The Adidas Duramo 9 is a midgrade shoe that is good for the runner who is just starting out or for the gym-goer who logs a lot of miles on the treadmill.
The shoe itself managed very well on the treadmill. The, “pillow-soft” Cloudfoam was a surprise to me as I found these to be very comfortable and responsive to the constant impact that is generated when running on a treadmill.
The shoe has an overall drop of 9.5mm (heel: 23.5 mm / forefoot: 14 mm) and that played well with the neutral feel of the shoes.
Adidas Duramo 9 General Info
Upon unboxing the Adidas Duramo 9 I observed a few oddities. While you get the classic three stripe brand look, the first of two issues that jumped out to me was the fact that the shoes come with plastic eyelets.
The second observation was the oversized collar on the rear of the shoe. Adidas touts the Adidas Duramo 9 as a, “versatile running shoe that is ideal for the treadmill or trail.”
I would agree thoroughly that these shoes are definitely made for the treadmill but do not agree that these shoes are trail material.
My time spent in these shoes was 70% treadmill work and 30% outside trail usage. When I laced up the shoes my original observations became real concerns.
The plastic eyelets that were either designed for style or enhanced durability created an issue with both lacing and tightening the shoes.
Several times I literally scrapped my fingers and knuckles on the eyelets. To add insult to injury the eyelets made it difficult to secure the laces in place which made it difficult to obtain a secure/stable fit.
Upon running in the shoes the collar was what I considered to be a nuisance. It would rub my achilles and serve as a constant reminder that it was present. Not that this is a detrimental error to this shoe…more of an annoyance in my opinion.
Adidas Duramo 9 Sole Unit
The thing that the Adidas Duramo 9 got right was the cushioning. The mid sole cushioning offered a cushioned run from heel to forefoot. I could even feel the responsive cushion in my toes.
The Mid sole cushioning also rebounded very well. I took these shoes out five days in a row and each day the shoes cushioning recovered/rebounded nicely.
The cushioning did supply the shoe with a balanced, stable feel that added to the comfort aspect of the shoes during longer runs.
The out sole of the shoe was what I would consider to be your typical out sole. The tread of the shoe is what you will see on your typical running shoe.
Even through Adidas claims that the shoe is good for trail use, the traction on the out sole does not support this claim.
The tread of the shoe offered good grip for treadmill runs but did not offer much in the way of traction on trail runs.
Adidas Duramo 9 Upper Info
The Adidas Duramo 9 fit very well. I enjoyed the fact that I felt that it runs true to size all the while leaving just enough room for your toes to move in the forefoot of the shoe.
The largest problem that I experienced was with plastic eyelets as addressed above. The upper of the Adidas Duramo 9 appears to be your typical mesh upper.
The upper was not as flexible as other running shoes and the upper did not breathe well at all. The Adidas Duramo 9 comes with a two layer mesh upper.
Typically, a mesh layer in my experience means that your foot will breathe during runs. This is not the case here.
After wearing the shoes on a few mile run, my feet were hot and felt like they were suffocating. This does however bode well for colder weather runs.
Adidas Duramo 9 Conclusions
My honest opinion about this shoe is that it is a midgrade running shoe. There is nothing overtly impressive about it.
While I found the shoe to be comfortable and durable (which are two good aspects), there was never that moment when running where I stopped and said, wow, “This is an amazing shoe.”
I found the cushioning to be responsive but I want a shoe where there is some diversity in its use. I want to feel confident that I can take the shoe out on the road, the trail or even the track and know that it is going to perform well.
I just never felt that with the shoe. With that said, I will give the shoe decent marks for the lightweight outsole and the neutral feel.
We purchased a pair of Adidas Duramo 9 from zappos using our own money. This did not influence the outcome of this review, written after running more than 50 miles in them.
Adidas Duramo 9 Price Comparison
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