The Adidas Hyperboost Edge is your new super trainer

Some running shoes He struts around town, making noise, making big promises. like Nike Vaporfly or Puma FastR Nitro 3 Elitethe Adidas Hyperboost Edge ($200) It promises to usher in a “new era of road running,” with an all-new DNA for ultra-shoes — a giant pile of new ultra-foam, lightweight uppers, and a bold new design.

They certainly look a lot different than the shoes we may have laced up with just a few years ago. But what truly Is it different from those premium trainers like the Hyperboost Edge? Here, I’ll detail what’s going on inside the new wave of performance running shoes and whether they’ll really make you faster.

If you’re not really worried about shaving a minute or two off your mileage, don’t forget to check out the rest of our third-party buying guides, including Best running shoesthe Best gravel running shoesand Best running socks.

What is an outstanding coach?

The adidas Hyperboost Edge joins a growing group of running shoes that attempt to translate the high technology of racing “hyperboosts” into “ultra sneakers,” bringing some of the speed and feel of a racing shoe to a more usable everyday package.

The Ultra Trainer recipe often combines a wealth of high-energy, lightweight Ultra Foam with a nylon or carbon board and Racing-style uppers are weight-saving. There is also a growing trend for plate-free ultra-trainers in response to concerns that logging a lot of miles in carbon-coated shoes increases the risk of injury. But more on that in a moment.

The Hyperboost Edge is Adidas’ first uncoated ultra-premium sneaker and follows in the footsteps of maxed out shoes like the Asics Megaplast and Saucony Endorphin Azzurra—A surprisingly versatile and all-around running shoe that can cover most of your weekly miles. This is a shoe sandwich that allows them to protect your legs while helping you run farther and faster.

Midsole magic

Carbon plates often grab the headlines, but the midsole foam creates some great shoe magic. When I started running in 2009, the main midsole material was still ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), which had been used since the late 1970s and is still used today. EVA material is cushioned (to some extent), stable, durable, and cheap. But foam technology is starting to expand. Gas-filled supercritical foams, such as Edge’s Hyperboost Pro polyether amide (PEBA) block, are now all the rage.

Supercritical foams are made by injecting a gas, such as carbon dioxide or nitrogen, under high pressure into the midsole as it forms in the mold. In the supercritical state, a gas is neither a liquid nor a gas, but both simultaneously. When the pressure drops, the gas inside the foam expands to form bubbles or cells that give the foam its light and bouncy properties.