Adidas Adizero EVO SL Review (Gym Bro and Runner’s Takes)

Who Should Buy the Adidas Adizero EVO SL?

• You Need a Do-It-All Shoe: If your training revolves primarily around running, with some light strength and hypertrophy mixed in, these are going to be a solid pick-up.
• You Like a Faster Feeling Shoe: If you’ve been looking for a shoe that can be deployed for anything from a 5K to a marathon distance event, definitely check these out.

Who Shouldn’t Buy the Adidas Adizero EVO SL?

• Athletes Wanting Them for HYROX Races: These are not a great pick for HYROX athletes that are heavy into cross-training. The traction just isn’t there for anything HYROX-focused or adjacent.
• Athletes Who Want a Little More Structure: If you want something with a secure fit and solid lock-down, these are going to be a pass for you.

Fit and Sizing Suggestions

About My Feet: I have a normal arch/instep and my feet come in at an E/EE width. The length of my left and right foot are consistent with one another, and I size as a true US 10 for most companies’ sizing charts.

For this article, Brian also has a traditional 10 US foot per most company’s sizing charts and has an E-width foot and normal arch.

Fit Breakdown:

• Narrow feet: True to size. 
• Medium width: True to size.
• E and EE: True to size, go up a half-size if you like more toe box room.
• 3E+: Size up a half size.

We usually wear a size 10 in most Adidas models. For the Adizero EVO SL, we went up a half-size to a 10.5 and we were both glad we did. Going up a half size gave me enough toe room for running. That extra space worked perfectly for running, but it came at a cost I’ll break down later. If you’re buying these strictly for running, we’d suggest going true-to-size unless you know you prefer more space in the toe box and exceed a EE/3+ foot width. 

Width felt good on my E/EE wide feet. I had to crank the laces to lock down the tongue. That lace cranking wasn’t an issue with width, by the way, it was that the tongue is too short and kept slipping. Overall, length and width worked well with our sizing call, especially after going up a half size. The real fit quality of life issue here is the tongue.

Performance Assessment

Cross-Training and HYROX: 6/10

In all fairness, this shoe isn’t built for this context, so please read the following few paragraphs with that in mind. The reason we did some cross-functionality testing with these is because a lot of us are trying to get more for our money these days with running and cross-training shoes, we wanted to see if these could work for HYROX-esque workouts.

All that said, we were really hoping these would work better for HYROX and cross-training than they did. They felt great when we put them on, but once we pushed into dynamic movements, their shortcomings showed quickly.

The smooth outsole that helps this shoe save on weight is the nail in the coffin for this shoe’s performance for anything sled-related. The same forward propulsion and toe rock that feel amazing and make this shoe feel fast for running are made it nearly impossible to stay grounded and stable for wall balls and anything weightbearing. All that to say, we’d say pass on these if you need a cross-training and HYROX-focused running shoe.

Running: 9.3/10

This is where the Adidas Adizero EVO SL really shined. These came out of the box daily training, and dare we say, race-ready. All of the knocks against them I already mentioned in terms of cross-training and HYROX, all of those turn into pros once you’re running.

These shoes are bouncy, snappy, and have incredible forward propulsion. The stack height and heel-to-toe drop play right into a natural running pattern. It doesn’t matter if you’re a heel-, mid-, or forefoot striker, you’ll feel right at home here, which is rare for a running shoe at this price point.

Whether we were tackling short intervals on the curved treadmill, hitting short and mid-range runs on the road, or hitting some weekend long runs, these excelled. Brian has run a few marathons in the Adidas Adizero Adios Pros, a much more premium, race-focused shoe, and he likened these to them as a really great budget-friendly option.

Jake compared them to a leveled up Nike Pegasus, as in, they work great for most running asks but feel way more responsive and lively for all types of runs. In conclusion here, both a veteran runner logging a ton of miles each week (20+) and a recreational gym guy tackling 8-10 loved this model.

Construction Details

The Adidas Adizero EVO SL features a full-length midsole made from Adidas’s Lightstrike Pro foam. That gives it incredible bounce and pop while keeping the weight to a minimum. The stack sits at 36 mm in the heel and 30 mm in the forefoot, creating a 6 mm drop that feels smooth in heel-to-toe transitions for heel strikers, without feeling cumbersome for mid- or forefoot runners.

Up top, you get a full mesh upper with haptic overlays in Adidas’s signature three stripes. They don’t do much for structure, but they also don’t sacrifice breathability. The tongue is a minimalist, thin mesh piece with a loop for laces. Great in theory, useless in practice. There are 6 core eyelets with a 7th for lace lock, but the tongue still slips constantly. The heel cup is thin, minimalist mesh, which creates security issues. The lack of security throughout the entire upper makes sense for running but is a liability for more versatile training.

Instead of a full rubber outsole, you get clear rubber plates placed under the forefoot and along the medial and lateral sides of the heel. The outsole extends slightly up the medial toebox for some added durability. The bulk of the midsole is exposed, saving weight but raising questions about durability, especially if you’re running outdoors or in wet conditions. There are no grooves, no deep lugs, and basically no traction, which limits this shoe to clean road or track surfaces.

Overall, the shoe is purpose-built for running efficiency. Great for speed, terrible for versatility.

Final Thoughts: Would We Buy Again?

Would I buy these again? No question. They quickly cemented themselves as part of our normal rotation for running shoes.

They’re breathable, bouncy, and comfortable for daily mileage or race prep. 

Where they completely fall short is in versatility. It’s not built for HYROX, functional training, or any gym work that requires grip and stability. They don’t have the stability for dynamic movements or the grip for power work.

If you’re a runner hunting for a race-ready shoe, these are worth it. If you’re trying to make them work for sleds and wall balls, you’re going to be frustrated. 

For me, they’ve already become my go-to running shoe, and they’ll stay in my lineup for exactly that purpose.