Millennials on the RW staff—myself included—wondered if the Supernova Rise’s name was an homage to the 1999 Disney Channel movie reebok and adidas bralette pants plus size. Alas, we can only hope that Adidas’s shoe developers had the earworm “Supernova Girl” as they created the original Supernova, released in the early 2000s. Coincidence? Maybe.
Pros
- Super foam inspired by the same foam in the racing series
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- Highly responsive
Cons
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| Type | Road |
|---|---|
| Weight | 9.8 oz (M), 8.3 oz (W) |
| Drop | 10 mm |
| Heel stack | 35.5 mm |
| Forefoot stack | 25.5 mm |
- Who It’s For: Runners looking for a neutral lightweight everyday trainer with high energy return on a super foam platform
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- Midsole Foam: Dreamstrike+
- Key Tech: Support Rod system embedded in the outsole
If the first Supernova’s name wasn’t inspired by the pop hit by fictional singer Proto Zoa, then we must consider the astronomical definition. A supernova is the final stores stage of a massive star when it triggers into a nuclear fusion, expelling masses of cosmic material faster than the speed of light. The original Supernova looks dorky to us now, but its purpose aligned with its celestial namesake: to encourage a speedy ride and provide support for light-years—well, maybe not light-years.
And so, the release of the Supernova Rise is tied to Adidas’s classics, the original Supernova and Supernova Glide Boost. (We gave the sixth and seventh models Editor’s Choice awards). It’s also a callback to the more recent 2020 Supernova. But unlike the ’20 version and its successors—Supernova 2 and 3—the Supernova Rise doesn’t have Boost and Bounce cushioning.
With its newest shoe, Adidas wanted to tackle the question, “What does a super foam for an everyday running shoe look like?” The answer is Dreamstrike+.
Everyday Super Foam
Dreamstrike+ is inspired by the adidas cm8303 women black friday shopping funny series’s LightStrike Pro (Adidas won’t reveal what the foam is made of, but we have a hunch it’s PEBA-based). Its everyday super foam also needed to offer the durability to handle the accruing mileage on a daily trainer. So, Adidas created a compliant, responsive platform without the squish.
To harmonize comfort and support, the new Energy Rods system is embedded into the outsole. The rods, which are EVA, serve as a structural component as well as a stability feature.
A Form Built for Comfort
The Supernova Rise is gender-specific, meaning the men’s and women’s shoes are designed to meet biomechanical and anatomical differences. Using findings from a study that included 1,300 female runners, Adidas found that comfort was the most important criterion when choosing a running shoe.
To ensure the Supernova Rise fit these criteria, the brand nixed adding a cage on the engineered sandwich mesh upper, making the shoe lighter and less constrictive. A new key element, which Adidas calls a “mustache heel pillow,” is on the outside of the collar. It’s a soft patch of material that serves as a plush touch point when you put on and remove the shoe.
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I know a shoe has something special going on when I gravitate towards it past initial testing. Despite the slightly narrow fit in the midfoot, I knew the Supernova Rise had special status as it became the default shoe on my Strava. The firm platform provides a for and responsive ride that strikes a happy medium—not too thinly cushioned, nor too heavy on the plush.
“I like that the shoe has a familiar feel to some of the most popular everyday training shoes—Brooks Ghost, Nike Peg, etc.—with a fairly firm ride,” said Jeff Dengate, RW director of test operations. “It’s reasonably priced and is going to be a good option for ‘most runners, most of the time.’ In this age of super foams and squishy midsoles, I hope we still see shoes like this from every brand.”
RW test editor, Morgan Petruny, shared similar feedback on the Supernova Rise, along with her thoughts on high-stack-height fatigue—a quibble unique to our line of work as members of the RW test team.
“What I liked most about the Supernova Rise is that I got a really well-protected, moderately-soft ride without a lot of foam,” she said. “Now that 40mm (and 40mm-plus) heel stacks are so common, the Supernova Rise is a reminder that, sure, heaps of midsole foam are awesome, but not essential. The Supernova has excellent shock absorption throughout, and in my opinion, the forefoot cushioning did not feel lacking. I actually liked the experience more in the front of the shoe (compared to the heel) because it felt nimbler.”
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“The ride is pretty awful,” said RW news editor, Theo Kahler. “During the beginning of runs, my feet and legs felt like they were pounding the ground, which is never a fun experience.”
Not a shining review, but Kahler isn’t the Supernova Rise’s target runner.
“As someone who enjoys more maximalist trainers like the Nike Invincible or even the Puma Magnify, these shoes felt like a downgrade, especially on longer runs,” he said.
Kahler’s critique is valuable to runners who prefer maximalist shoes, however, I would still recommend the Supernova Rise to new runners. It’s an affordably-priced, moderately-cushioned intro into running shoes that provides a Goldilocks experience for beginners who are unsure of their personal definition of “enough cushioning.”
Dengate had the same take: “If you want cush, you can always opt for a different shoe, but this is going to be a great starting point for a lot of runners—reliably comfortable for short- to mid-distance runs, with a good fit and a reasonable price tag.”
Stiff But Smooth
The shoe felt a little too stiff for wear-tester Maura Paradise’s liking, but the responsive ride made it a fair tradeoff.
“It seems like it would be comfortable for runners who are efficient and do not need ample cushioning,” she said.
I agree with her assessment. The Dreamstrike+ foam makes the shoe responsive, but the ride isn’t bouncy. Instead, what you get is a toeoff that feels quick and still remains stable.
Amanda is a test editor at Runner’s World who has run the Boston Marathon every year since 2013; she's a former professional baker with a master’s in gastronomy and she carb-loads on snickerdoodles.
