Good alternative to Nike Elite 9

I think the Nike Elite 9 is closer to the Adidas Boston than to the Adios. Bostons (5 and now 6) have been my marathon / tempo shoe for a while, and I recently bought a pair of Elite 9s on sale. Bostons are way more durable because of the boost foam.

I was at the running store this week and had the Nike Elite 9, Adidas Boston, and Adidas Adios in hand. The Nike Elite just felt cheap compared to the other two and the heel-toe drop more aggressive. I agree, the Adidas Boston is the best comparison.

The Nike Zoom Streak and Zoom Rival are lighter than the Elite 9 and probably don't have the same amount of support, but maybe they will work for you. But I know when you are bigger than the usual runner (I am 6 feet, 175 lbs), the lighter shoes don't always work so well.

Also, if you are looking for lightweight and good cushioning, I have been impressed by Saucony's offerings. The Freedom ISO, Kinvara, Zealot ISO all do a heck of a job with being lightweight and offering plenty of cushioning. But if you don't like low drop shoes, those are not the best fit for you.

New Balance 1500

Brooks launch 5 a bit more room (width/length than Boston) at 9.1 ounces it may be a little heavier but its fit and ride make up for it

Thank you guys for the recommendations! I will try my local running stores to see if they carry the Boston 6 and NB 1500 to see how they feel.

I did try the Brooks Launch 5 when they first became available but there was not enough forefoot cushioning in them and they hurt my feet pretty bad after running on the treadmill with them.

So it is my understanding that the Boston 6 would be similar to the Elite 9 and the Adios 3 would compare well to the Streak 6 if I am reading that right? Thanks again.

One more quick question for those that have tried both the Boston and Elite 9, is the heel collar of the Boston 5/6 more padded than what is on the Elite 9? I am hoping so as I definitely found that the heel collar on the Elite 9 rubbed a ton against my Achilles causing those blisters.

The thing with the Boston Boosts is that the boost is really in the heel, whereas the Elites have the zoom air in the forefoot. It may not be a big deal, but keep that in mind as you might not notice walking around the store. The adios might actually be better in that regard.

If the 1500s are too lightweight, try some Zantes, which can usually be found for half off.

361 KMM2 and Chaser are really nice. Very hard wearing and nice durable cushioning that isn't too soft. Carbon rubber soles. Chaser reminds me of old Adidas Rats Racer.

The heel collar in the Boston 6 is lower and more flexible than the heel collar of the Elite 9. Though I personally don't have problems with the heel collar in the Elite 9, I'd be surprised if the heel collar of the Boston 6 bothered anyone.

It's true that the Elite 9 has more spring in its forefoot than the Boston does (which is why I wanted to try the Elite 9, in fact). But I find the boost in the forefoot of the Boston 6 pretty responsive all the same - much more so than in the Adios. The boost material seems to be distributed somewhat more evenly between the heel and forefoot in the Boston 6 than in the 5.

So after watching some more reviews along with some research, it seems that the Adidas Boston 6 is definitely what I am looking for as a replacement for the Elite 9. I have one more question though:

Is there a difference between the standard Boston 6 and the Boston 6 GFX? I have seen some good deals on the GFX model online but was unsure if there were any differences in the models which would warrant getting one over the other? Thank you.

So I just received my pair of Adidas Boston 6's yesterday and was able to run a quick five miles today and all I can say is WOW! Where has boost been all my life? These shoes greatly exceeded my expectations as far as I am concerned. Granted, it was only a file mile run so far but the comfort in these shoes is superb, even more so considering their relatively low weight compared to the Elite 9, Pegasus 34, and Vomero 13 I have been running in.

As far as fit goes, it is perfect. I wear a size 13 in Brooks, Asics, and Nike so I ordered a 13 in the Boston 6. For me, they have just a hair less room in the forefoot compared to the Elite 9 but are a perfect, snug fit. I had absolutely zero issues with heel irritation so I am very happy about that. Also, I noticed that when running earlier this was the first time that I can recall that I was able to hit a cadence of 180 steps per minute continuously when I was struggling to hit 165-170 in my other shoes. I truly couldn't be happier. Now I just need to order a pair of Supernova's to replace my Vomero's.

Remember that Supernova feels nothing like Boston 6. It´s a very soft shoe (softer than Vomero 12).

Do you wear no show socks?

Yeah, I read and watched reviews stating that they are a very soft shoe ever since Adidas went away from the Glide series. My plan was to use them as a recovery/slow day shoe and use the Boston 6's for tempo work/race day. Would that be an acceptable use case for the Supernova's? I do like the Vomero 13's comfort wise, but that soft blown rubber under the forefoot is not durable at all for me. Besides, I definitely feel like Lunarlon takes a back seat to Boost now.

Dril wrote:

Do you wear no show socks?

Nope, I always wear socks that go up over the heel cup of the shoe I am using. I primarily use Swiftwick Aspire socks which makes the achille's irritation in the Elite 9's even stranger because those Swiftwick socks really do an awesome job of removing moisture from my feet when they sweat.

SirSlappy wrote:

Dril wrote:

Do you wear no show socks?

Nope, I always wear socks that go up over the heel cup of the shoe I am using. I primarily use Swiftwick Aspire socks which makes the achille's irritation in the Elite 9's even stranger because those Swiftwick socks really do an awesome job of removing moisture from my feet when they sweat.

Dang very strange. I have to wear crew socks with all my nikes otherwise they cut my ankles. Been happening since the lunars launched.