Despite the slow improvements in inherent stability across most footwear (but not all), there have been a decrease in the number of true stability shoes. All in all I didn’t expect a great deal from the Adistar, and worried it would be a bit of a clunker, in the same way as the Ultraboost 21. are found in its dual density midsole REPETITOR+, a high quality compound that will offer maximum cushioning and dynamism.

And let’s face it, even if you’re training for a half marathon, most of your runs should be well under race pace, building the mileage and making sure your muscles and joints are used to the sustained moderate effort that is long-distance running. I did not this despite the heel collar cushioning, so those sensitive to them may not do well in this shoe. If you have a shoe rotation with space for an easy option that isn’t excessively soft and springy, but rather smooth and stable, it will fill that spot. Most runners can’t run slow; no matter what your Garmin Coach says, it just feels too slow to run at that pace, right?With all these new features, the Adidas Adistar is a completely new shoe that carries some small hints of its past. What's more, even among stability shoes, only Hoka Gaviota 4 can beat this Adidas shoe in its width (115 mm in the forefoot and 103 mm in the heel). The upper feels slightly warm because of all the padding and the overlays but there are holes on the top of the toe box for extra ventilation.

The Bondi stack height is slightly bigger (and 6 grams lighter in the same size) and has a softer ride, a more cramped toebox and with an upper that isn’t as nice as the Adistar. Then there’s Repetitor+, which is the blue section in the heel, and it is the very definition of firm. The heel counter shape is somewhat traditional, rather than one of those emulating footwear in the North Pole. The look is completed by the brands signature three-stripe detailing to the upper and Adidas logo to the tongue.

Both uppers are great, and I really enjoy the Saucony’s PWRRUN+ midsole, but the increased Adistar stack height is hard to overcome.