If there are two industries where the marketing teams maybe have a bit too much latitude, it’s the beauty and the running shoe markets. They both bombard the public with terms, names and hyperbole that we’re sure only barely make sense to the marketers themselves, and are frequently more confusing than helpful. Rightly so consumers have become sceptical, thus my hesitance when taking Adidas’ Energy Boost 2 ESM running shoes to the road.

This is the second incarnation of the Energy Boost shoes, featuring Adidas’ patented Boost technology, which the company claims is “designed to return energy to the foot with every step”. It’s a bold claim and one which at the current distances I’m doing (sub 21 km), I can hardly vouch for.

What I can say however is that the Boost 2 ESM makes for very comfortable running, plus much to my surprise took care of post run knee pain.

Good support

Being used to shoes offering pronation support (Adidas Supernova, Asics GT), the Boost 2 ESM is not an obvious choice for me since it’s a more neutral shoe. That said, it does contain extra support on the outer heel, while “Formation” technology makes the heel move independently. Adidas also notes that their “Torsion” technology (those pesky marketing terms again) provides midsole assistance, further ensuring that the toes and heel can work on their own. All this might have been the reason for far less knee pain than usual after going for longer runs.

I’m not a big fan of the lacing system, since I prefer these to go further down the foot, however the toe box is spacious and there was no chafing on the bridge of my foot or on the toes. The shoes are quite lite (274 g) while the soles providing solid support through out - there wasn't a part where I felt I needed more rubber between my feet and the road. 

Pink is my favourite colour

While we have no complaints about how the Boost 2 ESM performs, the bright pink colour is an eyeful, prompting concern that someone at Adidas suffers from colourblindness, since they call it Solar Red. Having said that they are good looking shoes and can easily be worn to the office on casual Friday (one of the other colour preferably). 

I’m not exactly sure that the Boost 2 ESM provides me with more energy during my runs, since I felt just as tired after a long distance practice session as per usual. It is true that they are very comfortable and surprisingly fit my running style perfectly.

They are available for R1 900. 

DISCLAIMER: ADIDAS SHOES WERE NOT COLLECTED AFTERWARDS.