The Hyperboost Edge Brings Adidas Boost Back to Forefront of Running

Adidas is delivering the most significant update to Boost yet through a pebbled supercritical foam it’s calling Hyperboost Pro.

The Adidas Hyperboost Edge introduces the new midsole technology on a super trainer that fills the void for maximum cushioning in the brand’s running shoe lineup. It also takes a radical approach to design as the first Adidas running shoe to feature the brand’s Three Stripes motif on its midsole rather than its upper, a choice made to highlight the material breakthrough.

“We wanted to bring the magic that we have in Adizero, which all based on Lightstrike Pro,” Patrick Nava, Adidas general manager of running, told Footwear News, “That’s how we started playing around with this idea of Hyperboost, and we tweaked the foam and ended up with a PEBA version that’s incredibly lightweight but also a brilliant energy returning solution.”

Development on Hyperboost Pro began two-and-a-half years ago, and the biggest challenge in the process was arriving at the right density for the fused PEBA foam beads. If it was too low it wouldn’t be durable enough, but too high and it would become too clunky and heavy.

The right balance was found roughly a year and a half ago, and from there Adidas could move on to building a full shoe around it. Aiding in the durability department is a full-length LightTraxion outsole that comes over from the Adizero line with a thinner and lighter base. The complete sole unit arrives with a stack height of 45mm at the heel and a 6mm drop, and a men’s size 8.5 weighs 255 grams in full (or just under 9 ounces).

Nava urges those who pick up a pair of the Hyperboost Edge to pick up the pace to get the full experience of the shoe, but Hyperboost Pro foam does differ from the TPEE-based Lightstrike Pro by being less speed-focused and offering 22 percent greater energy return.

From an aesthetic perspective, Adidas approached the shoe with the same Euro-centric, Bauhaus-inspired eye toward minimalism used for the Adizero line and exemplified here by the largely unbranded upper. The mountain logo makes just two small appearances, at the top and bottom of the tongue, and the heel carries the model name in raised text.

Primeweave, a soft and lightweight woven material, forms the upper’s base, which then incorporates synthetic overlays and a heel pod for cushioning and stability.

Boost cushioning was, of course, a game-changer for Adidas at a time when EVA was still the standard underfoot. It was first introduced in 2013 on the Energy Boost, but really took off two years later with the launch of the first Ultraboost, a running shoe widely adopted for lifestyle wear. From there on, an arms race was set off in the footwear industry for lightweight highly responsive cushioning.

That original magic of Boost derived from the pockets of air that get trapped between the foam beads, allowing the midsole to expand and compress more like a sponge than a single slab of foam while eliminating weight.

“When the Energy Boost first came to market, everybody who tried it was like, ‘Wow, this feels great. This is different,’” Nava said. “We wanted to replicate that first feeling but 15 years later with the advancement of technology.”

The Adidas Hyperboost Edge in red and white will release March 17 through Adidas’ website and stores. Pricing is set at $200, and new colorways will begin to surface May 1.