The Adidas Supernova Rise is made to fill a gap in Adidas’ running shoe lineup, which has long lacked a good everyday trainer to compete with something like the Nike Pegasus 40. The Adidas Ultraboost and even the Adidas Ultraboost Light are too heavy to fill that role. while Adizero-series shoes like the Boston are traditionally seen as more speed-focused options (although the Boston 12 is a great everyday trainer, in my opinion).
It’s a good shoe and a strong alternative specifically to the Pegasus, but I never clicked enough with the Supernova Rise and I don’t rate it among the best running shoes. It’s a jack-of-all-trades shoe, but there are more complete all-rounders available.
Adidas Supernova Rise: Price and Availability
The Adidas Supernova Rise retails for $140 in the US and £130 in the UK. It’s cheaper than many of Adidas’ best running shoes, with the Boston 12 costing $160/£140 and the Adidas Ultraboost Light $190/£170, but in line with the price of similar everyday trainers like the Nike Pegasus 40 or Saucony Ride 17. I received my review sample Adidas Supernova Rise by SportsShoes.
How I tried this shoe
I’ve run 32 miles in the Adidas Supernova Rise, using it for a mix of runs, including a 13.5 mile long run and two progress runs. I have used an Adidas Supernova in the past, although it was a much heavier shoe, as well as several generations of Adidas Ultraboost and Boston shoes, as well as a wide range of the best running shoes from other brands.
Design and implementation
The Supernova Rise introduces a new Peba-based midsole foam from Adidas called Dreamstrike+. Adidas’ best foam remains the Lightstrike Pro material used in the Adizero shoes, but the Dreamstrike+ is a resilient foam. The shoe has a stack height of 36mm in the heel and 26mm in the forefoot for a 10mm drop and weighs 10.1oz/287g in my UK size 9, which is light enough for a cushioned gym.
As with many of the shoes in the Adizero race series, the Supernova Rise has rods in its midsole, but the support rods used are wider and softer than the EnergyRods in shoes like the Boston 12, and are geared towards stability as much as providing additional appearance. The mesh upper is well cushioned in the heel and tongue, and I found the Supernova Rise to be a snug fit in my usual running shoe size. This is one area where it improves on the Boston 12, which has a thin racing upper that isn’t comfortable.
The Supernova Rise doesn’t have a Continental rubber outsole, which is often a standout feature of Adidas shoes, but the Adiwear rubber used has gripped reliably for me on wet cobbled surfaces. It seems to be a durable outsole, showing no signs of wear after 30 miles.
Running performance
On paper the Supernova Rise looks like a winner and I was hoping it would be a lot like the Boston 12 but with a more comfortable upper for easy rides. However, while I think it’s a versatile everyday trainer, I didn’t like the Supernova Rise for any of the rides I did on it.
The Dreamstrike+ foam is well balanced—in that it’s comfortable enough but bouncy for faster runs—but it doesn’t have the feel of a super foam, and Adidas’ Lightstrike Pro offers more energy return. I also found that the forefoot was not as comfortable over long distances or when doing faster runs. The stack height in the front of the shoe isn’t as high and the Dreamstrike+ feels thin and dull there, while being more flexible and softer in the heel where the stack is 10mm higher.
However, Supernova Rise works as an all-rounder. On a long, slow run of 13.5 miles there was enough cushioning to be comfortable, and the shoe felt nimble on faster runs as well, when I was running around 5min 55sec/mile pace.
It ticks the boxes it aims to tick as a daily trainer and fulfills that role better than many shoes on the market in the same category, but I have preferred other shoes for the same job such as the Puma Velocity Nitro 2, Hoka Mach 5, Asics Novablast 4 and New Balance Rebel v3. The Nike Pegasus 40 and Saucony Ride 17 are both less flexible, for me, but more comfortable for easy rides than the Supernova Rise.
I also think the Adidas Boston 12 is more enjoyable for any type of running, as long as you get a snug fit from the thin upper. Adidas may classify the Boston as a speed shoe, but I consider it among the best shoes out there, and it’s not much more expensive than the Supernova Rise.
Is the Adidas Supernova Rise worth it?
The Supernova RIse is a good everyday trainer and if you find the Boston 12 too light and fast for everyday training, it’s the best all-rounder in Adidas’ range. It also stands up well against competitors from other brands, although I prefer many other shoes myself.
If you pick it up, I doubt you’ll be disappointed, especially if you can find it on sale for close to $100, because it works well for a number of runs. I just found it a little disappointing given the promise it offered, and I wished that instead of introducing a new foam that isn’t as good as the Lightstrike Pro, Adidas had put the comfortable upper of the Supernova Rise over the excellent midsole of the Boston 12.
