Adidas Adipure Gazelle Intro/First impressions

The second of the Adidas Adipure line of minimalist running shoes is the Adipure Gazelle. For runners thinking about purchasing a pair of minimalist running shoes for the first time, the slightly heavier Adipure Motion is a better choice. But for other runners who simply want to move forward with the Adipure Gazelle, it’s perfectly fine, although Adidas does say that their use are intended for intermediate natural runners. When I first tried them on, the stretchiness of the Gazelle gives a very comfortable sock-like fit.

Adidas Adipure Gazelle Sole Unit

Similar in style to the Adipure Motion but most of the protection in the ADIWEAR outer sole is in the mid to forefoot. The dual layered midsole seemed sturdy yet was incredibly flexible.

At 16mm, the heel is just 6mm less than the Adipure Motion, yet was stable enough to absorb much of the shock on short runs on the three surfaces I tested the shoes on, after an initial break in period of 10 days – grass, city streets and beach sand. I did not experience any major issues such as slippage or discomfort in my toes. The morning after my first long run of 90 minutes, I felt some discomfort in my heels but was negligible and disappeared within 48 hours.

I suspect the main problem was that the shoe was a bit larger than I normally wear. I counteracted the size differential by resorting to purchasing a few thicker running socks but could not test the Gazelle without wearing socks.

Adidas Adipure Gazelle Upper unit

This portion of the minimalist shoe is what impressed me the most. Despite its feather-like stretch mesh was very comfortable with maximum breathability and did not experience any discomfort with lacing that I sometimes have with other shoes I’ve worn in the past. Lastly, I want to reiterate that the Adipure Gazelle has a remarkable sock-like fit. In fact it was the best I’ve ever experienced.

Adidas Adipure Gazelle Opinion

If you decide to purchase the Adipure Gazelle, my suggestion is to make sure you take your time getting used to them, particularly if you have been using a pair of conventional running shoes. From a personal standpoint, I prefer the initial entry of the Adidas Adipure line of minimalist shoes – the Adidas Adipure Motion. I might have a better opinion of the Gazelle had they been the correct size. Still, the remarkably crafted Adipure Gazelle is a great pair of shoes for minimalist runners and in particular for cadence and uptempo training.

We thank the nice people at Adidas for sending us a pair of Adipure Gazelle to test. This did not influence the outcome of the review, written after running more than 50 miles in them.