have worn since. I suffer significantly less from delayed onset muscle soreness the day after a run in carbon plate shoes than I do in conventional trainers.

The Adios Pro 4 is no different. No leg DOMS the day after the parkrun race despite running hard. The combination of the carbon plate reducing the muscular load on the calf and Achilles, the high stack absorbing impact forces and the energy return reducing the effort required per stride means your legs simply do not work as hard for the same output.

For runners managing niggles, returning from injury or simply wanting to protect their legs around hard training blocks, carbon plate shoes are worth serious consideration for that recovery benefit alone.

At the Track and On the Road

I wore them to a club rep session, and the reaction from other runners was immediate. Different is the word that came up most. The colourway turns heads, distinctive without being garish, and the Footpatrol branding is subtle and well executed.

Then at parkrun, a fellow runner stopped me mid-warm-up to ask where my shoes were from. He had shoe envy. For a limited edition collaboration, that is exactly the right reaction and tells you everything you need to know about how these look on feet.

The responsiveness that makes a carbon plate shoe feel special on road efforts showed up clearly in shorter, faster repetitions at the track. The energy return that feels slightly unfamiliar on easy miles becomes a genuine advantage when you are pushing hard.

Honest Assessment

For runners with wide feet, the sizing advice matters above everything else. Road shoes have consistently been a source of frustration for me over many years, and going up to an 8 in these made a genuine difference. If you have the same experience with cramped toes in road shoes, do not dismiss carbon plate racers without trying them a full size up from your usual.

The stack height requires adjustment; there is no getting around that. The first few miles feel unfamiliar and slightly precarious. But the adaptation comes quickly, and what you get on the other side is a shoe that makes road running feel genuinely different. More efficient, more comfortable, more rewarding.

After four years of AlphaFly as my go-to for speed, the Adizero Adios Pro 4 is now my favourite road racing shoe by some distance. I went back to the AlphaFly recently, and my toes were squashed in a way that simply does not happen in these. That is not something I expected to write about a collaboration shoe. But here we are.

I am saving these for racing. That is the highest compliment I can pay a shoe.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 4 good for wide feet?

With careful sizing, yes. The shoe runs narrow in the toe box, so size up at least half a size and potentially a full size if you have wide feet. I normally wear a 7 in road shoes and went to an 8 in these. The extra room made a significant difference to comfort and meant no toe pain even at race pace.

How does the Adizero Adios Pro 4 compare to the Nike AlphaFly?

Both are elite carbon plate racing shoes in the same category. The AlphaFly feels more aggressively bouncy and propulsive. The Adios Pro 4 feels more controlled, with the energy return feeling collaborative rather than dominant. After four years of AlphaFly as my benchmark, I find the Adios Pro 4 more comfortable for wide-footed runners, and it is now my preferred road racing shoe.

Is this a limited edition shoe?

Yes. The Footpatrol x Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 4 is a limited edition collaboration available in one exclusive colourway. Stock is limited, so if you are considering buying, do not wait.

Do carbon plate shoes help with recovery?

In my experience, consistently yes. The carbon plate reduces the muscular load on the calf and Achilles, the high stack absorbs impact, and the energy return reduces effort per stride. I experienced no leg DOMS after racing parkrun in these despite running hard. This has been consistent across every carbon plate shoe I have worn.

Are these shoes suitable for trail running?

No. These are road racing shoes designed for tarmac and track surfaces. For trail running recommendations, see our guides to the best trail running shoes 2026 and the best wide fit trail shoes.

Is the Adizero Adios Pro 4 worth buying for parkrun?

If you are serious about your parkrun time, yes. I ran my fastest parkrun in a while wearing these. The carbon plate and energy return that make the shoe feel special on easy miles become a genuine advantage at race pace. They are best saved for racing and faster sessions rather than everyday training miles.