adidas Adizero Prime X 2.0 Strung 'White Lucid Cyan'
Colorway: Cloud White/Core Black/Lucid Cyan · Style code: HP9709 · Release date: September 15, 2023 · Price: $218 · Availability: Available now
More colorways: adidas Adizero Prime 'Olympics' (Q21421) · Adidas Adizero Prime 'Legend Ink' (BB6565) · adidas Adizero Prime Sprint 'Tokyo' (Q46389) · Adidas Adizero Prime 'Core Black' (B37401) · adidas Adizero Primeknit Cleats 'Grey' (GV9633)
World Athletics caps road-racing shoes at 40mm of stack and one rigid plate. The Prime X line exists because adidas wanted to see what happened if it ignored both limits. The 2023 second generation measures 50mm at the heel and 43.5mm at the forefoot for a 6.5mm drop, and runs a dual carbon-infused plate system where a race shoe is allowed one. adidas marketed it plainly as not permitted in elite competition, aimed instead at runners chasing personal bests where no rulebook applies.
Underneath the plates sit three layers of Lightstrike Pro, more than adidas had put in any other running shoe at the time. The upper uses STRUNG, a process that lays individual threads by zone rather than weaving a uniform textile, so the midfoot and heel get layered reinforcement while the forefoot keeps room to expand; a knitted tongue handles lock-down. It launched globally on 15 September 2023 at 300 dollars. The white and lucid cyan pair makes the construction easy to read: the pale upper shows the thread paths, and the cyan runs the length of the tall midsole sidewall.